Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and Isaiah 60:1-6.

The Advent candle has yielded to the intensity of the Star in the East—shining, moving, leading, drawing the entire world to the place of the glory of the Lord visited in Christ Jesus.

The trade centers of the ancient world are listed in a kind of procession of glory, all converging with their wealth upon the feet of Jesus, center of the universe. Isaiah’s poetry does its work upon you as this new calendar year explodes with so much more than the passing fancy and fanfare of a New Year’s Eve party.

May the joy of the season be sustained in you, growing within you as you receive the Christ whom the world is summoned to adore.

Excerpt from the version for young people:
The flickering light of the Advent candle is contrasted with the fullness of the sun dawning on the hills of Jerusalem.  The joy of this season of God exploding into the world and manifesting divine life is just like the bright sun shining on the earth.  
It’s like a great family reunion—coming back to Jerusalem, center of glory and the special presence of God.  Join in with the crowds who are moving from all directions and meeting at Jerusalem with its bright sun beckoning everyone to come there, just as the star in the night invited the Wise Men to go and find the Christ Child. 

Isaiah 60

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: Arise, shine: your light has come! v. 1

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..

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.

From the outer fringes of creation and the place where the sun rises, searching wise men, the magi, “The Three Kings” yield to the gentle tug of a star. They arrive at the center of the earth, Jerusalem. There another king sits in luxury, complacency, and arrogance, surrounded by the Scriptures and those who supposedly know how to interpret them. And there is the infant king in Bethlehem—a mere five miles to the south.

Sense the irony, the contrasts, the evil, as well as the protection God gives to those who truly seek. In place of joy at the news that Jesus is born, fear grips Herod and his sickly entourage of pseudo wise men—the chief priests and scribes. Silently, prayerfully move with th e magi, loosened from being held hostage by anyone or anything that is not the wondrous God who makes all things new.

Matthew 2:1–12

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: Joy in reaching Your presence. v. 10

Sundays are dedicated to the Gospels from the Revised Common Lectionary.
In year C, we generally read from the Gospel of 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 44:18—45:15; 46:28-30.

Simeon in Luke 2 blesses the Lord in words similar to 46:28-30.. 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 “The years of my earthly sojourn are one hundred thirty; few and hard have been the years of my life. They do not compare with the years of the life of my ancestors during their long sojourn.”

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 Vayiggash (And He Approached)
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.

Genesis. 44:18—47:27

Learn about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Weeping in joy and oneness 46:29

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