5, 4, 3, 2, 1...Takeoff!

Last spring I introduced to the church session (that's the church board for you non-Presbyterians out there) an idea for an all-church reading of Scripture that would begin in September 2014 and end in May 2015. This is basically the "programming year" for most churches.  The session studied the idea and the materials that would be used, prayed about the decision, and then voted to endorse the study, published by Zondervan, called "THE STORY."  After months of planning and prayer, THE STORY launches tonight!



This is not the first first all-church Scripture reading plan that St. Luke JOY has undergone.  The session has been very supportive of encouraging the family here at St. Luke JOY to be in God's Word--to read it both individually and communally, pray it devotionally, and to live into it.

The past few years we have participated in the Essential 100 Bible Reading Plan, the 5x5x5 New Testament Reading Plan, and we have also participated in Scripture intensive small group studies by Dr. Tim Keller (The Reason for God, and Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything). THE STORY is different than any of these in that it is aimed at all ages in the life of the church.  From preschool kids to the elderly, and everything in between, the entire church family goes on the journey through THE STORY together.  Each week, all age groups have the same age appropriate lessons and readings, and then on Sunday morning, the preaching will support that lesson as well.

Marty Guise, LRM Executive Director

In March 2012, St. Luke JOY participated in a Lay Renewal Weekend focused on Celebration of the Word.  There was a lot of planning and prayer that went into the weekend, but it was worth every bit of energy it consumed to make the weekend happen.  Marty Guise, LRM Executive Director, and his team of lay volunteers, did a wonderful job in leading us through the weekend.  This weekend gently guided the family at St. Luke JOY into a new, realized, understanding of the importance of God's Word in the lives of God's people.

I am going to give LRM some free, unsolicited, praise at this time: LRM is great people!  If you are concerned about renewal in your local context (and you should be!), you need to give Marty a call.  I know that he would love to hear from you.  Lay Renewal Ministries offers a variety of weekend focuses that will bless you and your congregation.  Prayer, Abundant Life, Purpose, Celebration of the Word, and Equipping are just a sampling of the ministry opportunities offered by LRM.  Click on the logo below to learn more about them, and then give them a call. I promise it won't hurt!

The main lesson the St. Luke JOY family has learned from the above experiences is the incredible importance of knowing God's Word.  The Bible is not a collection of wisdom literature to be mined for wisdom, like Aesop's Fables.  Rather, it is a saga; it is an epic; it is the greatest story ever told, and it bears witness to the greatest Truth the world has ever known.  That Truth is simple: Jesus is Lord.  

THE STORY is a thirty-one week chronological journey through Scripture, whose purpose is to reveal the wonder, and power, of the all-encompassing story of salvation and redemption.  God's story is revealed to us in Scripture and we are called to participate in His story--so that God's story may indeed become OUR story.  

I am excited for the people who are about to embark on this journey tonight.  I pray that it not be a one time event in their lives.  Rather, I pray that this journey through God's story will instill in them a lifelong love for God, and so, of God's Word.  After all, Christians have always affirmed that Scripture is God's divine revelation to humanity, and that it bears witness to God's greatest gift, Jesus the Lord. My plan is to blog about this journey that St. Luke JOY is about to go on throughout the year.  May God be glorified throughout this time.  

Soli Deo Gloria!

To God Alone be all the Glory!