40 Days Reading Chronologically
Friends,
Grace, mercy, and peace, to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
May we as followers of Jesus Christ be filled with the Holy Spirit that our lives proclaim the gospel of the forgiveness of sins.
I give God thanks and praise for each of you. Your faith, loyalty, and commitment to our Lord is commendable in these turbulent times of transition in the midst of a pandemic.
Since the pandemic has government officials ordering stay-at-home mandates, we as the people of God have had to adjust to worshipping online, communicating via telephone, email, text, and ZOOM or other platforms for video conferencing. It has become quite apparent to me that our discussion from last fall centering on the Book of Acts revolved around two questions:
Who is God calling me to be as a follower of Jesus Christ?
Who is God calling us to be as First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood?
These questions have re-emerged as we live as a community of faith in a virtual world. Our virtual world of YouTube, FaceBook, Online worship, ZOOM conferencing, and other social media have us using the technological tools of the day much like Calvin and Luther using the printing press to communicate ideas and build community in their day. There are several ways to approach these questions. We have approached them through the sermon series last Fall, the questions you have been invited to answer for our Mission Study, and yes, even our Lenten Study on the Ten Commandments. These are three ways in which we have approached the questions “Who is God calling me/us to be?” Is there another way to consider the questions? Another way to think about them as God’s invitation?
Let me put it this way:
God invites you to be …
Healthy in body, mind, and spirit;
Resurrected;
Reborn;
A human being.
Please join me in exploring God’s invitation for the next forty (40) days by reading chronologically through the history of the early church as outlined below. The plan on is not perfect; it only provides a frame for ongoing discussion and reflection. Beginning May 1, 2020 set aside part of your day for this devotional time.
- Opening Prayer
- Read assigned Scripture (chart below)
- Reflect upon the Scripture reading by journaling your thoughts answering the following:
- God invites me to be?
- Closing Prayer
I will set up times in the future for the opportunity to share with one another the Spirit moving in our lives as we answer the questions.
In Christ,
Pastor Tim
The reading plan for these forty days has been adopted from the Chronological Bible Reading Plan at www.esv.org/biblereadingplans.