The Greatest Story Ever Told: The Whole Bible – The Grand Finale from St James Church on Vimeo.
Part 4 in the Whole Bible Series. The Greatest Story Ever Told – the Whole Bible: The Grand Finale.
James Leach speaking in Gerrards Cross on Sunday 31st January 2010 in part 4 of a series of four talks giving an overview of the Bible.
We know that the disciples weren’t always the brightest bunch and sometimes that comes as a relief: If Jesus was patient with them, then there is hope for me! But today’s reading from Matthew contains a little bombshell: Jesus re-iterates what God’s plan for marriage is: a man and a woman become one flesh and are committed to each other for life. To which the disciples reply: “Well, if we cannot get rid of a wife in the way that Moses allowed, then maybe it’s better not to get married!”
What a jaded view of marriage! How “modern”!
As Christians we believe in the gift of life-long marriage. We know that by God’s grace we can stay together through ups and downs. The deep love between a couple who have grown old together is one of the most beautiful gifts of God this side of eternity. Not surprising that the Bible often compares the relationship between God and us with marriage.
And maybe it is not a coincidence that the passage preceding Jesus’ teaching on marriage talks about forgiveness: Forgiveness is not an option, it is a necessity – if we want any relationship to endure. Jesus offers us unconditional forgiveness and he is asking us to follow his example – not at all easy and quite countercultural.
Who do I need to forgive today?
The Greatest Story Ever Told – The Whole Bible: Enter the Hero from St James Church on Vimeo.
Part 3 in the Whole Bible Series. The Greatest Story Ever Told – the Whole Bible: Enter the Hero.
James Leach speaking in Gerrards Cross on Sunday 24th January 2010 in part 3 of a series of four talks giving an overview of the Bible.
The Whole Bible – The Rescue Plan from St James Church on Vimeo.
Part 2 in the Whole Bible Series. The Greatest Story Ever Told – the Whole Bible: The Rescue Plan.
James Leach speaking in Gerrards Cross on Sunday 17th January 2010 in part 2 of a series of four talks giving an overview of the Bible.
Many Christians shy away from reading the Old Testament because they think an ordinary reader cannot really understand it. The IVP Introduction to the Bible begs to differ: “There is no special, secret knowledge required for the interpretation of the OT.” At the same time it acknowledges that God’s revelation in the OT first came to the Hebrews in the Near East thousands of years ago. So we must first make an effort to understand what it meant to them. The IVP introduction gives some helpful pointers to how we can gain a lot from a careful reading of the text:
1 Read broadly: Often in our forays into the OT we tend to atomize our Bible reading. Much better to read it often and in large chunks (and that is just what we are doing this year!). Take time to trace the story, the themes and common threads. Note how people interact with the same God we worship today. When we engage in this process, we will learn lessons of history and culture unconsciously, as if by osmosis.
2 Read inquisitively: Ask questions as you read (and some of you have already posted their questions on this blog!). For example, when we get to Isaiah, it will be helpful to ask what the historical context was: What happened during the reign of Ahaz and Hezekiah? We will find some answers in the books of Kings and Chronicles. Cross-referencing within the Bible can help to gain broader understanding (e.g. the place of Abraham in the New Testament). A concordance or a good Bible website will be helpful for this.
3 Read guide books: Even if you have bought a Bible-in-a-year edition to make reading easy, it will be extremely helpful to have a Study Bible to hand. If you find a book particularly challenging and you want to dig deeper, a commentary will be a great help. Many of them will go into too much detail as we march through the OT at quite a pace – there are one-volume commentaries which may be a good half-way house (e.g. Alister McGrath’s NIV Bible companion). Bible guides (like the IVP Introduction or the Lion Handbook) can provide general introductions to the Bible and specific books.
4 There are some great books that help us develop tools in reading our Bibles: they give us confidence that we can hear God’s voice even in more difficult texts. One that I have found useful is Dig Deeper.
One last encouragement: When Paul wrote 2 Timothy 3:16 he was referring to the Old Testament!
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
(To be continued…)
Have you got helpful hints on reading the OT? Let us know!
The Greatest Story Ever Told – the whole Bible: In the Beginning… from St James Church on Vimeo.
James Leach speaking in Gerrards Cross on Sunday 10th January 2010 in part 1 in a series of four talks giving an overview of the Bible.
Listen to the 10:30am Oxford Road talk (extended version)…
When Abraham’s father Terah dies, God speaks to Abraham: “Go to the land I will show you…” (Gen 12:1). Abraham is 75 years old. No graceful retirement after his father’s death, but a new departure with an uncertain destination.
Throughout history, God continues to be creative, to do new things, to shape people’s lives in unexpected ways. When Jesus bursts onto the scene and begins to preach, his teaching is radically fresh and new and challenging: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” (Mat 5). Everyone around Jesus understands: this is new, this is different – whether they agree with him or not.
At the same time, the ministry of Jesus Christ was prepared by God through the centuries and was always part of his overarching plan to bring us back into a relationship with him: “God’s faithful, changeless love is manifested in changing, surprising ways.” (Daniel Migliore)
During these first six days I have already been amazed at how reading the Old and New Testament in parallel helps me to see connections, and I look forward to many more of those moments.
What are the new things God wants to do in our lives and in our church in 2010? Some things we know, others we are beginning to grasp. But there will be many surprises. Are we going to be ready, when God says: “Go!”? Can we say to Jesus today: “I am ready for the new things you want to do in my life this year. I am excited about your plans with me – even if I don’t know where I will be in a year’s time. Bring it on, God!”
And let’s look back with thankfulness, trace God’s activity in our lives and – based on God’s story with us so far – take bold new steps in 2010: He is the same faithful, creative, loving, challenging God that Jesus proclaimed!
Bring it on, God!
St James podcasts
One Year Bible-NLT-Compact
One Year Bible-NIV-Compact
One Year Bible-Nlt (One Year Bible: New Living Translation-2) 
One Year Bible-NIV-Compact