Dear St. John’s and friends,
We are going on an adventure this year and you are all invited. The adventure is simple.
We are going to read the Bible together.
Yes, all of it.
Why? You might ask.
Well, there are many reasons. I have often heard you say things like; “I just don’t get the Old Testament,” or “the Sunday readings are always out of context, and I don’t know what happened before or after,” or “I would really like to understand the flow of the Bible better.”
You are in luck.
Reading the Bible in its entirety is daunting. Do you start with Genesis? Matthew? Somewhere in the middle? Do you read the Old Testament and the New Testament at the same time or one and then the other? Rest assured; we have a plan!
Children’s author and theologian, Madeleine L’Engle wrote in her book, A Stone for a Pillow:
“My church (the Episcopal Church) teaches that the Bible contains everything necessary for salvation.” What on earth do we mean by that?
I can affirm it only if I know what the Bible is, and what it is not. It is a living book, not a dead one. It urges us to go beyond its pages, not to stop with what we have read. It is a book not only of history, and of the prohibitions of the commandments and laws, but of poetry and song, of fantasy and paradox and mystery and contradiction” (L’Engle, p. 60).
We are going on this adventure together and each of you will be able to choose how you want to participate. Our Year of the Bible begins in September with a kickoff the week of September 10. Here are the ways in which you may participate. You may choose one or all of the options.
- Follow the One-Year Reading Plan (10-30 minutes/day)
- Attend a weekly Study Group
- Tuesday Mornings 10-11 AM, Parish Hall beginning September 12
- Tuesday Evenings 5:30-6:30 PM, Parish Hall beginning September 12
- Epiphany and St. John’s Group, Thursdays on Zoom from 2-3 PM beginning September 14
- To register for one of these weekly Study Groups, please email the office at chelsea@stjohnsessex.org
- Use the Bible Project App/website for personal study https://bibleproject.com/
- Attend church and hear the Bible preached upon chronologically from Genesis to Revelation throughout the year.
- Electronic copy of the reading plan here.
Swiss theologian Karl Barth famously said, “I take the Bible far too seriously to take it literally.” On September 10, this is what we will talk about in the 9 AM Forum. I will talk about how Episcopalians read the Bible and how we understand it in our modern context.
This is an exciting opportunity for St. John’s, and I look forward to going on this adventure together!
In grace and peace,
Kate +