Miqra!

Last night as I went to bed, one of the last thoughts I had before I drifted off to sleep was of the person who even then was sitting in our church, reading from the Bible (probably something in Deuteronomy is my guess). In the quiet serenity of our church, all night long, selfless, generous servants arrived and read from Scripture. Through the wee hours of night, they filled the air with a constant stream of God's holy words.

I slept very peacefully in that knowledge.

And then this morning when I entered the church, Diane Nobles was reading from 2 Kings the story of the prophet Elijah raising the son of the Shunammite woman from the dead. It's one of my favorite stories--a story of a surprise miracle performed by God on the most unexpected of people, a story of grace and healing and life.

It was an awesome way to start my day.

In less than an hour it will be my own turn to read, and I think it'll be something from 1 Chronicles, which is a sort of overview of everything that had come before, and includes long lists of names. It's tough reading, but it's all about our past, our history, where we came from. I love it.

This is the beauty of Miqra, this marathon reading of the Bible we're doing this weekend. We get this burst of God's Spirit in our church and in our lives by encountering God in the place Christians have for 2,000 years. If you're a volunteer reader, I can't wait to hear from you about your experience during that hour--what it is like to read the Bible individually but also as part of a community-wide effort. I can't wait to hear how God speaks to you and inspires you. I can't wait to hear if you read something you've always known and loved, or if you read something you'd never seen before.

You're all invited to come by the church today and tomorrow. Come and sit and listen. Come for ten minutes or come for two hours. Come and join us for the potluck, presentation and movie tomorrow night. Come and be a part of this.

But even if you can't come in person, pray for those who are here. Pray for our readers, that they have strength. Pray for the whole church, that we may be extravagantly blessed by the Lord who caused all Scripture to be written for our learning and growth. Pray that we may so richly encounter the Living God in his holy Word, that we may be even better disciples of the Word who came among us in the person of Jesus Christ.