Prophecies that release new energies for worship and for lively contact with the Lord—this is the passion of Isaiah. Take a piece of paper, put a line down the middle, noting on the left those actions that delight the Lord, on the right side, those in which you alone take delight. Do you notice a difference? Pray against a spirit of religiosity; this would have acts of worship be apart from making justice and peace.

Be moved by the passionate concerns of the Lord, becoming one with the priorities of God. Catch the inner sense of the meaning of the word “delight,” used four times. Each of these verses has the power to make the rough places in your life smooth for the coming of the Lord.

Isaiah 58

Mondays are dedicated to the reading of the Hebrew Prophets.
In the seasons of Advent through Epiphany this year we read Isaiah 56 to 66..

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

[Unless otherwise indicated, each day the Firestarters will be from the book.]

St. Luke is the evangelist that lets us listen in on the largest segment of John the Baptist’s preaching. John astounds whole crowds with ear-piercing calls to repentance. The opening verse of the reading hardly follows the principles of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People! John is not on a self-centered search for friends; he is out to win hearts for the Kingdom—your heart and mine.

Luke singles out three classes of people and specific changes needed for each: 1) people in general; 2) tax collectors; 3) soldiers. The essence comes down to sharing with those in need.

Place yourself among the crowd. Now is no different than then. There is no time to mince words. The Holy Spirit gets right to the point with you. Allow the Lord to burn away what is dead in you, so that what needs to come to life has inner space to grow.

Luke 3:7–18

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…

Sundays are dedicated to the Gospels from the Revised Common Lectionary.
In year C, we generally read the Gospel of St. Luke.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and

[From the original version ]

Simeon in Luke 2 blesses the Lord in words similar to the verse for today. Linger with Jacob and Joseph in their meeting—so long in coming. Taste the joy of Jacob. So much of Jacob’s life has been pain and sorrow; we are sad as Jacob gives a one-sentence account of himself to Pharaoh in 47:9.

Do you need to reconcile with someone in your life? The Lord is present in an experience of holy sadness as an incentive to bring this about.

The settling of Jacob and his sons in Egypt sets the stage for the coming friction between Israel and Egypt and God’s liberation of the people in the next book of the Bible, Exodus. Whatever be the circumstance of your life right now, it is the one the Lord is using to bring you to freedom.

Genesis 46:28—47:27

This is the third of three parts of the Torah Portion
Conservative and Reform Jewish congregations read only this part this year,
as also in this Bible plan.
Here is the entire portion in all three parts.

Learn about Bible Breaths Learn More…

The Saturday passages follow the reading list that Jewish people use in their synagogue worship
throughout the world. They are taken from
“The Torah,” the first five books of the Bible from Genesis to Deuteronomy
that are read each year beginning with autumn.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information