Listen to Pastor Nick read the Firestarter and 1 Chronicles 25:1; 5-8.

This passage lists the names of those assigned sacred charges in the life of worship—priests, musicians, and gatekeepers. The roster was designed by lot—twenty-four groupings, each group taking a two-week period a year.

Chapter 24, verse 10 gives the name of Abijah. Zechariah belonged to this house. Luke 1 tells how his turn had come to intercede for God’s people in the Holy of Holies during Yom Kippur. This was the moment when the Angel Gabriel announced the conception of John the Baptist.

Many people fulfill the tasks of the Temple—not just a few, as often happens in church life. Be filled with admiration at the respect that worship had for God’s people, and the privilege that each experienced at being called to serve. Would you not want to have your name written in the book of life for having served the Lord so that true worship could take place?

1 Chronicles 24—26

What are Bible Breaths? Learn More…
Example: Watching the gate of my heart 26:1ff

Tuesdays are dedicated to the Old Testament books of history
and the Hebrew “Writings.”
In the season of Pentecost this year we read Proverbs 27—29 and 1 Chronicles.

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 Micah 6:1-8.

May you feel joy as you read the remarkable prophecy about the Messiah. Matthew 2:6 quotes Micah; Luke and John concur (Luke 2:4; John 7:42). Be alert to engrave special verses in your heart by writing with your hand.

The traditional liturgy for Good Friday uses 6:3–5 as the basis for “The Reproaches.” As a wounded lover, God asks the people what he has done to merit such rejection, then recalls the blessings poured out upon the Chosen People.

In 6:6, there is a contrast between the anxiety of the people when they come to conviction, and what the Lord requires: “Only this: to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God” (6:8, Jerusalem Bible).

Find peace in the concluding image in 7: 19. Unlike the Titanic, your sins will never be retrieved from the ocean floor!

Micah 5—7

Mondays are dedicated to the reading of the Hebrew Prophets.
In the season of Pentecost we read Amos to Nahum with Lamentations 4—5 in the Ninth Week.

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: Act justly, love tenderly. 6:8

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 the Gospel.

Chapter 12 is an awesome message about the priorities for the Kingdom. There is no peace without cost to complacency; no serenity if there is compromise with the criteria for the Kingdom.

Recall the covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis 15. Abraham was told to cut three animals in half—a heifer, a goat and a ram. A smoking torch passed between the halves as a sign of the sealing of the covenant of blood. In the same manner is the fire of Jesus’s passion for the covenant of the Kingdom expressed. The flame of his presence is to pass between the divisions that Jesus says will exists within families, spelling out in detail the oppositions that are to come.

Reflect upon the quality of the peace that exists in your household. What is it that tends to divide you? Are there aimless arguments that stem from pride, or the issues of the eternal Kingdom?

Luke 12:49–56

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: Dividing for deeper peace v. 51

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.