Dear Friends, let's pray for each other as we take the first steps of reading the bible in a year. We will be sure of the road since God will be with us. As ever, Fr Jonathan
Here is our opportunity to post our thoughts as we read through the Bible in the coming year - please pray that this is a time of growth and fruitfulness for us as a community. Many thanks to those who have worked so hard to get the technology working for us! Mary
It was the creative power of God as something natural, "The Wind", that leapt out at me today - I think I should raise my eyes from the pavement and look up at creation a bit more.
Some things that made me think and pray from our first day of reading.......John 1:16 "We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift." Genesis 1:28b "Be responsible for....every living thing that moves on the face of the earth." Genesis 2:b "On the 7th day he rested from all his work." I will be more thankful today, try to be more responsible for the earth and, as I am not better than God, take a day of rest!:-)
Would be great to hear your comments everyone who is reading along!!! - These Genesis chapters provoke all sorts of emotions in me - how about you? Reading the joy of the creation followed by the deep shame and anger that comes out of the fall - isn't it reflected in John 2 from the amazing miracle of wonderful wine to the anger of clearing the temple?
From darkness to light......from the evil doing of Cain, and the world which God decided to cleanse with the flood, to the light which John the Baptist proclaims as he is baptising: today I feel the weight of moral choice, but the reassurance that we the road is illuminated by Christ.
I did my reading after watching the lunch-time news and using the modern "Message" version, it translates John 3:19 "This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for darkness. They ran for darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God." The words crisis and not being interested in pleasing God struck home - what would please Him today and in this crisis?
If you follow the chronology that's given in chapters 5 and 11, some interesting observations are possible:
(1) Methuselah, the longest-lived human being "as the story goes," died in the year of the Flood (ca. 1656 "Anno Mundi")--perhaps in the Flood itself!
(2) When Abram is born, ca. 1950 AM, Noah, who was born just over a century after Adam's death and is said to have lived 950 years, is still alive, as is his son Shem. Noah would have passed on only some 15 years before Abram departs for Canaan.
(3) When Abram leaves for Canaan, his father Terah is still alive, and would have passed away only some 60 years after Abram's departure.
These are small details, to be sure, but they help to add a note of poignancy to the story of Abram's departure from his father's house, as we realise what he had to leave behind in order to answer God's call.
They're also an indication that God's journey with Abraham begins just as the generation of the "men (and presumably, women) of renown" is passing away.
And they show something about the story-telling technique of Biblical authors: they tend to make things easier for their hearers by finishing up with one story before moving on to another.
Arrived at Jesus' complex theology in Chapters 6 and 7 plus a hefty helping of begatting in Genesis could be daunting if not for Peter's confession - You have the words of eternal life
The Sages noticed that Enoch (5.22) and Noah (6.9) walked "with" God, but that God told Abraham "walk 'before' me, and be perfect" (17.1). Why the difference? When a child is first learning to walk, they said, a parent walks alongside them, holding their hand to prevent them from falling. But when a child is ready to walk on its own, the parent stands behind them, ready to catch them if they fall. With Abraham, the human race is beginning to grow up, and God allows his beloved child to begin to walk on its own.
As we come to the end of the story of Abraham it's worth noting that Abraham is the first person that relates to God as God had hoped--not simply as a child, or a slave, but as a friend. God seeks out Abraham's advice about Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham challenges God about what He intends to do (cc. 18-19).
What's our relationship with God like? Is it like that of a small child to a parent, of a slave to a master? or might it be developing into something more, more like the relationship of friend to friend, beloved to beloved?
It would be lovely to hear comments from everyone who is reading along with Bible in a Year - you don't have to be a theologian!!
I am thinking about the mentions of washing in both our readings today: 1)in Genesis 35 - Jacob tells his family to throw out their alien gods and take a bath before going to worship 2)then Jesus tells his disciples(John 13) that he's interested in holiness not hygiene as he goes to wash Peter's feet I see Advent and Lent as times of spiritual spring-cleaning....I wonder what alien gods I need to throw out and what I need to wash from my life in preparation for the Christmas feast?
I only just figured out how to get on this blog and post. When I pull up the church website there is no mention of Read the Bible in a Year. Selina told me sometimes she sees it and sometimes it is not there. I finally went on a Google search and arrived at this blogspot address. I know more people would like to participate; I suggest that this blogspot address be printed in the weekly program and in the weekly message via email. Wendy
Welcome to the book of Job! Just in case you'd like some other people's thoughts on our readings (I always find Job a real challenge!) Try www.biblegateway.com and search for the passage you are interested in - eg Job 1 - then on the right of the page there's a tab marked "resources" - if you click here there are links to 2 different commentaries that might help.
Queries and thoughts on the Book of Job: (I have not gone to biblegateway or I might not ever post.)
Why does God ask Satan "Have you considered my servant Job?" and then answer "Very well, all that he has is in your power" ??? Is God playing with Satan to test man? Seems twisted.
Job, ever faithful,, after losing everything including his whole family proclaims,"the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord."
But not satisfied, the Lord once again asks Satan if he has considered his servant Job. Whatever is the meaning of this?
When Job's wife objects to his fate, he tells her, "You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God and not receive the bad?" Apart from the unpleasant reference to women, Job seems to me super faithful, and only in chapter 7 does he at last start to complain to God, though by Chapter 13:15 he proclaims, "I have no hope; but I will defend my ways to his face."
Are we to conclude that God does not work evil, but catastrophes and all manner of woes come to mankind just because that is the way of the world?
Wendy, many thanks for your thoughts - and sorry for the delayed response - the "staff team", like many others, have been on leave after the busyness of Christmas.
I continue to struggle with lots of things in Job but I think you hit the nail on the head with your last comment: that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to the bad - Jesus also says this in Matthew 5:45.
As we have now got further through this book - I notice that realistic humanity of Job being shown - having seemed, as you say "super-faithful" at the start, as the suffering continues he obviously wonders where God is in all of this....and although "Job's comforters" speak some truth, they also make some false and extremely unhelpful assumptions. My translation of today's final verse Job 35:16: "Job, you talk sheer nonesense - nonstop nonesense!" shows his "friend" has no compassion or empathy with poor Job!
In the midst of his suffering, Job asks a lot of good questions about the whys of suffering; and Job's friends are too busy trying to defend God to realize that. I think that's one reason why, after his appearance to Job towards the end of the book, God tells Eliphaz that he and his friends haven't spoken rightly of God, but Job has (42.7). In the end God doesn't answer Job's questions, but his appearance to Job, his being-there, seems to satisfy Job.
What I take away from reflection on this book is that we always remain with our questions about the "why" of evil, and that it's important we bring those questions to God--that we keep talking to God. It's not clear we'll ever receive a satisfactory answer to our questions, but we can hope that when we see God face to face, as Job found, the questions won't seem quite so pressing.
Today Exodus 27 and 28, The Altar of burnt Offering, The Court and its Hangings, The Oil for the Lamp, Vestments for the Priesthood, The Ephod, The Breastplate.
27-2 You shall make horns... (These horns are not only ornaments of the altar, as it seems, to prevent / protection what was lay on the altar for falling off). 27-20 You shall further command the Israelites to bring your pure oil of beaten olives for the light, so that a lamp may be set up to burn regularly. (Lamp with seven lights) see Exodus 25-37. 27-21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that is before the covenant, (Treaty or Testimony, means/that is, ark of the testimony).
28-3 And you shall speak to all who have ability, whom i have endowed with skill, (we read this before, 1 Jan, Job 9-4) 28-17 You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of (means/that is, the first, Genesis 1-5 and 28-30 `Urim and Thummim` (translate in lights and perfections)
Wonderful to see some new bloggers! Did anyone else notice in Exodus 33 that first Moses spoke to God face-to-face (vs 11) and then God says later (vs 20) no-one can see me face to face and live...maybe the writer is constrained by language - perhaps the first face to face is just a way of saying Moses had such a special relationship with God, more than anyone before - and the second underlines that however righteous a human, however devout - even Moses actually can't approach God and survive his amazing purity. Perhaps it underlines that tension we live with as Christians of being able to call Jesus our friend but also our Lord.
Two posts in one day...sorry!! But what excitement in those two chapters of Romans today.....did anyone else sense that St Paul seemed to be about to burst with excitement and wonder as he expounds these amazing truths - what a contrast to some of the things in the earlier chapters we have just read. I am praying today that God will give me, all of us at All Saints, even a small dose of that wow-factor when we talk about his greatness and goodness and power!!
First I would like to thank Alaric for his help with the blog. Also I would like to say how much I am enjoying "reading my Bible everyday", Thank you to the people who organised it. I found the passage "righteousness through faith"( Rom 3, 21-26) gave me alot to think about.
I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and i will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one....
I'll call the unloved and make them beloved.
Our love depends on the receiver of the love. Let a thousand people pass before us, and we will not feel the same about each. Our love will be regulated by their appearance, by their personalities. Even when we find a few people we like, our feelings will fluctuate. How they treat us will affect how we love them. The receiver regulates our love. Not so with the love of God. We have no thermostatic impact on his love for us. The love of God is born from within him, not from what he finds in us. His love is uncaused and spontaneous.....
Does he loves us because of our goodness? Because of our kindness? Because of our great faith? No, he loves us because of his goodness, kindness, and great faith.
Thanks for pointing out that phrase, Sheena; you prodded me to explore the notes in the HarperCollins Study Bible, where I discovered it is indeed a happy paraphrase of Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace. who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."
Paul certainly knew his Scripture and was masterful at condensing those lines from Isaiah.
Reading so much about sacrifices in LEVITICUS and then Paul's explanation of the sacrifice of Jesus in ROMANS helps me to grasp better the significance of the latter. It must have seemed logical that a sacrifice was necessary to atone for sins to the Jews and Gentiles to whom he preached, but the idea of any sacrifice, animal or human, is so foreign to us. Selina
I am not enjoying Leviticus,too bloody. It's rather like a cult horror movie, but thanks to the comments of Selina and Mary I am seeing and understanding it in a slightly different light!
Honest worship lifts eyes off self and sets them on God. Scripture's best-known worship leader wrote:
"Give honer to the Lord, you angels; give honor to the Lord for his glory and strenght. Give honor to the Lord for his glory and strenght. Give honor to the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness" (Ps. 29:1-2).
Worship gives God honor, offers him standing ovations.
We can make a big deal about God on Sundays with our songs and on Mondays with our strenghts. Every day in every deed. Each time we do our best to thank God for giving his, we worship.
"Take your everyday, ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around lif and place it before God as an offering" (Rom. 12-1) Worship places God on center stage and us in proper posture.
Brilliant comments one and all - thanks for sharing - particularly uplifting thoughts on divine love 2 days ago, William Daniel, thanks! I have been reading Leviticus today in my modern "Message" paraphrase - and there has been so much throwing of blood and animal insides at the altar and smearing of blood on things and people - I came away feeling, yuk what a mess, and then (linking with what Selina said about Jesus) - all this mess because of our sin. I so often make excuses for myself, making my sin out to be something small - but Leviticus certainly puts me right on the severity of it all. And then St Paul puts us in our place about creating sin even about criticising each other's eating habits....I love the last line of this chapter in the "Message", "If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong." No arguing with that...I often get it wrong.
I meant to write this while we were still reading Romans;a brief comment that after reading so many threats and rules for sacrifice in Leviticus, I find it inspiring to read "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Romans 13:10
This is a book of laws. It has been aptly called the handbook of the priests. Its Hebrew title: Vayyikra which means "And he called"
The book falls into five parts, first the setting forth of the Provision for Approach, secondly yhe Institution of the Priesthood throught which the Provision might be appropriated, thirdly the life of Separation which is the condition of Appropriation, fourthly the Feast which portrayed the Benefits of Approach. Lastly, Symbols of Relation which safeguarded the maintenance of the right of Approach.
Lev 25: The signs
The laws of ratification consisted of the outward signs of the principle of possession to be observed in the land, together with solemn promises and warnings. The first sign was of the Sabbath of the land. In the seventh year of rest the original Ownership of God was recognized. The second sign was that of the jubilee, wherein great human interrelationships, dependent upon the fact of Divine possession, where insisted upon.
The laws of the year of jubilee affected the land, dwelling houses, and persons. In these the foundations of the social order were firmly laid. All inter human relationships, both of person and property, were conditioned in the fundamental relationship of the people to God.
The book ends with a section dealing with vows. The principle laid down is that it is not necessary that vows should be made, but that if they are made they must be religiously observed.
1 Cor. 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (Later on this blog!!!)
This idea of Jubilee - giving back to the original owner and so, perhaps,in the end, giving back to God, is just amazing and so foreign to the way the world seems to work now. It is the basis of the Christian (amongst other campaigners') call to "drop the debt" - to cancel the unpayable debts of the poor nations of our world - whatever the economists say, whatever our "common-sense" says, whatever we(the rich) stand to lose - for me this chapter (amongst many others)tells me I need to forgive and encourage the governments of the rich nations also to forgive the debts of the poor. What do you think??
Reading through Leviticus, we might find it easy to conclude that God is rather like Gen. Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove: a bit overly concerned about our "precious bodily fluids." But with the command to "love your neighbour as yourself" in Lev. 19 and the laws about the Jubilee in Lev. 25, it's more understandable to me why Leviticus is the central book of the Pentateuch, and the only book of the Torah that is set entirely at Sinai: it's here at Sinai that human freedom is represented as God's central concern, and it's here that we're commanded to imitate God by placing love for the other above everything else.
Numbers 6: 24-26 The Lord bless thee and keep thee; The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee; The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.
I hadn't realised this beautiful blessing comes from the Old Testament.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he has done, whether good or bad.
This judgment is based on the good and bad things done in the body. The good things will increase rewards: the bad things, although forgiven, will decrease them. This means that our eternal reward will be determined by the present life. This is a sobering thought. What makes it even more sobering is the fact that our rewards will not be determined solely by the many good things each Christian has done. The determination will be for every work, whether it is good or bad. One comforting thought about the fire test at Christ's tribunal: our good works will be purified by the same fire which destroys our bad works.
(we read this before in 1 Cor 3:13) ....each one's works will become clear, for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.
Rather than discouraging me from my pursuit of godliness, this knowledge produces in me a sort of holy vengeance. I want run the rest of my race with patient perseverance in pursuit of the holiness of God.
Good thing we have read so much about the Law so now we understand clearly what Paul is referring to when he preaches against observing it too rigidly. Selina
Yes, though I think what Paul is mostly concerned about is that we know our salvation comes from God's justice, from God's faithfulness, from God's love, not from what we do, not from keeping any law--and that our "works" are basically a grateful response to that abounding love, not something done in order to earn that love or earn salvation.
Dear selina, you see i have found my way as far as this. My message for today Mar. 14 is that reading all these letters of Paul to the early Christians far away from him in Rome and he unable to go to them makes him seem a real person instead of some shaddowy spiritual figure. I thought Phillipians ch. 4 was absolutely wonderful, especially v.8 the last part of which is enscribed over the door of Broadcasting House. Margaret
Deut.16:2 "in the place where Yahweh chooses to give his name a home". I'm not sure what place this refers to.Can anyone help? Deut.16:22 Nor will you set up a standing stone, a thing Yahweh your God would abhor. My mind flies to Stonehenge where I have seen the standing stones, and this somehow makes the passage more real to me. (so nice to read other people's comments.)
Sorry I have not been looking at the blog for a while - but wonderful to see everyone's comments and thoughts - Selina I hope you will be able to publish your list of phrases at the end of the year. As to your question about Deut 16:2, Selina - a home for the Name of the Lord - my Bible refers me back to Deut 12:5, amongst other places and says it is the Tabernacle - the tent during the desert journey and then placed first in Canaan, the home of the Ark of the covenant once they made it - the Temple in Jerusalem later became that place where the Lord chose to dwell. The Jews had a centralised place of worship. I wonder what parallels we can draw with ourselves as "temples of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor 3:16)and the sacrifice of praise and meal we now share in place of the passover as we celebrate the Eucharist - we are a place that the Lord chooses to dwell. How does that feel, I wonder?
Thankyou Mary I am in close touch with Selina and her thoughts an questions. I suppose our readings affect us in different ways. I accept the Jewish Law as propounded by the word of God through Moses as being right for the health and welfare of a growing nation, God's Chosen People. I am nearly in tears for Paul as I read the epistles, he loves all the new Christians so much and is anxious for their Spiritual welfare.also for family life. He gives his people a perfect set of Christian guide lines in Thess. ch.3 These are now taken for granted and their origine forgotten. Has all this wonderful teaching been watered down too much to suit modern life and the the complications that arise?
What a horrific chapter Deut. 28 is. I had no idea the Bible contained such an explicit description of what might happen in the aftermath of straying from the Law. It raises many questions. For instance, as we believe that God made the world and everything in it are we to think that when there is a terrible natural disaster such as the sunami,earth quakes widespread drought or an outbreak of disease to name but a few , that it is a just punishment on those people mainly affected by it? It is not thought right nowadays to say that perhaps the people diserved it. Like Job's comforters saying he must have done something wrong. All over the world resourses are being wasted or put to misuse. Although we now call calamities natural disasters do we not think in our heart of hearts that some people might be to blame?I thought I was being chastened when I was robbeded and injured. Perhaps someone could give some guidelines on this.
Margaret, thank you for voicing these thoughts about disaster and punishment - I will give you my opinion - maybe others will differ..... I think one of the benefits of reading the whole Bible in a year means we start to get more of the whole picture and for me - apart from Job, which you quote ("he was a blameless and upright man" Job 1:1)Jesus seems to teach that disasters / good fortune are not necessarily linked to how good or bad we are - "...he sends the rain on the righteous and unrighteous..." (Matt 5:45) The man Jesus healed John 9:2 - "who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind" and Jesus answered "neither" - there are other references... One also has to bear in mind is that sin often increases the death and suffering caused by natural disasters - those who suffer are often the poorest as a result of the rich people's greed - eg it is the poor who are forced to live on the sides of volcanoes, in the flood plains of rivers and next to the sea where they are the first to be hit by eruptions, floods and tsunami. They cannot afford to build resistent houses. As we have seen in Italy, builders through greed and laziness cut corners with regulations make houses/schools that are unsafe in earth-quakes - innocent people die. So other people's sin can worsen what nature inflicts. So, I don't personally believe that God sends these things because he wants to wipe certain people out. However, I do believe the Bible tells us there will be "end times" and the imagary used implies a time of much physical destruction before the new heavens and earth arrive, in the future (time unknown.) Finally - sorry this is already very long.....we had an interesting discussion at our Footsteps Bible study group this morning about tragedies we suffer - many in the group witnessed to huge suffering and loss in their lives but all said their faith had deepened enormously - no-one perceived what had happened as punishment - we recognised that if that were true we would all be suffering constantly (we all fall short...Romans 3:23) - the choice is (as one person put it) to choose to become "better not bitter". Forgive the rambling, please!
Thank you Mary for your yery careful and documented reply. Yes I agree with you entirely about the greedy selfish missuse of land and feeble house building. At the same time I have always felt in my life that God is guiding me and that when I act contralaly to this through wilfulness and not listening because it might not be what I want to do, that is where things go wrong. I entirely agree that suffering a tragic loss is strenghtening. once you have got over the worst. It brings you closer to God. One of the beauties of the O.T. is that people hear God speaking to them and they obey. Many thanks, lovely to be in touch.
Sometimes when reading the bible some cord in my mind is touched and a tune floats into my head. Today I was able to identify the tune as the hymn "O Jesus I have promised to serve thee to the end". English Hymnal 577. I have sung it so many times that I almost know the words from memory, but on reading them through this time I noticed how beautiful they are and what a good prayer it makes. Selina
Now we are in the book of Judges and meeting a lot of well known names of O.T. heroes and heroines. Now I know who Deborah was and Zebulon,Caleb and Barak. Thanks to the Protestant settlers in North America many of these names have been perpetuated and now we are reading about their great prowess. I do not think I have ever heard of any woman named after Jael which is perhaps understandable although Deborah in that wongerful outburst of praise thought very highly of her and that she was very clever. I believe she is the subject of an Oratorio. Perhaos Selina could put me right on that? I did not like some of the cruel reprisals carried out on the captured kings.
How fantastic to have this wonderfully positive story of Ruth on our journey through the Bible together, along with another faithful woman in Mark's gospel anointing Jesus. Simplicity and faithfulness stand in such contrast to the bickering and fear in others.
I agree that Ruth is a beautiful story, lovely to read, particularly after the singularly unedifying events of Judges ch. 19 and 20. I am curious to know why we are now jumping to Chronicles. Selina
Selina i too was disappointed that we were not to proceed to Samuel but I suppose it is a good thing to sandwich the tedious books between the interesting ones that tell us stories about individual people. I too loved reading Ruth. I once helped to produce it as a Sunday School Play for the Norwich Dioscesan Festival. Reading Mark's Gospel to myself instead of hearing it read out in Church has brought home the poignancy of it more than ever before. Jesus the man wrestling against so many adversaries and yet wanting to do the will of God the Father. There is so much detail that it makes it all seem very real.
To answer the question about the order of the readings - I suggested this reading scheme that got hold of years ago when I first read through the Bible. I think the aim is to try to put the Old Testament books into an approximate chronological order (though this is not an exact science!) If you look ahead in our readings we will only be reading the first 9 chapters of Chronicles before going to Samuel and we will be reading some of the same stories (along with the books of Kings, making up the history books of the OT) from a different view-point (just as we hear different versions of the same stories in the Gospels - and different eye-witnesses give different versions of today's happeneings.) And yes, the Gospel of Mark has been very special - we had a fantastic reading of the entire Gospel last year at All Saints - which gives one a very different view-point to hearing the small chunks we have on Sundays - great to have both, I think!
Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not you hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness when your fathers tempted me, proved me and saw my works. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said: It is a people that do err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways. Unto whom I swear in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
Every Sunday for a great many years I sang this psalm at Matins, until the Eucharist was taken as the main service of the day about 20 or 30 years ago. I'm sure other people remember, and like me know the words of the psalm from memory. Only now however do I really understand the words thanks to Paul's explanation of this passage in Hebrews 3 and 4, and to having read so recently about the happenings in the desert. Selina
Dear Selina, Yes. those words from Matins in the old Book of Common Prayer gave me quite a shock, to find them in Hebrews which I am liking very much. I too sang them every Sunday learning first from my mother how to do it properly and every Sunday at the church in Southport where I was away at school and all my married years, until it was put on one side. I must say I miss the servtce of Matins; it was so beautiful, uplifting and you knew it so well you could put your heart into it. Margaret
These books have been published recently. I think they infrom and help make sense of our daily Bible passages. They all have a 5* rating on a certain Internet Book store!
i) Route 66 by Krish Kandiah, Monarch books, £8.99 ii) The Bible Book by Book, Cris Rogers, Monarch Books, £14.99 iii) Making Sense of the Bible, Helen-Ann Hartley, SPCK, £7.99
Route 66 assumes the reader has a reasonable knowledge of the Bible but is struggling to make sense of it in their lives. It is a helpful and accessible guide to what to do with the biblical texts.
The Bible Book by Book is aimed at young people and those who work with them. It works through each book of the bible looking at style, geography, background and detail. It is my favourite, maybe because it is colourful! I like the photos and maps which I found very helpful and informative.
Making Sense of the Bible is the shortest of the three but packs a lot in! It focuses on what to think about what should happen when we read the Bible. This is to help us make sense of who we are in relationship to God through encounter (ch3), conversation (ch4) and context(ch2).
I'm not on commission by the way! I found that they perked up my approach to reading the Bible which I wanted to share with the All Saints' bible reading crew! DV See you next month, love Thelma
I found the Bible reading to-day very inspiring.Samuel's farewell speech is powerful and gives us hope for our sins, especially chapter 12 verses 20-25. In Hebrews chapter 12 verses 7-13,should be a lesson for all parents.Discipline is so important and the young parents today find it so difficult to say no to their children.
What a pleasure to read blogs from new people, and people who haven't written for some time. It's so interesting to read others' comments. I agree with all you say Sheena. And thankyou Thelma for the book suggestions which I shall look into. I loved Hewbrews 9, a beautiful chapter about faith, and so much more interesting to read and understand now that we can recognize all the many references from the O.T.
I began reading on Feb 12, 2012 and look forward to waking every day to read the current day's verses. What I did was, in addition to the day's verses, I also read at least 2 days verses which I missed from the beginning in December, and to date I've been able to catch up (short 3 days in Feb) which I hope to complete by this month. I've always wanted to do this amazing feat, but didnt know how. I attended St Paul's within-the-walls last week, and the new Pastor there challenged the congregation to Read the Bible in A Year, and he provided the various ways how to, so I felt good to know that I had already started it at All SAints Rome.
Great to see new bloggers and readers joining us - and everyone brings a slightly different understanding and point of view - keep up the blogging! I was struck by the contrast (again) between our readings the end of 1Samuel seems so chaotic, everyone seems to have "lost the plot", even, dare I say, David - which gives us some hope, doesn't it! And then 2Peter in it's well organised, staightforward certainty. My "Message" version has the first verses as "I, Peter...write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God's straight dealing...." Praying for all of us reading the Bible in a year, that it will be an experience that is not only fascinating but also life-changing, as it has been for so many millions in the course of history. xoxox
I found psalm 15 a good lesson in life, but on the whole I am finding the psalms not easy reading without the music. I know David played the music with a harp but I presume the music we sing to the psalms is not his. When were they put to the music we sing too? Have all the psalms been given music and have they always been part of our Church service? What a wonderful passage is 1 John chapter4 v7-21. The love God has given us is so great and we abuse it.
I am also curious to know when the psalms were first set to music and to whom the instructions "for the choirmaster" are addresed. I assume they have been there since Hebrew times since they seem to be part and parcel of the psalms. I was sorry when we didn't go on reading Samuel, but unlike you Sheena, I am finding reading the psalms without having to concentrate on fitting the words to the music centres me much more on the words which are often beautiful and moving. I have copied down some verses which I find good for reflection or praying:
Palm 25. 5 Direct me in your ways Yahweh and teach me your paths. Encourage me to walk in your truth and teach me, since you are the God who saves me.
27.1 The lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
19. Who can detect his own failings? Wash away my hidden faults.
I never knew that these words of Jesus on the cross came from Psalm 22: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
I am enjoying the Psalms enormously, too. Being relatively new to all this Psalm-singing we do at All Saints, I too find just reading the words more meaningful. I discovered on my course that the Scottish Psalter contains many Psalms(maybe all) that have been adapted to be able to sing them to well-known hymn tunes - we sang one to Amazing Grace(about 25 times!!)a while back. You need to catch Andrew Cochlin or Fr. Jonathan and ask those questions about the music - maybe they have the answers.
Could I draw your attention, Bible-readers, to a one day mini-conference on Saturday 2nd June which Footsteps and Rome Baptist Church are organising......We have Ian Coffey coming to do some teaching from the book of Acts (we read that in January) - it is all about what we can learn from the 1st century church to apply today in the 21st century. Ian is a world-class speaker, great Bible teacher and exciting to listen to. The title of the conference "God and make disciples. Mission Impossible??" It's free to attend. Sat 2nd June. 9.30am - 4pm. Rome Baptist Church, off Via del Corso.
Thank you for all the comments above. Owing in a mistake in the initial heading I was typing in I was not able to get onto the blog for agout ten days, but with Selina's help I am now able to find it again. I think those of us who have been "Church of England" singers for many tears are finding a lot of very familiar phrases,and many from famous musical works like the Messiah.not always taken from the same psalm. Quoting from memory....... "thou shalt break them in pieces like a potter's vessel".And from a very favourite anthem we used to sing ae St. Thomas' Exeted "Teach me oh Lord the way of thy statutes".David must have kept his musicean on his toes putting all these wonderful words to music they they are both uplifting and admonishing.
The miniconference sounds very interesting and I shall do my best to come. Shall have to revise The Acts as I've read so many other thins since Janyary!
I am still enjoying reading the psalms but find some hard to understand. I am not always clear who is speaking, as in ps. 62. And some have such terrifying curses e.g.55:15, 58,6-8, 63,9. I have to remember that they were written before the time of the Christian commandment "love your enemies". When our year of "read the bible" is finished I hope to procure a good commentary and read them again. (Unless some other reading scheme is devised for us!)
Dear friends and fellow readers, what a wonderful treasure chest of exhilerating prases jump out of it! So many sentences from the Messiah. Handel has cleverly woven them together to make his ever popular and memorable masterpiece. Some sentences from the psalms are also used in the Book of common prayer and I think that is why those services of Matins and Evensong are so authoratative and beloved. I cannot say I am enjoying Revelation I find it incomprehencible, repetative and exhulting in vengeance.The elements we know can be violent and we are accustomed to all kinds of upheavals but in Revelation it is all so jumbled up and one horrible scene after another that I am left feeling quite exhausted. I wonder if it has that effect on any one else?
Dear Bible-readers, Ambra has produced the second half of the reading scheme - it starts 1st June. They are in church now. If you are not there to collect a paper version, all the references are available on the church web-site: www.allsaintsrome.org click on "The Bible in a year" tab on left, then click on the link that says "download or open...." We are very nearly half way...well done! Do encourage others to join in - people can join at any point and carry on next yearif they wish.
Dear Friends, I have not written anything for some time but reading Psalm 139 today, i felt inspired to comment on it. It is a psalm i know very well and is full of wonderfull sayings but in particularly vs.14-16, beginning"I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" and concluding " which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them". King David was so constantly in touch with God that he had an amazing insight about the origine of man and nature. I wish all the physicists and biologists colud read these words because they show that David so long ago had rather different notions thnn The Garden of Eden. Every thing has been planned by God "from the beginning"
Margaret many thanks - yes that burst of Psalms has been lovely and numer 139 a real favourite of mine too.
I wonder how eveyone else is getting on - would be lovely to hear your thoughts...is it different reading Acts again after all the reading we have done, now?
Good to hear Zadok the priest's name popping up again (1 Chronicles 15) - though I have no idea if he is the same one as the coronation anthem is named after.....anyone know? And all is not lost in leaving the Psalms as we got another one today in 1 Chronicles 16 - fantastic praise and worship!
ST. Peter and St. Paul's Day I am pleased to be reading Acts again. Different things seem to strike me. Today's reading about St. Peter reminded me that he didn't confine himself entirely to the Jews. We hear so much more aout the conversion of the Gentiles by St. Paul From the long list of names in Chronicles I noticed among the musicians sons of Asaph and Jeduthun who wrote some of the psalms.
Dear Mary and Selina, thank you for your answers, yes I find reading Acts again rather different, the events seem to stand out with more clarity and understanding. Now, today, I feel really moved on reading Soloman's wonderful prayer at the dedication of the temple and when I came to verse 30, my heart leapt up when i read"hearken unto the supplications of thy servants.........and hear thou in heaven, thy dwelling place; and when thou hearest,forgive". I have sung those words in an anthem some time ago, without knowing that they came from the 1st b0ok of Kings. Then we read Paul's sermon on Mars hill. "God dwelleth not in temples made with hands as though he needeth anything". I often think of that when I visit some place of worship loaded with superfluous things made with hands I am at heart a puritan! Dear Mary I hope you are feeling serene ang happy now that you are a Deacon and can look forward to the next stage of your Priesthood. Love and greetings to you both Margaret
Mary, Handel wrote Zadok the Priest for the Coronation of George the second. He took it from The King James's Bible verse "Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon,King.Such wonderful music. I am off to babysit for my Grandchildren so have got ahead with my reading!! After ploughing through Psalms(need the music) and enjoyed most of proverbs, I have just finished Song of Songs.I had never read it before and found it so beautiful. Well done Mary for getting us to read the Bible. I wish you all a very happy Summer and good reading,Sheena
I am back on the blog after about 3 weeks' absence - and have missed reading your comments, thanks for answers and for the good wishes. As one who is more behind than in front I am still looking forward to starting Song of Songs but have enjoyed revisiting the letters. eg. Galatians and its empassioned plea for freedom over "rule keeping". We've just been having our Bible study out in Olgiata and used again those 3 points that are good to have in one's mind as one reads: 1) What? - what am I reading, what is this about? 2) So what? - What difference does it make, what is important here? 3) Now what? - What do I/we need to do about this? What response? Galatians 6 today would be a good piece to have a go with those 3 questions - I'd love to hear any answers!!
Dear Mary, I have just finished reading Ecclesiastes and found it very stimulating, straight from the shoulder about life and death. "all is vanity". Whatever you do we all end up in the same way. A great deal of it was very familiar to me in the King James Bible form, I just wonder what a modern translation of the word "vanity" might be. Could you give me one? I do feel a slight grievance that we were not told at the beginning that reading the Bible in a year included reading a lot of the N,T. twice. During these summer months with visitors and holidays it would have eased the time load to read only the O.T Of course I can see that parallels had to be pointed out and contrast of faith and belief but I do not think it is quite fair to have to read Romans again all through August! I can see that Sheena is nobly forging ahead, I have found a eriend from England who will accompant me to L. Como again this year for the last week in August. Perhaps I shall find a Good News Bible in the bedroom! Love Margaret
Dear Margaret, Glad you have enjoyed Ecclesiastes - I have to admit I find it a little depressing - you will have to share your understanding with me! As for the translation of "vanity" - there are a few different ones - if one looks at Ecclesiastes 12:8 The NRSV sticks with vanity. NIV says "meaningless - everything is meaningless" Good news - "useless" And the Message - "all is smoke, nothing but smoke" Amplified Bible: several choices: vapour, futility, emptiness, falsity, vainglory, transitoriness. I am sorry I don't know which is the best translation of the Hebrew - but I have to say meaningless and useless seem thoroughly negative whereas vanity and smoke do at least suggest to me that life is not useless but more something very temporary and not to be held onto too tightly.
And Margaret, sorry the reading plan isn't as you had hoped - I guess you have the option to not read the NT bits you have already read and concentrate on the OT - or, and I hope you might, find new richness in coming at the epistles a second time in the light of different OT parallel with it? Have a good summer..... Mary
Dear Mary, thank you very much indeed. I think I would go for useless and meaningless, hanging on to vanity as well. I suppose Eclesiastes reminded me of the way my father used to talk. He was an atheist and we used to have deep conversations about the reason for life. He was a follower of Darwin and thought he had the answer to everything. The preacher in Ecclesiastes did not know Christ whose life and resurection point to a new hope but in all these beautiful antique writings Nature is the book they had before them in its stark reality. My poor father was very depressed when he was old, he used to quote Shahespeare's words sans hair sans teeth, sans everything".I loved him dearly for his many good qualities. I was at his bedside when he died and prayed for him as hard as I could in my sadness at his going. Sorry if I have written too much, please do not think you have to reply. Lovr Margaret
Hello everybody - I hope you have had good summers. I wonder how you have been doing with your "Read the Bible in a Year"? I have got quite behind myself, I always find it difficult when my usual routine is broken. If you have got behind or even stopped - don't be overwhelmed by the task - either keep going slowly from where you are - or skip to the set readings for today and restart from there. Do keep praying for each other as you read - we are a little community doing this together, even if we don't necessarily know who else is a part of the group. Many blessings as you restart or keep on reading, Mary xoxo
Like you Mary I got behind, but have managed to catch up and am getting very involved with Isaiah. I write a short synopsis or thought on each chapter and see that that I must be struck by something different on reading the epistles for the second time. The comments are not the same! Selina
Dear Mary and Bible reading friends. During the holidays it has been hard to keep up but by reading double portions of the book of Isaiah on my return from my week's holiday to L. Como I have finished it on time today. I looked in a drawer in the Hotel bedroom but there was only a copy of St. Luke#s Gospel in Italian. Isaiah is a noble and inspiring work, though a little confusing at times as to who is speaking, God or Isaiah himself.Iwas also puzzled by the frequent reference to "the isles" what islands wouid they be that Isaiah would know? Best wishes Margaret
Dear Margaret and all, Sorry to have been away from the blog for too long....I am working on the answer to Margaret's question about the Isles.....will come back with that....unless somebody else has the answer. And Yes I agree that one gets confused between Isaiah and God at times - similarly there are other occasions for example the three angelic visitors to Abram in Genesis 18 when one is left wondering whether these are angels or God. My sense is that in these cases the word of God is being spoken forth by Isaiah / angels and so the differentiation becomes a little blurred. Back soon with some research on "isles"! Thanks for the interesting questions....Mary
Isles: Margaret - I don't know if there is a specific passage(s) you were referring to? I have had a look through my concordance and found several references which all refer me back to a note on Isaiah 11:11. This passage refers to the proclamation to the nations and the gathering back of the remnant of Israel (something we discussed in Bible study last Sunday). The suggestion being that the Israelites were dispersed all over the place, including Islands. My study Bible says these were most likely to costal and Mediterranean isles. One commentary suggests it is a way of referring to far distant people, and of course, in Isaiah 40:15 talks of the greatness of God as he can weigh the Islands. I haven't been able to find any more theological significance of Islands - but perhaps someone else knows??
For many years, starting from my childhood,we sang Psalm 95 every Sunday at Mattins, and this passage always made little or no sense to me. Today's reading from Hewbrews has at last explained it to me.....that it refers to the stubbornness of the Children of Israel journeying through the wilderness, and that they would not enter the Promised Land: "Today if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, proved me and saw my works. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said: It is a people that do err in their hearts for they have not known my ways, unto whom I swear in my rest that they should not enter into my rest. But Paul explains that the word of God is still active and must be listened to, in order that Christians may enter God's resting place, Heaven. (At least this is how I understand the reading!) Best wishes to all readers.
Dear Selina, yes I was delighted to find the origine of that so familiar canticle. I agree, it did seem rather mysterious when we were young. Now I think how clever The compilers of the Book of Common Prayer were and I remember with great affection those Sundays when you had a nice book in your hand and you sang with enjoyment because it was all so right and proper and familiar. Thank you for calling attention to it.
Lovely little "revision lesson" of our Old Testament history in Hebrews 11 today - and have always found it so re-assuring that idea that some of those great heroes of faith didn't see all God's promises fulfilled in their life-time - and that it might be the same for us too.
I haven't much to say save that I wish more people were using the blog!I expect they haven't got time. Retired people have so much more! It seems that worshipping foreign gods was the major problem for the Jews from the time of Moses onwards, and Ezekiel in today's reading talks almost exclusively about that. Reading through the Old Testament one sees the reason for the commandment: Thou shalt have none other gods but me. Perhaps this is at least one thing we needn't worry about so much in this day and age? I shall miss Read the Bible in a Year when we finish it. It has been a great experience. I wonder if Mary has any other ideas for us.
Dear Selina, you commented to me personally about some of the similies used by the word of God by Ezekiel eg ch.3, immoral women to represent two immoral cities. It did not make pleasant reading.tThen we have as a contrast the beautiful description of the cedar tree in all its glory like Pharoah, but to be pulled down later. I once in Devon had the experience of first hearing a noise like a thunder clap and the seeing the top of the cedar tree in the church yard lifted up and thrown to the ground like an umbrella in a sudden blast of wind. I was only about fifty yards away! The Bible has a lot to tell us about nature. Love Margaret
How beautifully today's readings fitted together. First the lovely passage in Ezekiel Ch.34, 11-15 which reminds me of Psalm 23. Then God's promise to send a shepherd to look after Israel, and finally Simeon's singing of his Nuc Dimittis (so familiar to us from Evensong) "Mine eyes have seen thy salvation", the fulfilment of the prophesy. Very moving.
Dear Mary, as we are now approaching the end of the year's Bible reading, will there be a closing meeting(suggest Dec. 1st) to round it all off and give the faithful readers an opportunity to give some account of what it has meant to them? I mentioned it to Selina and she thought I should ask you. Love Margaret
Dear everybody - so sorry I have not been a very regular blogger - thank you for those recent reflections and questions - indeed we are approaching the end and what a good idea to mark the end of this year, I had not thought about it - Sunday 2nd Dec is 2 days before we officially finish and I believe we are planning a Biblical reflection after the parish lunch that day - I have just sent a message to Fr Jonathan about whether we might do something as you suggest. The OTHER thing I have got planned is to start a little group called "Light at Lunchtime" on Wednesdays. The idea is that we meet at 12:45 for worship (either a Eucharist if Fr Jonathan available or a short service of the word and prayer led by me)followed by a time of reflection on the Bible - we could start with something for Advent and then decide as a group if there were particular books / topics we wanted to look at. The idea would be to eat a sandwich as we meet around a table to talk. Aim to finish by 2:15pm. If you are in church tomorrow I hope you will see some publicity for this. I hope some if not all of you bloggers might be able to come?? Please pray for all those leading services of remembrance tomorrow - particularly our staff team who are in different places - I am off to Orvieto war cemetery....with love, Mary
This Sunday, 2nd December - we have our usual parish lunch - which will be followed by an afternoon Advent study - the first slot in the study will be a chance for you to comment and feed back on the Read the Bible in a Year project. I do hope you can join in! We will also be looking at some Advent themes from Isaiah 40. The afternoon will finish at 4pm after evening prayer. It will be led by the staff team with each of us giving some input - so I hope it will be interesting, varied and give you a chance to contribute, too. Light at lunchtime starts on Wednesday (5th December) with a healing Eucharist (on this occasion) followed by some reflection on the Bible - bring a sandwich.
Well, I have finished reading the Bible, a feat which I never thought I would have accomplice!! Thank you Mary for the Idea. It was a shame we didn't have someone who was reading the Bible at the same time as us to explain so many questions that arouse. I did feel I needed incouragement at certain times.It could have been only once or twice a Month. I wonder how many people have read the Bible in a year?? This is to wish my fellow Bible readers a very Happy Christmas and New Year. Sheena.
Thanks to one and all for reading, for contributing, for praying, for asking questions, for encouraging each other.....Sorry this wasn't a perfect exercise and particularly sorry, Sheena, we didn't provide that forum for you and for others. Light at lunchtime is now a regular slot on Wednesdays (as of today) if that is a time when you (and anyone else) can dip in regularly or occasionally - some of the Bible in a Year questions did pop up today. In theory we will be working our way through the book of Ephesians but also sharing some of the "bigger" questions that go beyond that. Mary xoxo
Dear Friends, let's pray for each other as we take the first steps of reading the bible in a year. We will be sure of the road since God will be with us.
ReplyDeleteAs ever,
Fr Jonathan
Here is our opportunity to post our thoughts as we read through the Bible in the coming year - please pray that this is a time of growth and fruitfulness for us as a community.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to those who have worked so hard to get the technology working for us! Mary
And here I hope is the proof that even someone as technically challenged as me can post with their real name
ReplyDeleteIt was the creative power of God as something natural, "The Wind", that leapt out at me today - I think I should raise my eyes from the pavement and look up at creation a bit more.
ReplyDeleteSome things that made me think and pray from our first day of reading.......John 1:16 "We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift."
ReplyDeleteGenesis 1:28b "Be responsible for....every living thing that moves on the face of the earth."
Genesis 2:b "On the 7th day he rested from all his work."
I will be more thankful today, try to be more responsible for the earth and, as I am not better than God, take a day of rest!:-)
Would be great to hear your comments everyone who is reading along!!! - These Genesis chapters provoke all sorts of emotions in me - how about you? Reading the joy of the creation followed by the deep shame and anger that comes out of the fall - isn't it reflected in John 2 from the amazing miracle of wonderful wine to the anger of clearing the temple?
ReplyDeleteFrom darkness to light......from the evil doing of Cain, and the world which God decided to cleanse with the flood, to the light which John the Baptist proclaims as he is baptising: today I feel the weight of moral choice, but the reassurance that we the road is illuminated by Christ.
ReplyDeleteI did my reading after watching the lunch-time news and using the modern "Message" version, it translates John 3:19 "This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for darkness. They ran for darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God." The words crisis and not being interested in pleasing God struck home - what would please Him today and in this crisis?
ReplyDeleteI heard someone say recently that it takes 21 days to form a habit - we've been reading for 5 days now - a quarter of the way to a good habit :-)
ReplyDeleteIf you follow the chronology that's given in chapters 5 and 11, some interesting observations are possible:
ReplyDelete(1) Methuselah, the longest-lived human being "as the story goes," died in the year of the Flood (ca. 1656 "Anno Mundi")--perhaps in the Flood itself!
(2) When Abram is born, ca. 1950 AM, Noah, who was born just over a century after Adam's death and is said to have lived 950 years, is still alive, as is his son Shem. Noah would have passed on only some 15 years before Abram departs for Canaan.
(3) When Abram leaves for Canaan, his father Terah is still alive, and would have passed away only some 60 years after Abram's departure.
These are small details, to be sure, but they help to add a note of poignancy to the story of Abram's departure from his father's house, as we realise what he had to leave behind in order to answer God's call.
They're also an indication that God's journey with Abraham begins just as the generation of the "men (and presumably, women) of renown" is passing away.
And they show something about the story-telling technique of Biblical authors: they tend to make things easier for their hearers by finishing up with one story before moving on to another.
Arrived at Jesus' complex theology in Chapters 6 and 7 plus a hefty helping of begatting in Genesis could be daunting if not for Peter's confession - You have the words of eternal life
ReplyDeleteArguing with God for justice for others (Genesis 18) - should I be doing more of this?
ReplyDeleteThe Sages noticed that Enoch (5.22) and Noah (6.9) walked "with" God, but that God told Abraham "walk 'before' me, and be perfect" (17.1). Why the difference? When a child is first learning to walk, they said, a parent walks alongside them, holding their hand to prevent them from falling. But when a child is ready to walk on its own, the parent stands behind them, ready to catch them if they fall. With Abraham, the human race is beginning to grow up, and God allows his beloved child to begin to walk on its own.
ReplyDeleteAs we come to the end of the story of Abraham it's worth noting that Abraham is the first person that relates to God as God had hoped--not simply as a child, or a slave, but as a friend. God seeks out Abraham's advice about Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham challenges God about what He intends to do (cc. 18-19).
What's our relationship with God like? Is it like that of a small child to a parent, of a slave to a master? or might it be developing into something more, more like the relationship of friend to friend, beloved to beloved?
It would be lovely to hear comments from everyone who is reading along with Bible in a Year - you don't have to be a theologian!!
ReplyDeleteI am thinking about the mentions of washing in both our readings today:
1)in Genesis 35 - Jacob tells his family to throw out their alien gods and take a bath before going to worship
2)then Jesus tells his disciples(John 13) that he's interested in holiness not hygiene as he goes to wash Peter's feet
I see Advent and Lent as times of spiritual spring-cleaning....I wonder what alien gods I need to throw out and what I need to wash from my life in preparation for the Christmas feast?
I only just figured out how to get on this blog and post. When I pull up the church website there is no mention of Read the Bible in a Year. Selina told me sometimes she sees it and sometimes it is not there. I finally went on a Google search and arrived at this blogspot address. I know more people would like to participate; I suggest that this blogspot address be printed in the weekly program and in the weekly message via email.
ReplyDeleteWendy
Wendy - thanks for the comment - we'll try to get it done.
ReplyDeleteWould love to hear your thoughts on what you've been reading too when you have the time. As well as all the other readers out there!
Welcome to the book of Job! Just in case you'd like some other people's thoughts on our readings (I always find Job a real challenge!) Try www.biblegateway.com and search for the passage you are interested in - eg Job 1 - then on the right of the page there's a tab marked "resources" - if you click here there are links to 2 different commentaries that might help.
ReplyDeleteQueries and thoughts on the Book of Job: (I have not gone to biblegateway or I might not ever post.)
ReplyDeleteWhy does God ask Satan "Have you considered my servant Job?" and then answer "Very well, all that he has is in your power" ??? Is God playing with Satan to test man? Seems twisted.
Job, ever faithful,, after losing everything including his whole family proclaims,"the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord."
But not satisfied, the Lord once again asks Satan if he has considered his servant Job. Whatever is the meaning of this?
When Job's wife objects to his fate, he tells her, "You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God and not receive the bad?" Apart from the unpleasant reference to women, Job seems to me super faithful, and only in chapter 7 does he at last start to complain to God, though by Chapter 13:15 he proclaims, "I have no hope; but I will defend my ways to his face."
ReplyDeleteAre we to conclude that God does not work evil, but catastrophes and all manner of woes come to mankind just because that is the way of the world?
I would like to know others' reactions.
Wendy, many thanks for your thoughts - and sorry for the delayed response - the "staff team", like many others, have been on leave after the busyness of Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI continue to struggle with lots of things in Job but I think you hit the nail on the head with your last comment: that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to the bad - Jesus also says this in Matthew 5:45.
As we have now got further through this book - I notice that realistic humanity of Job being shown - having seemed, as you say "super-faithful" at the start, as the suffering continues he obviously wonders where God is in all of this....and although "Job's comforters" speak some truth, they also make some false and extremely unhelpful assumptions. My translation of today's final verse Job 35:16: "Job, you talk sheer nonesense - nonstop nonesense!" shows his "friend" has no compassion or empathy with poor Job!
No answers - a few thoughts...
In the midst of his suffering, Job asks a lot of good questions about the whys of suffering; and Job's friends are too busy trying to defend God to realize that. I think that's one reason why, after his appearance to Job towards the end of the book, God tells Eliphaz that he and his friends haven't spoken rightly of God, but Job has (42.7). In the end God doesn't answer Job's questions, but his appearance to Job, his being-there, seems to satisfy Job.
ReplyDeleteWhat I take away from reflection on this book is that we always remain with our questions about the "why" of evil, and that it's important we bring those questions to God--that we keep talking to God. It's not clear we'll ever receive a satisfactory answer to our questions, but we can hope that when we see God face to face, as Job found, the questions won't seem quite so pressing.
Today Exodus 27 and 28, The Altar of burnt Offering, The Court and its Hangings, The Oil for the Lamp, Vestments for the Priesthood, The Ephod, The Breastplate.
ReplyDelete27-2 You shall make horns... (These horns are not only ornaments of the altar, as it seems, to prevent / protection what was lay on the altar for falling off).
27-20 You shall further command the Israelites to bring your pure oil of beaten olives for the light, so that a lamp may be set up to burn regularly. (Lamp with seven lights) see Exodus 25-37.
27-21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that is before the covenant, (Treaty or Testimony, means/that is, ark of the testimony).
28-3 And you shall speak to all who have ability, whom i have endowed with skill, (we read this before, 1 Jan, Job 9-4)
28-17 You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of (means/that is, the first, Genesis 1-5 and
28-30 `Urim and Thummim` (translate in lights and perfections)
Happy Candelmas!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alaric!
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see some new bloggers!
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else notice in Exodus 33 that first Moses spoke to God face-to-face (vs 11) and then God says later (vs 20) no-one can see me face to face and live...maybe the writer is constrained by language - perhaps the first face to face is just a way of saying Moses had such a special relationship with God, more than anyone before - and the second underlines that however righteous a human, however devout - even Moses actually can't approach God and survive his amazing purity. Perhaps it underlines that tension we live with as Christians of being able to call Jesus our friend but also our Lord.
Two posts in one day...sorry!!
ReplyDeleteBut what excitement in those two chapters of Romans today.....did anyone else sense that St Paul seemed to be about to burst with excitement and wonder as he expounds these amazing truths - what a contrast to some of the things in the earlier chapters we have just read.
I am praying today that God will give me, all of us at All Saints, even a small dose of that wow-factor when we talk about his greatness and goodness and power!!
First I would like to thank Alaric for his help with the blog. Also I would like to say how much I am enjoying "reading my Bible everyday", Thank you to the people who organised it.
ReplyDeleteI found the passage "righteousness through faith"( Rom 3, 21-26) gave me alot to think about.
Wow! I don't need to ask how the blog session went on Sunday - it's already bearing fruit.
ReplyDeleteRomans 8:31-39. What a wonderful composer Handel was!
ReplyDeleteSelina
Back to yesterday,
ReplyDeleteRomans 9:25
I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and i will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one....
I'll call the unloved and make them beloved.
Our love depends on the receiver of the love. Let a thousand people pass before us, and we will not feel the same about each. Our love will be regulated by their appearance, by their personalities. Even when we find a few people we like, our feelings will fluctuate. How they treat us will affect how we love them. The receiver regulates our love. Not so with the love of God. We have no thermostatic impact on his love for us. The love of God is born from within him, not from what he finds in us. His love is uncaused and spontaneous.....
Does he loves us because of our goodness? Because of our kindness? Because of our great faith? No, he loves us because of his goodness, kindness, and great faith.
Good points, William; thank you.
DeleteWhat a wonderful phrase "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news".
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out that phrase, Sheena; you prodded me to explore the notes in the HarperCollins Study Bible, where I discovered it is indeed a happy paraphrase of Isaiah 52:7
DeleteHow beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace.
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."
Paul certainly knew his Scripture and was masterful at condensing those lines from Isaiah.
thanks again for pointing it out
Reading so much about sacrifices in LEVITICUS and then Paul's explanation of the sacrifice of Jesus in ROMANS helps me to grasp better the significance of the latter. It must have seemed logical that a sacrifice was necessary to atone for sins to the Jews and Gentiles to whom he preached, but the idea of any sacrifice, animal or human, is so foreign to us.
ReplyDeleteSelina
I am not enjoying Leviticus,too bloody. It's rather like a cult horror movie, but thanks to the comments of Selina and Mary I am seeing and understanding it in a slightly different light!
DeleteHonest worship lifts eyes off self and sets them on God. Scripture's best-known worship leader wrote:
ReplyDelete"Give honer to the Lord, you angels; give honor to the Lord for his glory and strenght. Give honor to the Lord for his glory and strenght. Give honor to the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness" (Ps. 29:1-2).
Worship gives God honor, offers him standing ovations.
We can make a big deal about God on Sundays with our songs and on Mondays with our strenghts. Every day in every deed. Each time we do our best to thank God for giving his, we worship.
"Take your everyday, ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around lif and place it before God as an offering" (Rom. 12-1) Worship places God on center stage and us in proper posture.
Brilliant comments one and all - thanks for sharing - particularly uplifting thoughts on divine love 2 days ago, William Daniel, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have been reading Leviticus today in my modern "Message" paraphrase - and there has been so much throwing of blood and animal insides at the altar and smearing of blood on things and people - I came away feeling, yuk what a mess, and then (linking with what Selina said about Jesus) - all this mess because of our sin. I so often make excuses for myself, making my sin out to be something small - but Leviticus certainly puts me right on the severity of it all. And then St Paul puts us in our place about creating sin even about criticising each other's eating habits....I love the last line of this chapter in the "Message", "If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong." No arguing with that...I often get it wrong.
I meant to write this while we were still reading Romans;a brief comment that after reading so many threats and rules for sacrifice in Leviticus, I find it inspiring to read "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Romans 13:10
Deleteyes, wonderful!
DeleteLeviticus,
ReplyDeleteThis is a book of laws. It has been aptly called the handbook of the priests. Its Hebrew title: Vayyikra which means "And he called"
The book falls into five parts, first the setting forth of the Provision for Approach, secondly yhe Institution of the Priesthood throught which the Provision might be appropriated, thirdly the life of Separation which is the condition of Appropriation, fourthly the Feast which portrayed the Benefits of Approach. Lastly, Symbols of Relation which safeguarded the maintenance of the right of Approach.
Lev 25: The signs
The laws of ratification consisted of the outward signs of the principle of possession to be observed in the land, together with solemn promises and warnings. The first sign was of the Sabbath of the land. In the seventh year of rest the original Ownership of God was recognized. The second sign was that of the jubilee, wherein great human interrelationships, dependent upon the fact of Divine possession, where insisted upon.
The laws of the year of jubilee affected the land, dwelling houses, and persons. In these the foundations of the social order were firmly laid. All inter human relationships, both of person and property, were conditioned in the fundamental relationship of the people to God.
The book ends with a section dealing with vows. The principle laid down is that it is not necessary that vows should be made, but that if they are made they must be religiously observed.
1 Cor. 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God
(Later on this blog!!!)
This idea of Jubilee - giving back to the original owner and so, perhaps,in the end, giving back to God, is just amazing and so foreign to the way the world seems to work now.
DeleteIt is the basis of the Christian (amongst other campaigners') call to "drop the debt" - to cancel the unpayable debts of the poor nations of our world - whatever the economists say, whatever our "common-sense" says, whatever we(the rich) stand to lose - for me this chapter (amongst many others)tells me I need to forgive and encourage the governments of the rich nations also to forgive the debts of the poor.
What do you think??
Reading through Leviticus, we might find it easy to conclude that God is rather like Gen. Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove: a bit overly concerned about our "precious bodily fluids." But with the command to "love your neighbour as yourself" in Lev. 19 and the laws about the Jubilee in Lev. 25, it's more understandable to me why Leviticus is the central book of the Pentateuch, and the only book of the Torah that is set entirely at Sinai: it's here at Sinai that human freedom is represented as God's central concern, and it's here that we're commanded to imitate God by placing love for the other above everything else.
ReplyDeleteNumbers 6: 24-26
ReplyDeleteThe Lord bless thee and keep thee;
The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.
I hadn't realised this beautiful blessing comes from the Old Testament.
Selina
Thanks Selina - yes beautiful
Delete2 Cor 5-10
ReplyDeleteFor we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he has done, whether good or bad.
This judgment is based on the good and bad things done in the body. The good things will increase rewards: the bad things, although forgiven, will decrease them. This means that our eternal reward will be determined by the present life. This is a sobering thought. What makes it even more sobering is the fact that our rewards will not be determined solely by the many good things each Christian has done. The determination will be for every work, whether it is good or bad. One comforting thought about the fire test at Christ's tribunal: our good works will be purified by the same fire which destroys our bad works.
(we read this before in 1 Cor 3:13) ....each one's works will become clear, for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.
Rather than discouraging me from my pursuit of godliness, this knowledge produces in me a sort of holy vengeance. I want run the rest of my race with patient perseverance in pursuit of the holiness of God.
Good thing we have read so much about the Law so now we understand clearly what Paul is referring to when he preaches against observing it too rigidly.
ReplyDeleteSelina
Yes, though I think what Paul is mostly concerned about is that we know our salvation comes from God's justice, from God's faithfulness, from God's love, not from what we do, not from keeping any law--and that our "works" are basically a grateful response to that abounding love, not something done in order to earn that love or earn salvation.
ReplyDeleteNumbers 32 v.23
ReplyDeleteBe sure your sin will find you out.
Deuteronomy 8:3
Man doth not live by bread only.
I am keeping a list of phrases still in common use I find in the Old and New testaments.
Selina
selina, thankyou so much margaret
ReplyDeleteMargaret. Hope you manage to use the blog
ReplyDeleteSelina
Dear selina, you see i have found my way as far as this.
DeleteMy message for today Mar. 14 is that reading all these letters of Paul to the early Christians far away from him in Rome and he unable to go to them makes him seem a real person instead of some shaddowy spiritual figure.
I thought Phillipians ch. 4 was absolutely wonderful, especially v.8 the last part of which is enscribed over the door of Broadcasting House. Margaret
mi love comingaccross jewels such as children obey your parents argaret hammond
ReplyDeleteFollowing up on your fine idea of collecting the sources of well known phrases, Selina.
ReplyDelete(today's) Psalm 19 contains verse 14:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
Margaret, yes it gives us great pleasure to read these well loved passages.
ReplyDeleteDeut.16:2 "in the place where Yahweh chooses to give his name a home".
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what place this refers to.Can anyone help?
Deut.16:22 Nor will you set up a standing stone, a thing Yahweh your God would abhor.
My mind flies to Stonehenge where I have seen the standing stones, and this somehow makes the passage more real to me.
(so nice to read other people's comments.)
Sorry I have not been looking at the blog for a while - but wonderful to see everyone's comments and thoughts - Selina I hope you will be able to publish your list of phrases at the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteAs to your question about Deut 16:2, Selina - a home for the Name of the Lord - my Bible refers me back to Deut 12:5, amongst other places and says it is the Tabernacle - the tent during the desert journey and then placed first in Canaan, the home of the Ark of the covenant once they made it - the Temple in Jerusalem later became that place where the Lord chose to dwell. The Jews had a centralised place of worship.
I wonder what parallels we can draw with ourselves as "temples of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor 3:16)and the sacrifice of praise and meal we now share in place of the passover as we celebrate the Eucharist - we are a place that the Lord chooses to dwell. How does that feel, I wonder?
Thankyou Mary I am in close touch with Selina and her thoughts an questions. I suppose our readings affect us in different ways. I accept the Jewish Law as propounded by the word of God through Moses as being right for the health and welfare of a growing nation, God's Chosen People.
DeleteI am nearly in tears for Paul as I read the epistles, he loves all the new Christians so much and is anxious for their Spiritual welfare.also for family life. He gives his people a perfect set of Christian guide lines in Thess. ch.3
These are now taken for granted and their origine forgotten. Has all this wonderful teaching been watered down too much to suit modern life and the the complications that arise?
Thankyou Mary. What a lot of parallels there are to be drawn between the old and new testaments.
DeleteMy apologies I made a careless mistake yesterday and put Thessalonians 3 instead of Colossians. very sorry will try to do better!
ReplyDeleteWhat a horrific chapter Deut. 28 is. I had no idea the Bible contained such an explicit description of what might happen in the aftermath of straying from the Law.
ReplyDeleteIt raises many questions. For instance, as we believe that God made the world and everything in it are we to think that when there is a terrible natural disaster such as the sunami,earth quakes widespread drought or an outbreak of disease to name but a few , that it is a just punishment on those people mainly affected by it?
It is not thought right nowadays to say that perhaps the people diserved it. Like Job's comforters saying he must have done something wrong. All over the world resourses are being wasted or put to misuse. Although we now call calamities natural disasters do we not think in our heart of hearts that some people might be to blame?I thought I was being chastened when I was robbeded and injured. Perhaps someone could give some guidelines on this.
Margaret, thank you for voicing these thoughts about disaster and punishment - I will give you my opinion - maybe others will differ.....
DeleteI think one of the benefits of reading the whole Bible in a year means we start to get more of the whole picture and for me - apart from Job, which you quote ("he was a blameless and upright man" Job 1:1)Jesus seems to teach that disasters / good fortune are not necessarily linked to how good or bad we are - "...he sends the rain on the righteous and unrighteous..." (Matt 5:45) The man Jesus healed John 9:2 - "who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind" and Jesus answered "neither" - there are other references...
One also has to bear in mind is that sin often increases the death and suffering caused by natural disasters - those who suffer are often the poorest as a result of the rich people's greed - eg it is the poor who are forced to live on the sides of volcanoes, in the flood plains of rivers and next to the sea where they are the first to be hit by eruptions, floods and tsunami. They cannot afford to build resistent houses. As we have seen in Italy, builders through greed and laziness cut corners with regulations make houses/schools that are unsafe in earth-quakes - innocent people die. So other people's sin can worsen what nature inflicts.
So, I don't personally believe that God sends these things because he wants to wipe certain people out.
However, I do believe the Bible tells us there will be "end times" and the imagary used implies a time of much physical destruction before the new heavens and earth arrive, in the future (time unknown.)
Finally - sorry this is already very long.....we had an interesting discussion at our Footsteps Bible study group this morning about tragedies we suffer - many in the group witnessed to huge suffering and loss in their lives but all said their faith had deepened enormously - no-one perceived what had happened as punishment - we recognised that if that were true we would all be suffering constantly (we all fall short...Romans 3:23) - the choice is (as one person put it) to choose to become "better not bitter".
Forgive the rambling, please!
Thank you Mary for your yery careful and documented reply. Yes I agree with you entirely about the greedy selfish missuse of land and feeble house building. At the same time I have always felt in my life that God is guiding me and that when I act contralaly to this through wilfulness and not listening because it might not be what I want to do, that is where things go wrong.
DeleteI entirely agree that suffering a tragic loss is strenghtening. once you have got over the worst. It brings you closer to God.
One of the beauties of the O.T. is that people hear God speaking to them and they obey.
Many thanks, lovely to be in touch.
Sometimes when reading the bible some cord in my mind is touched and a tune floats into my head. Today I was able to identify the tune as the hymn "O Jesus I have promised to serve thee to the end". English Hymnal 577. I have sung it so many times that I almost know the words from memory, but on reading them through this time I noticed how beautiful they are and what a good prayer it makes.
ReplyDeleteSelina
Now we are in the book of Judges and meeting a lot of well known names of O.T. heroes and heroines. Now I know who Deborah was and Zebulon,Caleb and Barak. Thanks to the Protestant settlers in North America many of these names have been perpetuated and now we are reading about their great prowess. I do not think I have ever heard of any woman named after Jael which is perhaps understandable although Deborah in that wongerful outburst of praise thought very highly of her and that she was very clever. I believe she is the subject of an Oratorio. Perhaos Selina could put me right on that?
ReplyDeleteI did not like some of the cruel reprisals carried out on the captured kings.
How fantastic to have this wonderfully positive story of Ruth on our journey through the Bible together, along with another faithful woman in Mark's gospel anointing Jesus. Simplicity and faithfulness stand in such contrast to the bickering and fear in others.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Ruth is a beautiful story, lovely to read, particularly after the singularly unedifying events of Judges ch. 19 and 20. I am curious to know why we are now jumping to Chronicles.
ReplyDeleteSelina
Selina i too was disappointed that we were not to proceed to Samuel but I suppose it is a good thing to sandwich the tedious books between the interesting ones that tell us stories about individual people.
ReplyDeleteI too loved reading Ruth. I once helped to produce it as a Sunday School Play for the Norwich Dioscesan Festival.
Reading Mark's Gospel to myself instead of hearing it read out in Church has brought home the poignancy of it more than ever before. Jesus the man wrestling against so many adversaries and yet wanting to do the will of God the Father. There is so much detail that it makes it all seem very real.
To answer the question about the order of the readings - I suggested this reading scheme that got hold of years ago when I first read through the Bible. I think the aim is to try to put the Old Testament books into an approximate chronological order (though this is not an exact science!) If you look ahead in our readings we will only be reading the first 9 chapters of Chronicles before going to Samuel and we will be reading some of the same stories (along with the books of Kings, making up the history books of the OT) from a different view-point (just as we hear different versions of the same stories in the Gospels - and different eye-witnesses give different versions of today's happeneings.)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the Gospel of Mark has been very special - we had a fantastic reading of the entire Gospel last year at All Saints - which gives one a very different view-point to hearing the small chunks we have on Sundays - great to have both, I think!
Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not you hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness
ReplyDeletewhen your fathers tempted me, proved me and saw my works.
Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said: It is a people that do err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways.
Unto whom I swear in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
Every Sunday for a great many years I sang this psalm at Matins, until the Eucharist was taken as the main service of the day about 20 or 30 years ago. I'm sure other people remember, and like me know the words of the psalm from memory. Only now however do I really understand the words thanks to Paul's explanation of this passage in Hebrews 3 and 4, and to having read so recently about the happenings in the desert.
Selina
Dear Selina, Yes. those words from Matins in the old Book of Common Prayer gave me quite a shock, to find them in Hebrews which I am liking very much. I too sang them every Sunday learning first from my mother how to do it properly and every Sunday at the church in Southport where I was away at school and all my married years, until it was put on one side. I must say I miss the servtce of Matins; it was so beautiful, uplifting and you knew it so well you could put your heart into it. Margaret
ReplyDeleteThese books have been published recently. I think they infrom and help make sense of our daily Bible passages. They all have a 5* rating on a certain Internet Book store!
ReplyDeletei) Route 66 by Krish Kandiah, Monarch books, £8.99
ii) The Bible Book by Book, Cris Rogers, Monarch Books, £14.99
iii) Making Sense of the Bible, Helen-Ann Hartley, SPCK, £7.99
Route 66 assumes the reader has a reasonable knowledge of the Bible but is struggling to make sense of it in their lives. It is a helpful and accessible guide to what to do with the biblical texts.
The Bible Book by Book is aimed at young people and those who work with them. It works through each book of the bible looking at style, geography, background and detail. It is my favourite, maybe because it is colourful! I like the photos and maps which I found very helpful and informative.
Making Sense of the Bible is the shortest of the three but packs a lot in! It focuses on what to think about what should happen when we read the Bible. This is to help us make sense of who we are in relationship to God through encounter (ch3), conversation (ch4) and context(ch2).
I'm not on commission by the way! I found that they perked up my approach to reading the Bible which I wanted to share with the All Saints' bible reading crew! DV See you next month, love Thelma
I found the Bible reading to-day very inspiring.Samuel's farewell speech is powerful and gives us hope for our sins, especially chapter 12 verses 20-25. In Hebrews chapter 12 verses 7-13,should be a lesson for all parents.Discipline is so important and the young parents today find it so difficult to say no to their children.
ReplyDeleteWhat a pleasure to read blogs from new people, and people who haven't written for some time. It's so interesting to read others' comments. I agree with all you say Sheena. And thankyou Thelma for the book suggestions which I shall look into.
ReplyDeleteI loved Hewbrews 9, a beautiful chapter about faith, and so much more interesting to read and understand now that we can recognize all the many references from the O.T.
I began reading on Feb 12, 2012 and look forward to waking every day to read the current day's verses. What I did was, in addition to the day's verses, I also read at least 2 days verses which I missed from the beginning in December, and to date I've been able to catch up (short 3 days in Feb) which I hope to complete by this month. I've always wanted to do this amazing feat, but didnt know how. I attended St Paul's within-the-walls last week, and the new Pastor there challenged the congregation to Read the Bible in A Year, and he provided the various ways how to, so I felt good to know that I had already started it at All SAints Rome.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see new bloggers and readers joining us - and everyone brings a slightly different understanding and point of view - keep up the blogging!
ReplyDeleteI was struck by the contrast (again) between our readings the end of 1Samuel seems so chaotic, everyone seems to have "lost the plot", even, dare I say, David - which gives us some hope, doesn't it! And then 2Peter in it's well organised, staightforward certainty. My "Message" version has the first verses as "I, Peter...write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God's straight dealing...."
Praying for all of us reading the Bible in a year, that it will be an experience that is not only fascinating but also life-changing, as it has been for so many millions in the course of history. xoxox
I found psalm 15 a good lesson in life, but on the whole I am finding the psalms not easy reading without the music. I know David played the music with a harp but I presume the music we sing to the psalms is not his. When were they put to the music we sing too? Have all the psalms been given music and have they always been part of our Church service?
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful passage is 1 John chapter4 v7-21. The love God has given us is so great and we abuse it.
I am also curious to know when the psalms were first set to music and to whom the instructions "for the choirmaster" are addresed. I assume they have been there since Hebrew times since they seem to be part and parcel of the psalms.
ReplyDeleteI was sorry when we didn't go on reading Samuel, but unlike you Sheena, I am finding reading the psalms without having to concentrate on fitting the words to the music centres me much more on the words which are often beautiful and moving. I have copied down some verses which I find good for reflection or praying:
Palm 25. 5 Direct me in your ways Yahweh and teach me your paths. Encourage me to walk in your truth and teach me, since you are the God who saves me.
27.1 The lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
19. Who can detect his own failings? Wash away my hidden faults.
I never knew that these words of Jesus on the cross came from
Psalm 22: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
I am enjoying the Psalms enormously, too. Being relatively new to all this Psalm-singing we do at All Saints, I too find just reading the words more meaningful. I discovered on my course that the Scottish Psalter contains many Psalms(maybe all) that have been adapted to be able to sing them to well-known hymn tunes - we sang one to Amazing Grace(about 25 times!!)a while back.
ReplyDeleteYou need to catch Andrew Cochlin or Fr. Jonathan and ask those questions about the music - maybe they have the answers.
Could I draw your attention, Bible-readers, to a one day mini-conference on Saturday 2nd June which Footsteps and Rome Baptist Church are organising......We have Ian Coffey coming to do some teaching from the book of Acts (we read that in January) - it is all about what we can learn from the 1st century church to apply today in the 21st century. Ian is a world-class speaker, great Bible teacher and exciting to listen to. The title of the conference "God and make disciples. Mission Impossible??"
ReplyDeleteIt's free to attend. Sat 2nd June. 9.30am - 4pm. Rome Baptist Church, off Via del Corso.
Thank you for all the comments above. Owing in a mistake in the initial heading I was typing in I was not able to get onto the blog for agout ten days, but with Selina's help I am now able to find it again. I think those of us who have been "Church of England" singers for many tears are finding a lot of very familiar phrases,and many from famous musical works like the Messiah.not always taken from the same psalm. Quoting from memory....... "thou shalt break them in pieces like a potter's vessel".And from a very favourite anthem we used to sing ae St. Thomas' Exeted "Teach me oh Lord the way of thy statutes".David must have kept his musicean on his toes putting all these wonderful words to music they they are both uplifting and admonishing.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the typing mistakes. For tears read years and Exetet, Exeter. Apologies M.H.
ReplyDeleteThe miniconference sounds very interesting and I shall do my best to come. Shall have to revise The Acts as I've read so many other thins since Janyary!
ReplyDeleteI am still enjoying reading the psalms but find some hard to understand. I am not always clear who is speaking, as in ps. 62. And some have such terrifying curses e.g.55:15, 58,6-8, 63,9. I have to remember that they were written before the time of the Christian commandment "love your enemies".
ReplyDeleteWhen our year of "read the bible" is finished I hope to procure a good commentary and read them again.
(Unless some other reading scheme is devised for us!)
Dear friends and fellow readers, what a wonderful treasure chest of exhilerating prases jump out of it! So many sentences from the Messiah. Handel has cleverly woven them together to make his ever popular and memorable masterpiece. Some sentences from the psalms are also used in the Book of common prayer and I think that is why those services of Matins and Evensong are so authoratative and beloved.
ReplyDeleteI cannot say I am enjoying Revelation I find it incomprehencible, repetative and exhulting in vengeance.The elements we know can be violent and we are accustomed to all kinds of upheavals but in Revelation it is all so jumbled up and one horrible scene after another that I am left feeling quite exhausted. I wonder if it has that effect on any one else?
Dear Bible-readers,
ReplyDeleteAmbra has produced the second half of the reading scheme - it starts 1st June. They are in church now.
If you are not there to collect a paper version, all the references are available on the church web-site: www.allsaintsrome.org click on "The Bible in a year" tab on left, then click on the link that says "download or open...."
We are very nearly half way...well done!
Do encourage others to join in - people can join at any point and carry on next yearif they wish.
Dear Friends, I have not written anything for some time but reading Psalm 139 today, i felt inspired to comment on it. It is a psalm i know very well and is full of wonderfull sayings but in particularly vs.14-16, beginning"I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" and concluding " which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them".
ReplyDeleteKing David was so constantly in touch with God that he had an amazing insight about the origine of man and nature.
I wish all the physicists and biologists colud read these words because they show that David so long ago had rather different notions thnn The Garden of Eden. Every thing has been planned by God "from the beginning"
Margaret many thanks - yes that burst of Psalms has been lovely and numer 139 a real favourite of mine too.
DeleteI wonder how eveyone else is getting on - would be lovely to hear your thoughts...is it different reading Acts again after all the reading we have done, now?
Good to hear Zadok the priest's name popping up again (1 Chronicles 15) - though I have no idea if he is the same one as the coronation anthem is named after.....anyone know?
And all is not lost in leaving the Psalms as we got another one today in 1 Chronicles 16 - fantastic praise and worship!
ST. Peter and St. Paul's Day
ReplyDeleteI am pleased to be reading Acts again. Different things seem to strike me. Today's reading about St. Peter reminded me that he didn't confine himself entirely to the Jews. We hear so much more aout the conversion of the Gentiles by St. Paul
From the long list of names in Chronicles I noticed among the musicians sons of Asaph and Jeduthun who wrote some of the psalms.
Dear Mary and Selina, thank you for your answers, yes I find reading Acts again rather different, the events seem to stand out with more clarity and understanding. Now, today, I feel really moved on reading Soloman's wonderful prayer at the dedication of the temple and when I came to verse 30, my heart leapt up when i read"hearken unto the supplications of thy servants.........and hear thou in heaven, thy dwelling place; and when thou hearest,forgive". I have sung those words in an anthem some time ago, without knowing that they came from the 1st b0ok of Kings.
ReplyDeleteThen we read Paul's sermon on Mars hill. "God dwelleth not in temples made with hands as though he needeth anything". I often think of that when I visit some place of worship loaded with superfluous things made with hands I am at heart a puritan!
Dear Mary I hope you are feeling serene ang happy now that you are a Deacon and can look forward to the next stage of your Priesthood.
Love and greetings to you both Margaret
Mary, Handel wrote Zadok the Priest for the Coronation of George the second. He took it from The King James's Bible verse "Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon,King.Such wonderful music.
ReplyDeleteI am off to babysit for my Grandchildren so have got ahead with my reading!! After ploughing through Psalms(need the music) and enjoyed most of proverbs, I have just finished Song of Songs.I had never read it before and found it so beautiful. Well done Mary for getting us to read the Bible.
I wish you all a very happy Summer and good reading,Sheena
I am back on the blog after about 3 weeks' absence - and have missed reading your comments, thanks for answers and for the good wishes. As one who is more behind than in front I am still looking forward to starting Song of Songs but have enjoyed revisiting the letters. eg. Galatians and its empassioned plea for freedom over "rule keeping".
ReplyDeleteWe've just been having our Bible study out in Olgiata and used again those 3 points that are good to have in one's mind as one reads:
1) What? - what am I reading, what is this about?
2) So what? - What difference does it make, what is important here?
3) Now what? - What do I/we need to do about this? What response?
Galatians 6 today would be a good piece to have a go with those 3 questions - I'd love to hear any answers!!
Dear Mary, I have just finished reading Ecclesiastes and found it very stimulating, straight from the shoulder about life and death. "all is vanity". Whatever you do we all end up in the same way. A great deal of it was very familiar to me in the King James Bible form, I just wonder what a modern translation of the word "vanity" might be. Could you give me one?
ReplyDeleteI do feel a slight grievance that we were not told at the beginning that reading the Bible in a year included reading a lot of the N,T. twice. During these summer months with visitors and holidays it would have eased the time load to read only the O.T
Of course I can see that parallels had to be pointed out and contrast of faith and belief but I do not think it is quite fair to have to read Romans again all through August!
I can see that Sheena is nobly forging ahead, I have found a eriend from England who will accompant me to L. Como again this year for the last week in August. Perhaps I shall find a Good News Bible in the bedroom! Love Margaret
Dear Margaret,
DeleteGlad you have enjoyed Ecclesiastes - I have to admit I find it a little depressing - you will have to share your understanding with me!
As for the translation of "vanity" - there are a few different ones - if one looks at Ecclesiastes 12:8
The NRSV sticks with vanity.
NIV says "meaningless - everything is meaningless"
Good news - "useless"
And the Message - "all is smoke, nothing but smoke"
Amplified Bible: several choices: vapour, futility, emptiness, falsity, vainglory, transitoriness.
I am sorry I don't know which is the best translation of the Hebrew - but I have to say meaningless and useless seem thoroughly negative whereas vanity and smoke do at least suggest to me that life is not useless but more something very temporary and not to be held onto too tightly.
And Margaret, sorry the reading plan isn't as you had hoped - I guess you have the option to not read the NT bits you have already read and concentrate on the OT - or, and I hope you might, find new richness in coming at the epistles a second time in the light of different OT parallel with it?
Have a good summer.....
Mary
Dear Mary, thank you very much indeed. I think I would go for useless and meaningless, hanging on to vanity as well.
ReplyDeleteI suppose Eclesiastes reminded me of the way my father used to talk.
He was an atheist and we used to have deep conversations about the reason for life. He was a follower of Darwin and thought he had the answer to everything. The preacher in Ecclesiastes did not know Christ whose life and resurection point to a new hope but in all these beautiful antique writings Nature is the book they had before them in its stark reality. My poor father was very depressed when he was old, he used to quote Shahespeare's words sans hair sans teeth, sans everything".I loved him dearly for his many good qualities. I was at his bedside when he died and prayed for him as hard as I could in my sadness at his going.
Sorry if I have written too much, please do not think you have to reply. Lovr Margaret
Hello everybody - I hope you have had good summers. I wonder how you have been doing with your "Read the Bible in a Year"? I have got quite behind myself, I always find it difficult when my usual routine is broken.
ReplyDeleteIf you have got behind or even stopped - don't be overwhelmed by the task - either keep going slowly from where you are - or skip to the set readings for today and restart from there.
Do keep praying for each other as you read - we are a little community doing this together, even if we don't necessarily know who else is a part of the group.
Many blessings as you restart or keep on reading, Mary xoxo
Like you Mary I got behind, but have managed to catch up and am getting very involved with Isaiah. I write a short synopsis or thought on each chapter and see that that I must be struck by something different on reading the epistles for the second time. The comments are not the same!
DeleteSelina
Dear Mary and Bible reading friends.
ReplyDeleteDuring the holidays it has been hard to keep up but by reading double portions of the book of Isaiah on my return from my week's holiday to L. Como I have finished it on time today. I looked in a drawer in the Hotel bedroom but there was only a copy of St. Luke#s Gospel in Italian. Isaiah is a noble and inspiring work, though a little confusing at times as to who is speaking, God or Isaiah himself.Iwas also puzzled by the frequent reference to "the isles" what islands wouid they be that Isaiah would know? Best wishes Margaret
Dear Margaret and all,
ReplyDeleteSorry to have been away from the blog for too long....I am working on the answer to Margaret's question about the Isles.....will come back with that....unless somebody else has the answer.
And Yes I agree that one gets confused between Isaiah and God at times - similarly there are other occasions for example the three angelic visitors to Abram in Genesis 18 when one is left wondering whether these are angels or God. My sense is that in these cases the word of God is being spoken forth by Isaiah / angels and so the differentiation becomes a little blurred.
Back soon with some research on "isles"! Thanks for the interesting questions....Mary
Isles:
ReplyDeleteMargaret - I don't know if there is a specific passage(s) you were referring to? I have had a look through my concordance and found several references which all refer me back to a note on Isaiah 11:11. This passage refers to the proclamation to the nations and the gathering back of the remnant of Israel (something we discussed in Bible study last Sunday). The suggestion being that the Israelites were dispersed all over the place, including Islands. My study Bible says these were most likely to costal and Mediterranean isles. One commentary suggests it is a way of referring to far distant people, and of course, in Isaiah 40:15 talks of the greatness of God as he can weigh the Islands.
I haven't been able to find any more theological significance of Islands - but perhaps someone else knows??
For many years, starting from my childhood,we sang Psalm 95 every Sunday at Mattins, and this passage always made little or no sense to me. Today's reading from Hewbrews has at last explained it to me.....that it refers to the stubbornness of the Children of Israel journeying through the wilderness, and that they would not enter the Promised Land:
ReplyDelete"Today if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, proved me and saw my works. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and said: It is a people that do err in their hearts for they have not known my ways, unto whom I swear in my rest that they should not enter into my rest.
But Paul explains that the word of God is still active and must be listened to, in order that Christians may enter God's resting place, Heaven. (At least this is how I understand the reading!)
Best wishes to all readers.
Dear Selina, yes I was delighted to find the origine of that so familiar canticle. I agree, it did seem rather mysterious when we were young. Now I think how clever The compilers of the Book of Common Prayer were and I remember with great affection those Sundays when you had a nice book in your hand and you sang with enjoyment because it was all so right and proper and familiar.
DeleteThank you for calling attention to it.
Lovely little "revision lesson" of our Old Testament history in Hebrews 11 today - and have always found it so re-assuring that idea that some of those great heroes of faith didn't see all God's promises fulfilled in their life-time - and that it might be the same for us too.
ReplyDeleteI haven't much to say save that I wish more people were using the blog!I expect they haven't got time. Retired people have so much more!
ReplyDeleteIt seems that worshipping foreign gods was the major problem for the Jews from the time of Moses onwards, and Ezekiel in today's reading talks almost exclusively about that. Reading through the Old Testament one sees the reason for the commandment: Thou shalt have none other gods but me. Perhaps this is at least one thing we needn't worry about so much in this day and age?
I shall miss Read the Bible in a Year when we finish it. It has been a great experience. I wonder if Mary has any other ideas for us.
Dear Selina, you commented to me personally about some of the similies used by the word of God by Ezekiel eg ch.3, immoral women to represent two immoral cities. It did not make pleasant reading.tThen we have as a contrast the beautiful description of the cedar tree in all its glory like Pharoah, but to be pulled down later. I once in Devon had the experience of first hearing a noise like a thunder clap and the seeing the top of the cedar tree in the church yard lifted up and thrown to the ground like an umbrella in a sudden blast of wind. I was only about fifty yards away! The Bible has a lot to tell us about nature. Love Margaret
ReplyDeleteHow beautifully today's readings fitted together. First the lovely passage in Ezekiel Ch.34, 11-15 which reminds me of Psalm 23. Then God's promise to send a shepherd to look after Israel, and finally Simeon's singing of his Nuc Dimittis (so familiar to us from Evensong) "Mine eyes have seen thy salvation", the fulfilment of the prophesy. Very moving.
ReplyDeleteDear Mary, as we are now approaching the end of the year's Bible reading, will there be a closing meeting(suggest Dec. 1st) to round it all off and give the faithful readers an opportunity to give some account of what it has meant to them?
ReplyDeleteI mentioned it to Selina and she thought I should ask you.
Love Margaret
Dear everybody - so sorry I have not been a very regular blogger - thank you for those recent reflections and questions - indeed we are approaching the end and what a good idea to mark the end of this year, I had not thought about it - Sunday 2nd Dec is 2 days before we officially finish and I believe we are planning a Biblical reflection after the parish lunch that day - I have just sent a message to Fr Jonathan about whether we might do something as you suggest.
ReplyDeleteThe OTHER thing I have got planned is to start a little group called "Light at Lunchtime" on Wednesdays. The idea is that we meet at 12:45 for worship (either a Eucharist if Fr Jonathan available or a short service of the word and prayer led by me)followed by a time of reflection on the Bible - we could start with something for Advent and then decide as a group if there were particular books / topics we wanted to look at. The idea would be to eat a sandwich as we meet around a table to talk. Aim to finish by 2:15pm. If you are in church tomorrow I hope you will see some publicity for this. I hope some if not all of you bloggers might be able to come??
Please pray for all those leading services of remembrance tomorrow - particularly our staff team who are in different places - I am off to Orvieto war cemetery....with love, Mary
Sorry I meant to say the Light at Lunchtime starts on 5th December - the day after "read the Bible" finishes - so a nice link into something new.
ReplyDeleteThis Sunday, 2nd December - we have our usual parish lunch - which will be followed by an afternoon Advent study - the first slot in the study will be a chance for you to comment and feed back on the Read the Bible in a Year project. I do hope you can join in!
ReplyDeleteWe will also be looking at some Advent themes from Isaiah 40. The afternoon will finish at 4pm after evening prayer. It will be led by the staff team with each of us giving some input - so I hope it will be interesting, varied and give you a chance to contribute, too.
Light at lunchtime starts on Wednesday (5th December) with a healing Eucharist (on this occasion) followed by some reflection on the Bible - bring a sandwich.
Well, I have finished reading the Bible, a feat which I never thought I would have accomplice!! Thank you Mary for the Idea.
ReplyDeleteIt was a shame we didn't have someone who was reading the Bible at the same time as us to explain so many questions that arouse. I did feel I needed incouragement at certain times.It could have been only once or twice a Month. I wonder how many people have read the Bible in a year??
This is to wish my fellow Bible readers a very Happy Christmas and New Year. Sheena.
Thanks to one and all for reading, for contributing, for praying, for asking questions, for encouraging each other.....Sorry this wasn't a perfect exercise and particularly sorry, Sheena, we didn't provide that forum for you and for others.
ReplyDeleteLight at lunchtime is now a regular slot on Wednesdays (as of today) if that is a time when you (and anyone else) can dip in regularly or occasionally - some of the Bible in a Year questions did pop up today.
In theory we will be working our way through the book of Ephesians but also sharing some of the "bigger" questions that go beyond that. Mary xoxo