What a great sermon we heard Sunday. Thank you, Pastor Sean, for a great start to our Route 66 series. It is no small feat to summarize any five books of the Bible, let alone the first five, which are so foundational to our faith. It was an excellent summary and a wonderful opportunity for each of us to better grasp this important part of Scripture.
Here are some of the big takeaways for me.
The first five books of the Bible are often referred to as “The Law,” but that term can be misleading. We tend to think of laws simply as rules. In fact, the Hebrew word Torah, which is often translated as “law,” can also mean “teaching” or “instruction.”
What we find in these first five books is a collection of stories told from various perspectives and across different periods of time. Yet what holds these five books together is that they are all seeking to answer the same two questions: Who is God? And who are God’s people?
As we learned Sunday, the basic answer is simple: The Lord is God, and we are His people. But how that came to be, what it means, and how all of it works is the story told throughout these first five books. In other words, the answer may be straightforward, but it is not as simple as it sounds.
To help us remember the unique contribution of each book as they answer Who is God? And who are God’s people?, Pastor Sean offered these key words:
Genesis: Created
Exodus: Rescued
Leviticus: Claimed
Numbers: Trained
Deuteronomy: Sent
It is important to realize that these first five books are only the beginning of a journey that we, as Christians, are still on today. We continue to ask who God is, and we continue to seek what it means to be God’s people. We learn, we forget, we need help, we stumble backward, and through it all God continues His work of loving us and calling us into His mission of self-revelation to the world.
Genesis through Deuteronomy may tell the story of an ancient people and a world that can sometimes feel distant from our own. But these Scriptures still speak to us when we humble ourselves before God’s Spirit and realize that the “they” we read about is actually, inevitably, still “us.”
If you missed the message, do yourself a favor and watch or listen to it. Of course, a single sermon is not a replacement for reading these books yourself, just as reading them once is no substitute for continuing study of them. However, this series of sermons can help make the Bible more accessible by creating a framework for understanding and, hopefully, some inspiration along the way.
This is going to be a great summer for our church. So why not hop in, so to speak, and enjoy the ride! Route 66 takes us to the Prophets this Sunday. Hope to see you in worship… in fact, be there or be square.
Pastor Chris
