Greetings in the name of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

In my pastoral update in the ePres before Easter, I invited you to join with me in a challenge to journey from the Resurrection of Jesus Christ to a life in Christ Jesus. It is a journey that will take us back to the Torah – the first five books of the Bible. It is a journey that leads us into the way of the Lord as a resurrected people. It is a journey that leads us to live in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What follows is an outline for a devotional lens to be used in reading through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The readings may seem rather lengthy; however, I have found they take about 15 minutes to read. The question for contemplation is: How do we, individually and as a community, live in the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

In the first five days of my reading through Genesis beginning on Easter evening, I have rediscovered that God called His creation “good.” God’s creation is good. What God’s hand touches … when God speaks … when God listens … it all has to do with the goodness of God. Everything that God does is for good. Even when God’s children do not follow in His directed way that is, the way of the Lord or His commandments, God works to bring His children back to Him. God is preoccupied throughout the early readings with goodness.

In God’s preoccupation with “goodness,” I ask you to take note that His preoccupation is for the entirety of His creation. It is not about only one select people, such as Israelites or Christians. This is because as you read, I ask you to identify, when is the first time that Israel is mentioned? Yes, God promises Abraham that he will make him a great nation, however, this is not about Israel. The first eleven chapters of Genesis is about humanity. All of humanity.

Our journey begins. Read. Prayer, Reflect.

The proposed format is as follows:

Opening Prayer

“Most blessed Lord, send down upon me the grace of your Holy Spirit, to endow and confirm our spiritual powers, giving attention to the instruction imparted to me, that, I may increase to Your glory, O my Creator, and to the comfort and the benefit of Church and Community.” (Modified from page 21, A Manual of Eastern Orthodox Prayers).

Read Mark 1:1-8

Read Psalm 1:1-3

Read Daily Scripture passage present in the chart. These readings are taken from the Jewish Virtual Library.

In your reading, prayer and reflection consider the following question:

How do we, individually and as a community, live in the resurrection of Jesus Christ?