Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and the reading.

John the Baptist is born from the silent womb of Elizabeth; a song births from the silent tongue of Zechariah. He breaks out in a poetic expression that for centuries would become the hymn to close Morning Prayer in many churches. Notice how the words link Jewish longing for salvation, and fulfillment in the coming Lord.

Sense the contrast between darkness and light, between silence and word. Close your eyes in silent waiting as a preparation to allow the Holy Spirit, released from the heart of Zechariah, to well up from you, as you become one with this prayer of the ages.

The hymn closes with the first of fourteen references to peace in the Gospel of Luke. Let peace be in your breathing and in your speaking this day. Who is going to receive the comforts of this hymn from you?

Luke 1:57–80

Create your own Bible Breaths Learn More…
A sample from today’s reading:
Giving light to those in dark v. 79

Fridays are dedicated to the Gospels.
In Advent through Epiphany this year we read Luke chapters 1 to 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 reading.

[From the version for young people ]

Imagine: a robot was able to be placed on Mars!  This was back in the spring of 1997.  We could sit here on earth, at least 35 million miles away and look at the surface of that planet up close.  We could see the very rocks!  One of the jobs of the scientists was to give names to many rocks so that they could refer to them later.  These rocks became like persons—something like “pet rocks” which was the Christmas gift craze about thirty years ago. 

There is a story among Jewish people that tells how each rock was chosen to become part of the great temple. One rock just wouldn’t fit; it was rejected and thrown down a cliff into a pile of garbage.  The time came when the Temple was almost completed, but they still needed to fill in an odd-shaped hole.  They looked and looked among the refuse, at last finding the rock that was rejected.  It became the most important rock for the Temple!

St. Peter has this story in mind in the passage for today.  The rock of Jesus which was rejected, has become the cornerstone of the living Temple of God which is Jesus’s risen body. 

You are like a special rock—unique size, shape, color and personality. Perhaps others might ignore you, but God has a very special place for you in the living stone which is Jesus. 

1 Peter 2:1-10

Find out all about Bible Breaths Learn More…
A Sample from today’s reading:
The pure milk of the Scripture v. 2

Thursdays are dedicated to the letters of Paul, other letters,
the Book of Acts, and the Book of Revelation.
In the seasons of Advent through Epiphany this year,
we read the letters of Peter.

For all the Firestarters in the original version, I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these Firestarters 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 today’s Psalm.

Tap here for a video meditation on Psalm 97.

[From the version for young people]

Here we are in the very middle of Advent, in the center of this week of joy. A pink candle on the Advent Wreath was added last Sunday to symbolize joy in the Lord.  

Catch the faith in God that flows from this psalm. The power of God in the world is sung in many ways.   There is one image that we can picture—mountains melting in the presence of the Lord.  It’s similar to what happens when we are in the presence of a very famous person; sometimes we become weak in the knees and feel a kind of melting within. 

The sacred writer makes the whole world be like a person fully aware of the awesome presence of God.  The final verses are like cheers of victory, knowing that goodness will win out over evil.  May the whole spirit of this psalm fill you completely, until you too just melt into the arms of God.

Psalm 97

What are Bible Breaths? Learn More
Example: Joy for those whose heart is right v. 11

A Sample Bible Breath from today’s Psalm.
Light as a seed within me v. 11

On Wednesdays we follow a reading of the Psalms in numerical order.

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