“I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
Dear Friends,
Years ago, a pastor shared that it was a tradition in her family to recite Psalm 121 whenever someone went on a trip. The person leaving would say the first two verses and those present would recite the rest of the psalm. In doing so, the one leaving on the journey would be assured that the Lord would be with them in all their comings and goings.
If we did this for all our journeys in life, we would be reciting it each day, and that is not such a bad idea after all. This is true, for God is with us in all life’s journeys: the external (physical), the internal (heart, mind), and in the theological (spiritual) journeys.
External journeys are those we physically take from place to place like moving from our place of birth to other parts of the country or anywhere in the world. We make temporary moves when we go on vacation, or when we travel to warmer places during the winter, or cooler places during the summer.
Internal journeys are the ones we take to explore who we are in relation to one another. It is the horizontal line of the cross. I am thinking about how we change our point of view as we mature from infancy to adulthood, and into our senior years. This journey happens as we come to understand ourselves through our life experiences: the challenges we face, all our ups and downs, our gains and losses, and our successes and failures. In turn, we come to understand our strengths and weaknesses, and how they influence the course of our life, as well as our relationships with others.
Theological journeys are those that help us to learn about God. It is a spiritual journey that informs the relationship between God and us. It is the vertical line of the cross. From our studies, we come to understand what God requires of us and how that knowledge guides us in every step we take.
Thus, every journey we take in life challenges our understandings of God. When we physically reside in a new place, we rely so much on the faithfulness of God to be with us as the Psalmist promises and this gives us strength to make the adjustments needed to live in that new place. When we do the self-examination, we discover our role as residents of God’s created world. We rely on the assurance from God that the Lord is guiding our heart and mind to discover the answers we seek.
During this upcoming Season of Lent, we will be taking a journey to the cross to listen to the last words Jesus said as he died. When Jesus died on the cross, it was a culmination of a life that spanned about 33 years. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus proclaims, “If you want to become my followers, let them… take up their cross and follow me.” Therefore, His final words not only reflect the suffering he endured on Good Friday; they are words that offer us the opportunity to lean in and listen closely for messages that are for us. For Jesus’ last words calls us to go on the same journey that led him to Golgotha.
May the Lord be with us, as we take this journey together.
I thank God for you,
Pastor Kathy Nealand
Lenten Series: The Last Words of Jesus” based on the book, Seven Words: Listening to Christ on the Cross” by Susan Robb:
- Wednesday, March 5, As Wednesday – “Father, forgive them.” Luke 23:32-3
- Sunday, March 9 – “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:42-43
- Sunday, March 16 – “My God, my God” Mark 15:33-34; Matthew 27:46
- Sunday, March 23 – Woman, here is your son.” John 19:25b-27
- Sunday, April 6 – “I am thirsty.” John 19:28
- Sunday, April 13 – “Into your hands” Luke 23:46
- Thursday, April 17 – Holy Thursday "It is Finished” John 19:3
“So, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:1-2
“Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?” Matthew 21:42
"Walk by the Spirit . . . led by the Spirit . . . live by the Spirit . . . keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:16, 25
“[Paul Gives Thanks to God] I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge.” -1 Corinthians 1:4-5
“Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10
As we begin a new season in the church, it is good and right to think about what we mean when we pray “give us this day, our daily bread.” It is all about God’s provision. If we see God as a parent, we know that if we have a need, God will provide exactly what we need. The scripture verse above proves the case. Ask and it will be given to you. Knock and the door will be opened.
All children are precious to God. Psalm 139 speaks to God knowing us before we were born. At our conception we are “children of God.” We belong to God by way of grace. However, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we know that we are children of God (John 1:12). To acknowledge that we are children of God is a sign that our rebirth from above has begun to take place in our lives. It says that we accept the fact that regardless of our age, we need and want to be parented by our heavenly Father.
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9, NIV)
You have found a Bible that you want to read. But where do you start? There are many programs out there that helps a person to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in one year. I would not recommend this approach without understanding how the Bible is laid out. In both the Old and New Testament, the books are broken down by category. In addition, there are various sources that have influenced the content of these books. Even though we believe that the Bible is inspired by God, there are different voices that tell God’s story from their perspective. Scholars believe there are four sources of material that makes up the Old Testament. (Yahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomist, and Priestly). For the beginner, what is most important to keep in mind, is that if you see a story repeat, or you sense a change in the language, the differences may be because you are hearing the different voices. For instance, there are two creation stories. The first one is believed to come from the oral tradition of the Elohist and the second comes from the Yahwist. In Genesis 1, God is seen as a distant figure, while in Genesis 2, God is personally involved in what is happening in the Garden of Eden. Read them for yourself while thinking about the differences and similarities are between them. Listen for the different voices. The first five books are considered the Torah or The Law books. They begin with the creation of this world and continue with the story of the early people including when God gave Moses the laws for the people to live by. They are: Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy The next books are the History books of the Old Testament. Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther The next category are the Wisdom books: Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon The last section are the books of the Major and Minor Prophets. Hint: The minor prophets are not minor in their importance, only in their length. Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahem Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zachariah Malachi This website gives a brief description of each of these books. https://www.biblestudytools.com/books-of-the-bible/ Now that you have an idea of the categories, you might want to start with Genesis, Exodus and the history book. Inspirational readings can be found in the Wisdom books, in particular the Psalms. Whatever direction you choose to go in, you should read the introduction section for each book, so that you have a better idea of content, context, and purpose. Have fun! Next week I will cover the New Testament.
The oldest and most purchased book is the Bible. It is filled with wonderful stories of our ancestors that include family drama, conflict, wars, poetry, songs, prayers, mysteries, and miracles. Interwoven throughout is the story of God’s faithfulness, love, patience, wisdom, grace, judgment, and forgiveness. For anyone wishing to take a deep dive into these sacred stories, the first step is choosing a translation that best helps the reader to understand and interpret the message. Since the invention of the printing press, there have been a plethora of different translations written that are based on the original source documents and put into the language of the people. Each generation and each faith community have their favorite go-to version. The list below shows the most common or popular versions that a reader may want to consider when choosing what version they will use to begin their study. We recommend that a reader use Biblegateway.com to check out each version before purchasing a Bible. BibleGateway gives more options to consider, but this is a good beginning. The Top 10 Best Selling Protestant Bibles 1. New International Version (NIV 2. King James Version (KJV) 3. New Living Translation (NLT) 4. English Standard Version (ESV) 5. New King James Version (NKJV) 6. Christian Standard Bible (CSB) 7. Reina Valera (RV Spanish) 8. New International Reader's Version (NIRV) 9. The Message 10. Nueva Verson International (NVI Spanish) You can find descriptions about these and other Bibles at Bible Versions and Translations Online (biblestudytools.com) . One of our favorites is the Voice Bible (2012). Here is a description: The Voice™ is a faithful dynamic equivalent translation that reads like a story with all the truth and wisdom of God's Word. Through compelling narratives, poetry, and teaching, The Voice invites readers to enter the whole story of God, enabling them to hear God speaking and to experience His presence in their lives. It is written for the new reader and combines historical and study notes. Have fun selecting a version that works best for you. It can also be helpful to have a couple of different versions that can add to your understanding. We at First Presbyterian have the New Revised Standard Version in the pews but often read from other versions during worship and Bible studies. Our next blog will give the reader next steps in reading the Bible.
