After living here for nine years, I still find that I get semi-lost when I am driving to an unfamiliar hospital or home. I sort of know where I am going, but I have to drive around a little to find my destination. I don’t have a GPS, usually forget to take a map along, and often know my starting and ending point, but not much in the middle. I do not even consider asking directions. I assume "You can’t get there from here" is a reasonable statement. I do eventually get to where I am going, but I could be much more efficient.
What I realize is that many of us read the Bible in the same way that I drive. We can feel "semi-lost." We know many Bible stories, but struggle to truly understand "The Story." We know about Jacob and we know about Jesus, but we are not sure just how to get from one to the other. Some people feel if they had just been able to take Confirmation when they were young, then they would be more confident in the Bible. Others feel if they had just listened when they were in Confirmation, they would be more competent in the Bible now. But the reality is, it is a long story that we find in the Bible. There is a lot to read, and a lot to learn.
This fall we are going to embark on a project as a whole church. We are going to read the story of the Bible together. There will be groups and classes and sermons to help you read the whole story. We will use a book published by Zondervan, called "The Story." It is all the narrative sections of the Bible, put together to read like a novel, or a history book, in 388 pages. There is a children's edition and a youth edition too. This is not a Reader's Digest Condensation type of book. It is the actual text of the Bible, but just the narrative, with short summaries from place to place to keep you on track.
In our church we have many different groups doing many different activities. But wouldn't it be great to do one thing all together? I invite you to read "The Story" this year. Let's find our way on the faith journey together.
The Story (Zondervan) is available to purchase here at church for $10.00; or, if you prefer, you can find it available as an e-book.
