Parish Theme: The Story...His Story
2011- 2012
- If you think Genesis is just a band from the '80's...
- If you think it was Dr. Dolittle who took two of each animal into a big boat...
- If you think an epistle is a woman married to an apostle...
- ...You may need to know more of The Story.
Click HERE to go directly to The Story resource page.
You may be a bit intimidated by the Bible. You are not alone; many people are. And no wonder, its pages mention odd names like Jehoshaphat and Nebuchadnezzar. It contains accounts from places you probably never heard of, like Sinai and Samaria. And it seems to be made up of a lot of different, seemingly unrelated stories. But it really is one big, exciting story.
You can see it easily if you open your Bible to the beginning and then flip all the way to the end.
The first words found in Genesis 1:1 read, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Then, if you turn all the way to the back of the book, Revelation 21:1, you find, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away..."
In the beginning, God is creating the heavens and the earth. At the end, He is creating a new heaven and a new earth. So the big question is this: "What on earth happened between the beginning and the end of the Bible?" If you can answer that question you will have uncovered the one seamless story of God.
This school year, the family of believers at Bethany Lutheran Church will all experience the wonder that is The Story. As we preach about The Story in worship, you will come to understand the salvation plan of a God who loves us and come to find out that it is really His Story.
It is our hope that you would join us on the journey and read The Story with us. You will have opportunity to engage in this life changing journey in many ways. Not only can you get engaged in worship, but our Bible studies this year will dig into the story in a variety of ways. From a reading group to Pastor's class, from Sunday school to weekday events, old and young alike will read the same stories each week. Using a resource called, The Story the narrative of the Bible has been broken down into 31 easily digestible chapters. Imagine the discussions you can have with your family each week as you all study the same story and learn about His Story, the message of Jesus Christ and His plan of salvation.
Copies of The Story are on sale now. Contact the Church office or Pastor Seth (smoorman@bethanylutheran.org). Cost = $10.
Get involved in The Story...His Story. It will forever transform your life and your family's life. The journey begins Sunday, September 18, 2011.