Dear Friends in Christ,
“The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting… take a census of the whole congregation…”
(Numbers 1:1a and 1:2a).
What follows in the Book of Numbers is a great counting and arranging of God’s people by tribes and clans. Lest we get caught up in the counting and the details, there is a purpose to this book. It’s a road trip, and God is leading the people of God into the Promised Land. So, the people march forward with great confidence accompanied by God’s presence.
But then the wheels come off the bus. God’s people grumble and complain. They turn to other gods, reject their God given leaders, and ultimately, they reject the Lord. While traveling to the Promised Land to fulfill their purpose, they completely reject their purpose: to be a great nation through whom all the peoples of the earth will be blessed (see Genesis 12:1-3).
When we lose our God given purpose, we lose our way, and we fail to be the people God longs for us to be. My encouragement for you and your parish in the coming week is to prayerfully ask, “Am I living according to my God given purpose? Is our parish living in pursuit of it’s God given purpose?” Let me know what you discover.
During this Year of Scripture, we will aspire to grow as Christian disciples through three distinct practices:
Daily Bible Reading
- Feb. 11 Numbers 1-2
- Feb. 12 Numbers 3-4
- Feb. 13 Numbers 5-6
- Feb. 14 Numbers 7
- Feb. 15 Numbers 8-10
- Feb. 16 Numbers 11-13
- Feb. 17 Numbers 14-15
All Year of Scripture Resources
Bible Reflection to help us to become fluent in the language of sacred scripture. The artists at the Bible Project do a great job of bringing Scripture to life. Check out this poster on the Book of Leviticus. All Bible Project poster can be downloaded and shared, for free.
Bible Study
Click below for the updated Sermon on the Mount Bible Studies.