We long to be reconciled to God. The sacrifice and burning of various animals correspond to various kinds of sin; this is the Bible’s way of calling the people to repent from sin without further consequences. They were the acts of contrition whereby one could turn from sin and live again in communion with God and God’s people. Fire made the burnt offering become a sweet smelling smoke ascending into the air, blending with the presence of God all about.

Face your sin. Confess it. In so doing, you celebrate the gratuitous fact that God has already forgiven you in Jesus. When you repent, the Lord burns your sins away with his love, for he has gathered all sin into himself. The blood of Christ shed for you, turns sorrow for sin into a sweet smelling smoke rising from the cross.

Leviticus 4:27—5:26

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Example: Sin burned away by Your love

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

Darkness closes in upon the highest religious officials, their vision squeezed into the tiny, dimly lit room of their own self-interest. So is the atmosphere after the raising of Lazarus from the dead as we begin the Friday Gospels of John in Lent this year. The plot to kill Jesus is fashioned. The Scribes and Pharisees are about to succumb to the temptations of power and control, just as did their ancestors in the desert—the same desert temptations that Jesus overcame.

John the Evangelist fills the account with ironic verses, such as verse 50. God is about to use the most hideous of evil plots as a plot to glory. From the greatest evil will rise the greatest good—the resurrection.

John 11:45–57

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Example: Dispersed gathered into one v. 52

Fridays are dedicated to the Gospels.
In Lent and Easter we read the Gospel of John.

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.

Weaving through Thursdays of Lent are the five powerful chapters in the letter of James. Almost every verse stands alone as worthy to be written and put in a prominent place for you to see. Return to these verses throughout the day as you walk through its hours. With each one, James will give you a nugget of wisdom that you will want to take with you for the journey from Lent to Easter, from struggle to freedom, from death to life.

This theme courses through the book: temptations bring strength to the inner life. Such was the case for Jesus, recalling last Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus won the victory over temptation where the children of Israel failed. Now he gathers all your struggles into his own, as he walks with you through the coming journey to victory.

James 1

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Example: Quick to listen, slow to speak v. 19

Thursdays are dedicated to the letters of Paul, other letters,
the Book of Acts, and the Book of Revelation.
In the season of Lent this year we read the Letter of James, and 1 Corinthians 14-15.

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.