Being Methodical in May!

When the whole world is turning pink, it's hard to concentrate on the sedentary practice of reading. I want to be outside, enjoying the weather. Spring has finally come. How can I keep up the motivation?
But she persisted!
I am a person motivated by methodology. When I can break up an assignments into smaller parts, and tick off a list of each task done, I can move through a long project with gusto. In fact, the physical action of checking off boxes actually motivates me to keep going. Do you have a similar way of rewarding yourself with accomplishment? Take advantage of knowing your motivational way and you'll be able to follow through on many projects. I like the method we've chosen to read the bible in a year, because it moves in 4 separate tracks: 1) the gospels, 2) the letters and other writings of the NT, 3) the wisdom literature of the OT and 4) the rest of the OT grouped by history and and prophets. It seems to me that the emphasis on the gospels being our primary biblical writings is the right one.
In May, the Bible-in-a-year readers move into the second half of the Gospel of Mark, keep moving through the letters of Paul in the NT by looking at 2 Corinthians and Galatians, and also tackle the history of the early kingdom of Israel by the book of Samuel, conveniently divided for us into parts 1 and 2 by the Greek translators of the Hebrew text in the version known as the Septuagint.
As we saw in Joshua and Judges, the books of 1 & 2 Samuel, and later 1 & 2 Kings, will continue a particular point of view--that of a theoretical Deuteronomic historian. The story keeps asking the question "What is God doing in our history that forms us as a people?" Are kings good or bad? It depends. We can ask why the Jews considered it important to preserve this point of view in their history.  The Book of Samuel is a theological evaluation of kingship in general and of dynastic kingship and King David in particular, the most celebrated King in all of Israel's history. The Kingdom of David lasted barely 40 years, but it became the touchstone of all history of the Jews. The main themes of the book are introduced in the opening poem (the "Song of Hannah"): (1), the sovereignty of Yahweh, God of Israel; (2), the reversal of human fortunes; and (3), kingship. These themes are played out in the stories of the three main characters, Samuel, Saul and David.
By reading the ending of the Gospel of Mark this month we have an opportunity to discuss the way in which early Christians encountered teachers and disciples. How did the church keep going after the death of all the earthly witnesses of Jesus?
The letter writing Paul is certainly part of the answer. His letter(s) to the church at Corinth and to the Galatians keep being relevant to gatherings of Christians today. Even as our electronic age makes the art of letter writing less and less practiced, more and more people have access to literature and literacy than ever before. How are we curating the collection of letters today? Paul's letters themselves are an amazing testament to the story of Jesus.
Finally, this month, we'll get all the way up to Psalm 118 in the Wisdom literature track. Keep singing! And yes, it's ok to read outside.

Easter Monday--notes on April's Reading the Bible in a Year

SORRY for the late PUBLISHING!
I meant to post this last month, but didn't get it done. Sorry, all.
We began a new calendar quarter of reading the Bible in a Year on Easter Monday, the first day of the Easter octave.  Christian history is full of traditions and teachings that are a vast reservior of wisdom for modern Christians. However we seldom take advantage of them. My Christian brothers and sisters from Africa are much more attuned to the wisdom of the ancestors when it comes to looking for wisdom in how we are to live.
The NT letter we are reading in the month of April is Paul's letter to the church at Corinth. Easter Sunday's lectionary text, and my preaching text from [Easter], came from the great 15th chapter of that letter, Paul's amazing defense of the resurrection. For Paul the only reality that governed his existence was the real, bodily resurrection of Christ that put him in touch with the grace of God. How Paul changed from a persecutor of the Way of Jesus into a tireless promoter of the Gospel is one of the great mysteries, but also great blessings in understanding Christian origins. The advice he was asked to give to the Corinthians and put down for them in this letter, is one of the great passages of pastoral wisdom collected in the first century after Jesus.
April's Gospel reading is from Mark. I remember that before we went on a pilgrimage to Israel with a group from my father's church, we were asked to read the Gospel of Mark, the shortest gospel, but the one that put the Jew Jesus into the immediacy of the Roman world, with all the complexities of that relationship right in the foreground. As we traveled the sites in Israel that Christian pilgrims visit, the scripture came alive for us in new ways. I was thrilled to see the places and sights that Jesus visited during his brief ministry. The ending of Mark provides great material for discussing how and why it was written--shorter or longer versions.
Our OT passages for April are the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth--stories from Israel's history after Moses and before its "kings." The stories describe the dilemmas of tribal organization without a strong central figure: how can the people defend themselves against enemies, internal and external, with different 'gods' and make a cohesive people? How can outsiders be part of God's people?
Finally in April, we make it through almost the whole Book of Psalms. Have you noticed how much of the identity of Israel is formed by singing its songs? Paying attention to what we sing and how we worship is part of our witness, too.
Keep Reading!

The reading schedule for reading the bible in a year can be found on the church website.