The final weeks of the cycle of prophets are dedicated to the last sacred writer of the Old Testament, Malachi. From him the torch would be passed to Matthew.

We are in the middle of the fifth century, B.C. The Temple has been rebuilt. Just as in the case of the original Temple of Solomon, when many lost interest in faithful worship and drifted to idolatry, so does Malachi call for authentic worship along with compassion. He teaches that the union of mercy and sacrifice is the kind of worship that God wants.

The slogan for Hallmark Cards has been applied to God the Father sending Jesus to us: “He cared enough to send the very best.” Will you return your very best to God in a fervent life on fire by personal and communal worship together with dedication to service?

Malachi 1

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: You have loved us for always. v. 2

Mondays are dedicated to the reading of the Hebrew Prophets.
In the season of Kingdomtide we read Habakkuk to Malachi.

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.

The Sadducees waste awesome moments in Jesus’s presence. Here they pose a question only designed to catch Jesus in the awkwardness of a dilemma. Puffed up in themselves, they resist the light of the Master, remaining in their darkness—smug and self-assured in denying that there is a resurrection. See the sneers on their faces as they put their question to Jesus, confident that he would be reduced to an embarrassing silence.

Jesus responds with a glimpse into the future life of the saints in heaven. The only spouse in heaven will be Jesus, the one in whom marriage finds its bond and meaning here on earth.

The arrogance of the Sadducees prevents them from dying to self so that they can rise in Jesus. The “dead” ashes-toner of a copier is stirred to resurrection only when it recognizes the light shining on the face of the “Master.”

Luke 20:27–38

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: In Your body all are one. v. 35

Sundays are dedicated to the Gospels from the Revised Common Lectionary.
In year C, we generally read from 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 Genesis 12:1-9.

Having completed a history of the earliest ages, the sacred writer of Genesis turns his attention to the father of all patriarchs, Abraham. Not only is he a prototype of Christ, but Abraham is the model of all who would come to believe in Jesus and leave all to follow him.

God offers a unique and blessed covenant to the human family through Abraham in a people chosen and blessed by God. Previews are laid out of the coming famine and slavery in Egypt and Exodus into the Promised Land, with all the clashes and strife that this movement would entail.

Sense the sweep from the “nobody” that Abraham was, to the greatness of what he came to be—all because he left the comfort of the familiar, and followed God into the empty space of the future. What “country” do you need to forsake to follow God’s plan in your life?

Genesis 12—13

Learn about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: My heart, an altar for You 13:18

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