Last summer a number of Delaware Episcopal congregations participated in the 90-Day Bible Challenge. Reading the Bible cover-to-cover in 3 months took a lot of time and effort out of one's day. Those who completed all the readings experienced a bit of exhaustion. My personal exhaustion resulted from writing a daily blog of the Challenge for 90 consecutive days, but I felt that I gained much by doing so. My concern is that last year more than a few people got waylaid long before they reached the New Testament, or were so overwhelmed by the amount of reading that much of the power and message might have been missed.
So, this year I have created my own "challenge," 37 percent shorted in duration with only one quarter of the daily reading requirement! It will not cover all of the writings of the New Testament. Rather we will set the stage by reading the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke to get the teachings and ministry of Jesus firmly in mind. Next will come a reading of the Acts of the Apostles, which will be interrupted at those points in the narrative when Paul wrote his letters to the early communities of believers. For example, Paul wrote his letters to the believers in Thessalonica around the year 52 AD during the 18 months was staying in Corinth. So, the reading of Acts will be interrupted at Acts 18:17 while we read 1 & 2 Thessalonians. We will then pick up the story in Acts until Paul reaches Ephesus, from where he wrote his first letter to the Corinthians. This will be the pattern until Paul ends up in Rome and completes his letters to the churches. Finally, we will circle back around to the Gospels and read through John's account - with all its poetic and grand imagery coming out of the late New Testament period.
Well, that's it. My intention is to write a daily blog throughout this Eight-Week New Testament Journey, adding my thoughts, observations, and a few comments along the way. I hope that you'll join me, and also welcome your comments on my posts. You can sign up to receive the daily posts directly in your email account by signing up in the box in the right hand column of this page. It's a lot more rewarding to have a conversation, so please don't hesitate to let me know what's on your mind.
