Dear Church Family,
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I mentioned this at the end of my sermon on December 26th, but I wanted to highlight here how excited I am for the opportunities coming up (Lord-willing) in 2022 for us as a church to go deeper with Scripture together. God speaks to us through his word, and I see many opportunities on the horizon to hear God’s word in the new year at Flora First Christian!
Of course, there’s Sunday services, where we speak God’s word to each other through songs, through scripture readings, and through sermons. A note on the Sunday scripture readings: if you would like to read a scripture on a Sunday and you’re not sure if you’re on the rotation list, let me know, and I’d be glad to add you! And one more note on the sermons: I’d encourage you to consider bringing your own Bible—your own print Bible if possible—to church on Sundays in 2022. Mark it up during the sermons and make it your own throughout the year! In my experience, marking up a print Bible has been a great way of absorbing God’s word.
Another way for us to go deeper in Scripture as a church is through Sunday schools. Miriam teaches the Twenties and Thirties Class, and I will also be teaching a Sunday school class for teens and adults starting on January 9th. You are welcome to attend either Sunday school class!
Randy and Teri have organized a Sunday evening Bible Study. The group has been handwriting and discussing their way through Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and they will be picking up in the middle of chapter 4 in the new year! See Randy for details on the study. If you are not able to attend the study, you’d still be welcome to handwrite through Romans alongside the group!
And finally, Bible memorization. Miriam challenged her Sunday school class to memorize a key verse from Colossians 3. Memorizing short and long passages of Scripture can be a fantastic way of letting God shape you as a person to be more like Jesus. And something tells me that there will be more opportunities to memorize key verses together as a church in 2022!
All of these opportunities will come in 2022, Lord-willing. Will you be able to take advantage of all of these opportunities, each time they are available? Absolutely not! But I hope this list helps get you excited for how we could engage Scripture together as we aim to go deeper in Christ Jesus in the new year. May God give us wisdom and grace as we move forward into 2022.
In Jesus,
Benjamin
