New Reading Plan Starts Oct. 4
The first ever (therefore “new”) Bible reading plan starts Sunday, October 4! You can find the plan and print it out by clicking on the “Current Plan” tab above. The goal is to follow the reading plan daily by the dates given. This way, everyone will be reading together and can leave comments here on Pastor Ryan’s posts.
Get your plan and get ready to start on Sunday, October 4!
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New Plan
Yesterday’s text Isaiah 53 was one we have read so many times and sometimes these oh so familiar passages still have so much we can gain from them. In reading this yesterday what popped out at me wasn’t as much the familiar parts of the verses, but the repetition of “he did not open his mouth”. For all the punishment, pain, oppression and affliction he was undergoing in death for something he did not deserve and “he did not open his mouth”? How humbling to think of how loose lipped I am to complain, whine, and be frustrated in just daily struggles in life. And sometimes I think it’s ok because “I’m justified” in feeling this way…..wasn’t he?
Whenever I read Isaiah 53 I am reminded of a song, like my friend Ginny H. The second verse also reminds me of part of the sermon preached by Pastor Ryan on Sunday.
Church He’s coming back someday
to take us home with Him to stay
where His glory forever we’ll share
and when that first trumpet sounds
we will all be glory bound
and there we’ll live forevermore\
Hallelujah to the Lamb
Hallelujah to the Lamb
That was slain upon a tree
By His stripes we are healed
and by His blood we are sealed
Hallelujah to the Lamb of God
Thank you Jesus for the sacrifice you made for me…..
A couple of things stuck me while reading this passage. First off I had fun going on a little scripture scavenger hunt to find the references that matched Isaiah’s prophecies about Christ. I knew that everything he said would happen really did but I just wanted to read it for myself. The Bible I use for my personal devotions is a New Living transaltion. In verse 10, it repeats the phrase “the Lord’s good plan.” Right after it says that it says that Jesus would be crushed and be caused grief. I don’t often equate being crushed as something good. But we can now see that God’s plan to save us was tremendously good even though it involved many things that we might categorize as “bad” in our human thinking. God’s plan is always good but I know I usually don’t see that till much later! Lastly I thought it was interesting to hear Isaiah speak about the crucifixion in the future tense. In our conversation or when listening to a message, we hear Christ “died” for us, He “was crushed” for our sins, or other such past tense phrases. We are so lucky to have scripture to paint us a clear picture of what Christ did for us. We know the story it has been told to us over and over. But Isaiah was just anxiously waiting to Christ to come. I guess overall reading this passage just reminds me of how good God’s whole plan really is.
The thing that hits me in the face every time I read this passage is “Who hath believed our report?” I’m fascinated by the fact that John quotes this verse in John 12 – AFTER the Jews have seen blind people regain their sight and dead people raised to life again. I guess it takes more than miracles to turn some people Ilike me) into believers.
Just wanted to point out that it is biblical (Luke 11:5-8) for you (including head deacons) to react to the needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ even if it is at midnight.
Any thoughts on where Lazarus’ soul went for those 4 days? So was he just in a “sleep”? And in Mark 10:18 is he just emphasizing the Greatness of God? Just seemed weird for him to question why they were calling him good and for him to pass that on to God, but he was God in the flesh,,??