Fresh from the Word 2019

Nathan Eddy

Description

Fresh From the Word: The Bible for a Change will inspire your reading of the Bible in a changing world. Bringing together top theologians and biblical scholars, creative writers from around the world, cutting-edge church leaders, activists for peace and justice and a range of others, Fresh From the Word offers 366 sets of notes, prayers and suggestions for action on biblical themes. This fresh approach to Bible reading is aimed at new readers of the Bible from across the church, as well as anyone seeking a faithful, creative and challenging conversation with the Bible every day of the year.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 21 septembre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780857219190
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Text copyright 2018 International Bible Reading Association
This edition copyright 2018 Lion Hudson IP Limited
The authors assert their moral right to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or in any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by
Lion Hudson Limited
Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Business Park,
Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England
www.lionhudson.com
and by the International Bible Reading Association
5-6 Imperial Court, 12 Sovereign Road, Birmingham, B30 3FH
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
www.ibraglobal.org
Charity number 1086990
Fresh From the Word aims to build understanding and respect for different Christian perspectives through the provision of a range of biblical interpretations. Views expressed by contributors should not, therefore, be taken to reflect the views or policies of the Editor or the International Bible Reading Association.
The International Bible Reading Association s scheme of readings is listed monthly on the IBRA website at www.ibraglobal.org and the full scheme for 2019 may be downloaded in English, Spanish and French.
ISBN 978 0 85721 883 4
e-ISBN 978 0 85721 919 0
ISSN 2050-6791
First edition 2018
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Contents
Foreword by Revd Leslie Griffiths
How to use Fresh From the Word
Introduction from the Editor
Acknowledgements and abbreviations
The power of the Word Carla A. Grosch-Miller
Readings in Luke (1)
1 Births and beginnings Catherine Williams
2 Spreading the word Alistair Milne
3 Are you the one? Michiko Ete-Lima
The Bible at the movies
1 Epic beginnings Liz Clutterbuck
2 Pass the popcorn Dave Brock
Philippians
1 Paul s longing Kat Brealey
2 Rejoice always Bruce Jenneker
Psalms of Ascent
1 Let us go up Carla A. Grosch-Miller
2 Calm and quiet Carla A. Grosch-Miller
Life in the (modern) desert
1 The way to the desert: Luke 3-4 Kate Hughes
2 Waiting Kate Hughes
3 Stillness Peter Langerman
4 Seeking Aileen Quinn
5 Finding John Birch
Readings in Luke (2)
1 The stone rejected Delroy Hall
2 Who is the greatest? Edel McClean
3 Easter in Luke and John Alex Cameron
Music in the Bible
1 Sing a new song Ian Howarth
2 Sing to the Lord Simei Monteiro
Readings in Daniel
1 Dramatic stories Noel Irwin
2 Dramatic visions Mark Woods
Struggles and surprises
1 Struggles Stephen Willey
2 Surprises Raj Bharat Patta
Fruits of the Spirit Jennifer H. Smith
Surprising women in the Bible
1 Visionaries and prophets Lynne Frith
2 Evangelists and leaders Clare Nonhebel
Readings in Luke (3)
1 Who do you say I am? Erice Fairbrother
2 Pray like this Bola Iduoze
3 The narrow door Shirlyn Toppin
Where did I hear that before?
1 Famous sayings from the Old Testament Deseta Davis
2 Famous sayings from the New Testament Lesley George Anderson
Gossip Lynne Frith
Readings in Deuteronomy
1 Do not fear Joshua Taylor
2 Remembering the word Nathan Eddy
Interconnected world
1 From beginnings to empire Wendy Young
2 Living with difference Michael Jagessar
Waters: from Genesis to Revelation
1 Cosmic waters Ann Conway-Jones
2 Quenching thirst Helen Van Koevering
3 Waters of new life Pete Wheeler
Readings in Luke (4)
1 An open invitation Dafne Plou
2 The kingdom within Tim Yau
Building and rebuilding
1 Sacred space Jane Gonzalez
2 Buildings of flesh and stone Paul Nicholson SJ
Readings from Romans 1-8
1 Not ashamed of the gospel Helen Van Koevering
2 Newness of life Catrin Harland-Davies
Reading the Bible with the body
1 Sensing God s goodness Jan Sutch Pickard
2 Beholding the Lord Vron Smith
Plan B Barbara Easton
Warnings, judgement, comfort: readings in the Prophets
1 Warnings Sham P. Thomas
2 Judgement Mark Woods
3 Comfort Catherine Williams
Christmas with the Gospel of Matthew
1 What a day! Jarel Robinson-Brown
2 The beloved son Jarel Robinson-Brown
Foreword

From the very beginning of my life as a committed Christian, not far off my 20th birthday, I knew I had to do something to undergird the faith I had so recently embraced. I needed some kind of spiritual infrastructure. I knew that an important element of this would be a better grasp of the Bible. In day school and Sunday school I had learned some of its stories and some of the psalms. But now I was launching out into the deep and I felt the need to equip myself for the journey. I determined to read the Bible from cover to cover. That would give me the ballast I needed at such a time.
Well, I got there. In the end. And with relief. I was a student of literature, so I was used to reading books; even complicated books. But this was different. For a start there wasn t a readily perceptible plot ; a narrative line to get me turning those pages. And then there was the perpetual mixing up of different types of literature - poetry, history, legal documents, prophecy - with great abandon. It was almost too much. I knew I needed help.
And that s what led me to two precious resources: the Daily Study commentaries of William Barclay and the daily study notes of IBRA. It s such a pleasure to have this opportunity to pay my tribute to the way those two streams built up my faith, deepened my knowledge of the Bible, and eventually gave me the courage to turn to longer and more systematic kinds of scholarship.
I learned the important truth - stated so simply at one point in the letter to the Hebrews - that it s important to enjoy easily digestible food before ordering heavier dishes. I shall be eternally grateful to IBRA for supplying my needs at that turning point in my life.
These notes are written with due regard for the best scholarship, and I have never hesitated to recommend them to the congregations I have served down the years. And I commend them to you now, dear reader. May they build your inner life and equip you to face the increasingly bewildering world we live in. May they be a lamp unto your feet.
Revd Leslie Griffiths
How to use Fresh From the Word
How do you approach the idea of regular Bible reading? It may help to see daily Bible reading as spiritual exploration. Here is a suggestion of a pattern to follow that may help you develop the discipline but free up your mind and heart to respond.
Before you read, take a few moments - the time it takes to say the Lord s Prayer - to imagine God looking at you with love. Feel yourself enfolded in that gaze. Come to scripture with your feet firmly planted.
Read the passage slowly before you turn to the notes. Be curious. The Bible was written over a period of nearly 1,000 years, over 2,000 years ago. There is always something to learn. Read and reread.
If you have access to a study Bible, pay attention to any echoes of the passage you are reading in other parts of the biblical book. A word might be used in different ways by different biblical authors. Where in the story of the book are you reading? What will happen next?
Read yourself as you read the story. Be attentive to your reactions - even trivial ones. What is drawing you into the story? What is repelling you? Observe yourself sidelong as you read as if you were watching a wild animal in the forest; be still, observant and expectant.
What in the scripture or in the notes is drawing you forward in hope? What is closing you down? Notice where the Spirit of Life is present, and where negative spirits are, too. Follow where life is leading. God always leads into life, even if the way feels risky.
Lift up the world and aspects of your life to God. What would you like to share with God? What is God seeking to share with you?
Thank God for being present and offer your energy in the day ahead, or in the day coming after a night s rest.
Introduction from the Editor
Waiting, stillness, seeking, finding
In a world that never stops, these simple words invite us to take a step outside the rush. What might we find when we pause to reflect? The desert was a place of danger in the Bible, but it was also a place of reassessment and renewal, where the Israelites were formed as a people, where prophets sought God, and where Jesus found space before beginning his mission.
Going beyond the wilderness, Moses discovered the presence of the Holy One himself, waiting in a fiery bush. This year, IBRA invites you to journey, listen, seek and find as we consider the modern desert in the midst of our busy lives and communities.
We can find that space of the desert - the space of solace and challenge - in the Bible itself. Morning or evening, on a train or on the sofa, reading the Bible can open spaces of comfort and hope even in the midst of difficulty. Our mission has always been to encourage faithful people to read the Bible daily, right from the day we first published a reading list of Bible passages more than 130 years ago and encouraged people to form reading groups. We still offer that invitation today. What might come of your time in the desert with the Bible this year? How might it change your life, and the life of your community?
Other themes this year include the power of the word, music in the Bible, and fruits of the Spirit. We consider women in the Bible, with a twist. We look at gossip - freshly relevant in our social media age - and familiar sayings in the Bible. We take the Bible with us to the movies, and to the beach. We also have continuous readings through the books of Luke, Philippians, Psalms, Daniel, Deuteronomy, and Romans 1-8. We even mark the 500th anniversary of Magellan s circumnavigation of the globe with a theme entitled An interconnected world .
As we do every year, we have reached out to cre