| Sunday Jan 30 |
Monday Jan 31 |
Tuesday Feb 1 |
Wednesday Feb 2 |
Thursday Feb 3 |
Friday Feb 4 |
Saturday Feb 5 |
| Exodus 11, 12 |
Exodus 13, 14 |
Exodus 15, 16 |
Exodus 17, 18 |
Exodus 19, 20 |
Exodus 21, 22 |
Exodus 23, 24 |
| Matthew 22 |
Matthew 23 |
Psalms 15, 16 |
Matthew 24 |
Matthew 25 |
Psalms 17 |
Matthew 26 |
Southminster Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, PA invites you to join us as we celebrate 2011 as The Year of the Bible. Weekly posts will provide the readings and we invite you to comment with your questions and/or thoughts!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Week 6: January 30 - February 5
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Week 5: January 23 - January 29
| Sunday Jan 23 |
Monday Jan 24 |
Tuesday Jan 25 |
Wednesday Jan 26 |
Thursday Jan 27 |
Friday Jan 28 |
Saturday Jan 29 |
| Genesis 47, 48 |
Genesis 49, 50 |
Exodus 1, 2 |
Exodus 3, 4 |
Exodus 5, 6 |
Exodus 7, 8 |
Exodus 9, 10 |
| Matthew 17 |
Matthew 18 |
Psalms 11, 12 |
Matthew 19 |
Matthew 20 |
Psalms 13, 14 |
Matthew 21 |
Week 4: January 16 - January 22
| Sunday Jan 16 |
Monday Jan 17 |
Tuesday Jan 18 |
Wednesday Jan 19 |
Thursday Jan 20 |
Friday Jan 21 |
Saturday Jan 22 |
| Genesis 32, 33 |
Genesis 34, 35, 36 |
Genesis 37, 38 |
Genesis 39, 40 |
Genesis 41, 42 |
Genesis 43, 44 |
Genesis 45, 46 |
| Matthew 12 |
Matthew 13 |
Psalms 9 |
Matthew 14 |
Matthew 15 |
Psalms 10 |
Matthew 16 |
Week 3: January 9 - January 15
| Sunday Jan 9 |
Monday Jan 10 |
Tuesday Jan 11 |
Wednesday Jan 12 |
Thursday Jan 13 |
Friday Jan 14 |
Saturday Jan 15 |
| Genesis 18, 19 |
Genesis 20, 21 |
Genesis 22, 23 |
Genesis 24, 25 |
Genesis 26, 27 |
Genesis 28, 29 |
Genesis 30, 31 |
| Matthew 7 |
Matthew 8 |
Psalms 5, 6 |
Matthew 9 |
Matthew 10 |
Psalms 7, 8 |
Matthew 11 |
Week 2: January 2 - January 8
| Sunday Jan 2 |
Monday Jan 3 |
Tuesday Jan 4 |
Wednesday Jan 5 |
Thursday Jan 6 |
Friday Jan 7 |
Saturday Jan 8 |
| Genesis 3, 4 |
Genesis 5, 6 |
Genesis 7, 8 |
Genesis 9, 10, 11 |
Genesis 12, 13 |
Genesis 14, 15 |
Genesis 16, 17 |
| Matthew 2 |
Matthew 3 |
Psalms 1, 2 |
Matthew 4 |
Matthew 5 |
Psalms 3, 4 |
Matthew 6 |
Week 1: January 1
January
Here it is! The Year of the Bible. This is a chance for all of us to read through the entire Bible together. For many of us, this will be the first time doing so. For others, it will not be new at all. Either way, there will be an added joy this year because we are taking this project on toegether. You will find that it adds a special blessing to the venture as you recall now and then that we are all reading the same passages at the same time.
These posts at the beginning of each month are designed to provide an overview of the readings for each month. They will give you some guidance regarding not only the major things to look for but also some pitfalls to avoid. Refer to each month's post occasionally as you do your readings. You will find that the articles help to keep you on track, while offering a tidbit or two now and then that will make your reading more enjoyable.
This year you will start reading at the beginning of both Testaments. Some of this material will be very familiar to you, but other things may seem quite new, even strange at times. In the Old Testament this month, we will be reading mostly from the book of Genesis. Genesis gives us the basic background for the people of Israel. It is the patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's sons - who are the center of the story. But Abraham does not appear until Gen. 12. The first eleven chapters deal with the prehistory of israel. they are the stories that place Israel within the context of world history as a whole.
As you read, try not to get caught up in discussions of how these events relate to modern science. It is more useful to ask yourself what these stories would have meant to the children of Israel as they heard them told many times. The nations surrounding Israel believed in many gods. For them, the sun, the moon, and the stars were divine. Observe that, in the story of the creation of the heavens and the earth in Gen. 1, a basic point is that there is only one God. This God is above all things, and all things have been created by God.
The implications for the religious beliefs of other nations are clear. Notice that, even though light is created immediately by God, the sun and the moon and the stars are not created until much later. For our scientific understanding, that sounds strange; however, it is a very good way of pointing out that the gods worshiped by neighboring peoples are not gods at all.
Likewise, the story of Adam and Eve in Gen. 2 and 3 shows us what human nature is like. It tries to explain in a simple manner that God has not brought evil into the world. Humans are responsible for perpetuating evil. This and the larger stories in this section attempt to show, in a way that is clear to all generations, how God first interacted withhuman beings, how evil increased rapidly in the world, and how, because of that, God pronounced judgment on human beings.
In Gen. 12, the story moves to the forefathers of Israel, beginning with Abraham. You will discover as you read through these stories that the fathers were not necessarily such wonderful people. For example, Jacob's decitful behavior is questionable at best. You will see too that polygamy was an accepted practice. However, you will also notice that the stories make it clear that polygamy does not work out very well!
All the way through, it is important to note the theme of God's promise and failthfulness to these people God has chosen and their attempts, even though halting, to be faithful to the Lord. God's covenant remains firm even when these people cannot live up to it. The story of Joseph, especially, shows us how a person who is faithful to God can be helped by God. It also explains how the children of Israel end up in Egypt and myst be brought back to the Promised Land by Moses at the time of the Exodus.
In the New Testament, we will be reading the Gospel of Matthew. The story in Matthew about Jesus is straightforward. There are There are a few themes to keep in mind. A primary theme is that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed King, for the Jews. This is evident already in the genealogy of Jesus in chapter 1. It is framed in three sets of fourteen generations. Matthew uses this neat and stylized form for the genealogy so that he can emphasis Jesus' descent from David. According to the Jewish manner of counting, the name "David" totaled fourteen. Three sets of fourteen indicates that Jesus is the Davidic son fully, completely, and perfectly.
Another theme to watch for in Matthew is the call to the church to be obedient to God. Watch for references to living a righteous, good life, as in the parable of the sower (ch. 13), where seed sown on good soil brings forth abundant grain. Or recall the Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5-7), which gives a compelling picture of a serious Christian life. The idea of discipleship is closely tied to this. Like the original Twelve, Christians are to be disciples of their Master. They are to follow after him, serving others without regard to themselves.
Matthew emphasiszes that the kingdom of heaven - another theme of the Gospel - is open to those who do the will of God. Nothing else, whether mighty works (7:21-23) or family ties (12:46-50), will get a person into the kingdom. Observe the importance of the kingdom as you read Matthew. To belong to it may well mean persecution and suffering now, but it will also bring ultimate blessedness. To be outside the kingdom, however, will mean final judgment when our resurrected Lord returns in power.
From The Year of the Bible by James E. Davison
These posts at the beginning of each month are designed to provide an overview of the readings for each month. They will give you some guidance regarding not only the major things to look for but also some pitfalls to avoid. Refer to each month's post occasionally as you do your readings. You will find that the articles help to keep you on track, while offering a tidbit or two now and then that will make your reading more enjoyable.
This year you will start reading at the beginning of both Testaments. Some of this material will be very familiar to you, but other things may seem quite new, even strange at times. In the Old Testament this month, we will be reading mostly from the book of Genesis. Genesis gives us the basic background for the people of Israel. It is the patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's sons - who are the center of the story. But Abraham does not appear until Gen. 12. The first eleven chapters deal with the prehistory of israel. they are the stories that place Israel within the context of world history as a whole.
As you read, try not to get caught up in discussions of how these events relate to modern science. It is more useful to ask yourself what these stories would have meant to the children of Israel as they heard them told many times. The nations surrounding Israel believed in many gods. For them, the sun, the moon, and the stars were divine. Observe that, in the story of the creation of the heavens and the earth in Gen. 1, a basic point is that there is only one God. This God is above all things, and all things have been created by God.
The implications for the religious beliefs of other nations are clear. Notice that, even though light is created immediately by God, the sun and the moon and the stars are not created until much later. For our scientific understanding, that sounds strange; however, it is a very good way of pointing out that the gods worshiped by neighboring peoples are not gods at all.
Likewise, the story of Adam and Eve in Gen. 2 and 3 shows us what human nature is like. It tries to explain in a simple manner that God has not brought evil into the world. Humans are responsible for perpetuating evil. This and the larger stories in this section attempt to show, in a way that is clear to all generations, how God first interacted withhuman beings, how evil increased rapidly in the world, and how, because of that, God pronounced judgment on human beings.
In Gen. 12, the story moves to the forefathers of Israel, beginning with Abraham. You will discover as you read through these stories that the fathers were not necessarily such wonderful people. For example, Jacob's decitful behavior is questionable at best. You will see too that polygamy was an accepted practice. However, you will also notice that the stories make it clear that polygamy does not work out very well!
All the way through, it is important to note the theme of God's promise and failthfulness to these people God has chosen and their attempts, even though halting, to be faithful to the Lord. God's covenant remains firm even when these people cannot live up to it. The story of Joseph, especially, shows us how a person who is faithful to God can be helped by God. It also explains how the children of Israel end up in Egypt and myst be brought back to the Promised Land by Moses at the time of the Exodus.
In the New Testament, we will be reading the Gospel of Matthew. The story in Matthew about Jesus is straightforward. There are There are a few themes to keep in mind. A primary theme is that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed King, for the Jews. This is evident already in the genealogy of Jesus in chapter 1. It is framed in three sets of fourteen generations. Matthew uses this neat and stylized form for the genealogy so that he can emphasis Jesus' descent from David. According to the Jewish manner of counting, the name "David" totaled fourteen. Three sets of fourteen indicates that Jesus is the Davidic son fully, completely, and perfectly.
Another theme to watch for in Matthew is the call to the church to be obedient to God. Watch for references to living a righteous, good life, as in the parable of the sower (ch. 13), where seed sown on good soil brings forth abundant grain. Or recall the Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5-7), which gives a compelling picture of a serious Christian life. The idea of discipleship is closely tied to this. Like the original Twelve, Christians are to be disciples of their Master. They are to follow after him, serving others without regard to themselves.
Matthew emphasiszes that the kingdom of heaven - another theme of the Gospel - is open to those who do the will of God. Nothing else, whether mighty works (7:21-23) or family ties (12:46-50), will get a person into the kingdom. Observe the importance of the kingdom as you read Matthew. To belong to it may well mean persecution and suffering now, but it will also bring ultimate blessedness. To be outside the kingdom, however, will mean final judgment when our resurrected Lord returns in power.
From The Year of the Bible by James E. Davison
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