November 28. Weeks 46 and 47. Nuggets from Paul.

Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians.

Wow, we are really moving along fast now.  Sometimes reading an entire book in one sitting. 

For the remainder of the New Testament, I have switched to the “Message” version to listen on my phone.  It has really helped me hear what Paul is saying in a fresh, contemporary way.  I have always found Paul hard to read because he is so long-winded and honestly, he sometimes rubs me the wrong way.  So I have been looking for nuggets of truth in what he is saying instead of getting hung up on cultural practices and little details.  And what I have discovered lately is that I am paying attention to how the basic doctrines of Christianity were being formed in those early days. 

I have observed that women were included in the new Way.  I had heard that before, but this time, since I am reading big chunks of scripture at a time, I am seeing it for myself.  And I am seeing that the original Christians could not help but talk about it because they had actually seen Jesus for themselves after he was resurrected.  Nobody could take that away from them.  They absolutely knew it was true.  (read I Corinthians 15, verse 6)

Also, I think it is fascinating to think about how the doors to the Kingdom were suddenly open to everyone, not just the Jewish people.  That must have been so exciting for non-Jewish people, but it also must have been really hard for the Jewish people to accept it, after all those generations of being exclusive. 

A few favorite nuggets from Romans:

Chapter 6, verse 17….”You have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.”  Wow, isn’t that a cool verse!   

Chapter 7, verse 6…”We have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”  (How freeing!)

Chapter 8, verse 9…”You are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit.”

Verse 17 …”We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”…That one blows me away if I REALLY stop to think about it.   

 Did you see the mystery hidden in Chapter 11: verse 25 – 26?

Chapter 11, verse 33-36 is a beautiful poem or song:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
    To him be the glory forever! 

_______

So, we will keep reading with imagination and watch for new nuggets, mysteries, and insights! 

November 13, Weeks 44 and 45. Walking with John, the disciple Jesus loved…

I am combining 2 weeks of reading here. 

During Week 44, we read through the book of John.  I have always liked the way John presents Jesus right from the beginning of his book:  As Eternal.  As God.  As the Creator of everything. 

I noticed that in the first chapter, in verse 39, when Jesus first started meeting and gathering the people who would be his inner circle, a couple of the guys went to where Jesus was staying and “spent the day with him”.     Just think of that.  What would it be like to spend the day with Jesus?  Getting to know him, eating a meal with him, talking to him, becoming his friend.  Wow.   And in Chapter 4, in verse 40 and 43, Jesus spent 2 days in Samaria.  Imagine Jesus staying with you for 2 days. He would be a house guest that you never wanted to say good-bye to.  And what makes that story even more compelling is that he reached out to a group of people in Samaria that were not accepted at the time.  He was getting ready to change everything forever… 

When Jesus met with Nicodemus in Chapter 3, I saw again the repeating theme that God knows our heart.  (see verse 21)

I noticed in Chapter 5, in chapter 24, Jesus said that if we believe him, we have already “crossed over from death to life”.  That gives me courage and hope.  No matter what happens to us in this life, we have already crossed over.  We already have eternal life. 

I love Chapter 10, verse 16.  Jesus was talking about US!  Wow.

Chapter 11: The relationship Jesus had with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, has always intrigued me.  What would it be like to be Jesus’ special friend?  To keep a guest room ready for him to stop by and spend a day or 2?  And I had never noticed before, but in verse 10, we learn that there were plans to kill Lazarus also, because of the unexplainable miracle that had happened to him. 

John and Jesus had a special relationship.  I think John “got” Jesus.  Several times, as John retells the stories of Jesus, he said that Jesus already knew what people were thinking or going to say.  That’s because John had the insight to recognize that Jesus was God.  There is an old legend that when John reclined next to Jesus at the last supper the night before he died, (Chapter 13, verse 23) John heard Jesus’ heartbeat, and he recognized that it was the heartbeat of God.  It changed John forever and that’s why he wrote with a slant on the eternal.  True?  We don’t know, but I like to think about knowing Jesus that well.  And actually, when you think about it, we really do. 

One more observation about the book of John:  in chapter 19, verse 25 – 27, we read that Jesus’ mother Mary went to live with John after Jesus died.  We could write an entire book about that.  What an honor to be chosen to be Mary’s “adopted son”.  I think Mary must have had many things to tell John after Jesus died.  She must have filled in a lot of the blanks in the story for John.  Wouldn’t  you love to be able to listen to those conversations!

And we read through the entire book of Acts during the week of Nov 1 – 11.  This book, written by Luke, is one of the most fascinating books I have read so far this year.   Again, I noticed the little medical observations that Dr. Luke mentioned throughout.  It is so interesting to read about how the early church quickly formed and became a movement.  And how they struggled through all the details and debates and decisions as they reconciled all the rules and rituals with the new life of freedom available to EVERYONE who accepted it.  The scripture is beginning to seem more contemporary.  

One final note about Acts:  did  you notice how Luke mentioned that he was traveling with Paul several times?  (he switched to“we”) Luke is giving a first person account of what happened.  If you have traveled in that part of the world it is easy to visualize their travels. 

So now, we are beginning to read Paul’s letters to the various new “churches” as the movement grew.  The final weeks of the year will go quickly!

Keep reading with imagination and watch for new insights!