The Bible is a complicated book. Too many people assume that they’re the only one who does not have the whole bible memorized. In reality, we’re not born knowing how to read the Bible and it’s a heavy lift to try to understand a 2,000-3,000 year old writing on your own. Even those of us who know a fair number of bible stories struggle to put them together into a coherent narrative.
Dr. Sandra Richter likens this phenomenon to your dysfunctional closet at home. You know the one- it’s where you shove anything and everything that doesn’t fit anywhere else. It’s so full that you can’t even tell what’s in there anymore! You might be able to see some of the items that have been stuffed in there over the years, but there’s so much that it has become impossible to tell what treasures might be deep inside.
That’s what the Bible (especially the Old Testament) is like for so many of us! We know some of the stories from the Old and New Testament, but they don’t seem to fit together, and it seems at times that the Old Testament is an entirely different story than the New Testament. So it’s time to unpack that dysfunctional closet and bring some order to the books we call Scripture. Over the next several weeks, we’re going to make our way from Genesis through Revelation, looking for the overarching narrative that will help us make sense of the individual stories contained within. We’re going to discover that, far from dysfunctional or disorganized, the Bible tells a coherent story of God’s passion to bring His people home to dwell in His presence forever.
If you’re new to scripture, or if you know someone who is struggling to see how the Bible fits together, I hope you’ll consider coming and bringing a friend who needs to hear this series!
