Around six weeks ago I realized that I was 100 days away from turning 50. As I was reflecting on this I decided that I wanted to use these 100 days as much as possible to prepare me to make this new year a great one.
I decided on a few practices, and one of those was to read through the New Testament.
The Bible has played a big role throughout my entire life. It’s also had a complex role in my life. There have been times when I was in it daily. It has a way of shaping thoughts and attitudes and the overall way that I take on a day. There have been other times when I’ve gone days and weeks without opening it. I’ve seen the harm that man’s interpretation of the Bible has done to our world. I’ve seen how passages have been twisted for the sake of power and control. I’ve had moments in my own life where the words on the pages brought not hope and encouragement but fear and frustration. And there have been times when I’ve wondered if I would continue to go to it.
I have an overall belief that most times in our lives, when we face something challenging, it’s best to run towards it rather than away from it. I think this is true for me right now when it comes to the Bible. So during these 100 days I want to run towards it.
My mind has continued to shift when it comes to the Bible. I recognize today more than any other time in my life how complex it is, and I’m ok with that. But I still find beauty and depth in it. When I read the Bible I come with curiosity and wonder. This isn’t something I’m mastering. It’s something I need to ground me and to help me live my life.
I purchased my copy of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order over 25 years ago. I’ve used it off and on during those 25 years, and a couple of years ago a friend and I read through the entire Bible in a year using it.
The spiritual practice I decided on for this time was to read through the New Testament and write a reflection each day. The New Testament begins tomorrow and ends on December 31.
As is reflected in the title, this Bible attempts to lay out the stories in chronological order. That means we begin with the birth of Jesus. I love this paragraph from tomorrow’s introduction. I’ll end today’s post with it…
Who is this Christ, this Messiah? His name is Jesus. His symbolic name, Immanuel (meaning “God with us”), signifies his deity. He is man, to be sure, but God as well; and he is God – the God of Creation – but man as well. God lowers himself so that man might be elevated. He leaves heaven so that man might enter it. To man, who cannot begin to understand the ways of God, it is clearly a great mystery. But what a marvelous and wonderful mystery it is!