Layered Bible Journey: A Plot-Driven Guide

By Jay Wren Harris

Reading the whole Bible changes your life. The challenge is starting and finishing. This book gives you a plot-driven guide to read the Bible more like you would a good book. If you have been a Bible reader for a while, this will become your favorite way of reading the Bible. If you have no prior knowledge of the Bible, this guide is designed to build your knowledge of the Bible as you read—one layer at a time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781458375100

Book preview

Layered Bible Journey: A Plot-Driven Guide

Accelerate Your Understanding

Enjoy the Story

Finish the Bible

By Jay Wren Harris

Copyright Page

Layered Bible Journey: A Plot-Driven Guide. Copyright 2022 by Jay Wren Harris. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used, except for brief quotations, without the written permission of the author.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

RELIGION / Biblical Studies / Bible Study Guides

ISBN: 978-1-4583-7510-0

DEDICATION

To my wife, Kay,

who has not only kept me centered and grounded,

but has also made our shared story adventurous,

And to our children, Josh, Sarah, and Rebecca,

who graciously followed me wherever I was sent in ministry,

and gave us the delight of watching them

bloom where they were planted.

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without a lot of people in my life who have formed me. I have to go back to all those who were involved in the youth ministry at First United Methodist Church, Albany, Georgia, who led me to give my life to Christ and discipled me. Danny Key began that discipleship journey by hosting in his apartment a small Bible study group of teenage guys. That sparked in me a desire to know God’s Word that continues today. That early desire quickly grew into a call to ministry that I felt at the age of fifteen.

I also go back to the small religion department at LaGrange College, to the late Dr. David Naglee and Dr. Charles F. McCook. Those two professors gave me building blocks in my knowledge of the Bible that I would continue to build on in seminary.

What propelled my biblical education more than anything, however, was the preparation I had to do to lead my parishioners in Bible Study across the congregations I served. I am thankful for each participant. I especially treasure the experiences of leading long, in-depth studies such as Disciple Bible Study (Abingdon Press). It all felt to me like we were fellow students and fellow teachers on the same journey. I realize today how much those journeys formed me.

I thank God for colleagues in ministry with whom I have had the awesome privilege of journeying through life and ministry together. It is as if I have been able to ride a train through ministry with stops at various stations picking up various travelers. If the stations were given names, the list would include my Macon area lectionary group, my doctoral program group, and my S-3 fly-fishing group that we affectionately call The Order. All the participants in these various groups have played a major role in forming my ministerial identity. I will not attempt to name them all, but they know who they are. I will mention two who have been on the journey with me from the beginning: Derek McAleer and Rick Lanford. Thank you for over thirty years of friendship, support, and encouragement.

I also must thank those who have been using the Layered Bible Journey since it was first made available as a pamphlet in 2008. The pamphlet had the map of the journey: the list of readings with one-sentence introductions to each reading. Some of these early users were members of the churches I served. Some were members of other United Methodist congregations who picked it up when it was posted online through our regional, denominational office. Some were members of other churches outside the United Methodist Church who heard about it by word of mouth. In 2009, a minister of a Hispanic congregation in Columbus asked permission to translate the pamphlet version into Spanish. Another person asked permission to take the Layered Bible Journey and make the scripture lessons into hyperlinks to an online version of the Bible. This kind of word-of-mouth sharing indicated to me that there was interest in this way of reading the Bible. Often, I have had people come up to me to say that they use the Layered Bible Journey and what it has meant to them. Eventually, it was comments like these that encouraged me to expand the notes of the Layered Bible Journey into a book.

I often go back to the summer of 2006 to Fernandina Beach where my parents rented a house on the beach so my family, and my sisters and their families could vacation with my parents. It was in a conversation with my mother and sister that I learned of their involvement in a year-long reading plan. I was thrilled that they had taken on such an adventure. They were also candid about the challenges of reading the Bible in its entirety. It was while I was at the beach that an alternative reading plan began to form in my mind. I started putting pen to paper that week. Not only was that the moment of inspiration for me, but that time together away from the routine of ministry gave me the space to chase an idea and take it back to my church. This snapshot also exemplifies the many ways that my parents, Wren and Bev, and my family have supported me throughout my life. The memory of my mother, whom I miss very much, still inspires me.

I am thankful to Derek and Charlene McAleer for proofing this book and each one offering their helpful comments. Josh Harris created the cover design and offered valuable feedback on the cover content that really helped me hone my thoughts. He is not only a professional graphic design artist, but also my son. I cannot say enough about my wife, Kay, and her support, her perspective, her insights, and her influence on my life.

Preface

Once, I was talking with someone who was engaged in a reading plan designed to take her through the Bible in a year, which is a wonderful endeavor. She was getting bogged down, however, and her excitement was fading. Although there were parts she could understand, she felt that there were too many parts she could not understand. She felt like she needed to have a greater knowledge of the Bible before attempting to read it all the way through. I could not stop thinking about all that she was saying.

My hunch was that many people get mired along the way when they set out to read the Bible cover to cover. They start with the best of intentions but get overwhelmed by the difficulties and end up quitting somewhere in the middle of the Old Testament. The length of the Bible is partly the reason, yet people who give up reading the Bible also read long trilogies. They get overwhelmed by the parts of the Bible they cannot understand. They can even begin to question their ability to read the Bible.

I remembered my own frustration as a young person when there were significant gaps in my understanding of the Bible. Parts of the Bible felt inaccessible to me. I could sympathize with all those who simply want to read their Bible and increase their ability to understand it in the process of reading it. I wanted to find a way of helping people read their Bible so that their comprehension level and confidence level build as they read, even if they are beginning with no previous knowledge of the Bible.

As I continued to reflect on my own experience, I thought about the means through which I began to grasp the more difficult sections of the Bible. What helped me was learning how the various parts of the Bible fit together, revealing one integrated story. Because there is this continuing encounter between God and many generations of people, an overarching plot emerges that spans the generations. Learning the plot did several things for me. I noticed that the plot unfolds in stages. The stages in the plot offered the context clues that allowed me to interpret the more difficult sections of the Bible. The plot also drew me in and held my interest. I enjoyed the journey and looked forward to where I was being taken.

Through these reflections a plot-driven Bible reading plan began to form in my mind. I thought about ways I could draw attention to the plot as the reader moves through the story. I also thought about ways to take the reader at a faster pace through the stages of the plot. The faster pace pulls you along so you want to find out what happens next. This was my guiding premise: the dynamics of the Bible that could entice someone to read it all the way through are the same features that draw us into reading and finishing any good book—interesting characters and a captivating, engaging plot.

In the overview that comes next, you will see how a plot-driven reading plan is achieved. You will discover how this plan gets its name: Layered Bible Journey. Reading the Bible in its entirety is a journey for sure. It is a journey not just because it takes a long time to read the Bible, but also because of the directions that the Bible can take you in your life’s journey. There is no better way to be formed and transformed as a believer than to be immersed in God’s Word, and there is no better way to be immersed in God’s Word than to read all the Bible.

My prayer is that this book will help you be comfortable and confident reading your Bible, so that you enjoy reading it. Enjoying the Bible will help you more than anything to complete the journey of reading the Bible in its entirety. May God bless you on your journey.

Overview of the Journey

The gift of reading the Bible in its entirety

Reading the Bible is a means of encountering God and being transformed by the encounter. By reading the Bible we are able to read what God has said and the record of what God has done in human history. Best of all, God continues to speak through the Bible and to act in the lives of those who read it. Be warned, though. The Bible is not just a neat and tidy catalogue of life lessons. It is much richer than that. The amazing variety within scripture is one of the features that make the Bible so rewarding to read. After all, the Bible is not just one book, but a diverse collection of sixty-six books. Within these books there are many stories, and interspersed among these true stories are laws, histories, sermons, teachings, poems, songs, proverbs, prophecies, gospels, letters, parables, visions, and, yes, some genealogies and census findings thrown in. What you have in this is the evidence of a real, continuing encounter between God and many generations of people. It is out of this continuing encounter that an overarching epic story emerges.

This is the story of God and God’s people that runs through the Bible. The people in the Bible are often deeply flawed, so this is a story of conflict and redemption. It is also a story of relentless love as God perseveres with these flawed people. We all love a plot like this in a story. The plot takes us on a journey.

The only way to experience the full sweep, and scope, and depth of the biblical story is to read the Bible in its entirety. The prospect of reading the Bible from beginning to end, however, can be intimidating. The length of the Bible is partly the reason, yet people who give up reading the Bible also read long trilogies. Another difficulty in reading the Bible lies in how far the reader is removed from the biblical world by many miles, centuries, and customs. Also, the overarching story of the Bible does not unfold naturally simply by reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The reason is that the books of the Bible are not arranged in chronological order.

Bringing attention to the plot

One of the ways that this reading plan seeks to address these difficulties is to bring your attention to the biblical plot as you read the Bible. Making the plot more prominent will not only make your journey more enjoyable, it will also offer you context clues to understand what you are reading. In elementary school, children are taught how to use context clues to discover the meaning of words. Often you can guess at the meaning of a word by how it is used in the sentence and in the overall conversation. Context clues also work when you are reading the Bible. As the plot unfolds, knowing what stage of the plot you are reading can connect you to the writer’s intent. We will refer to seven broad stages in this plot.

Stage One is about the Creator and the humans made in the Creator’s image. This sets the stage upon which the biblical drama unfolds. The central conflict in the Bible is introduced in this stage, as well as the conflict’s effect upon the human condition. We learn that what follows will be an epic story of redemption.

Stage Two is about the covenant journey of God’s People. You will be introduced to the theme of covenant beginning with Abraham and Sarah and their descendants. Covenant is a special relationship designed by God to reclaim and redeem humanity. Covenant will remain a central theme throughout the rest of the biblical drama, although it will undergo important adaptations through the many twists and turns in the biblical story.

Stage Three tells about the settlement of the covenant people as the nation, Israel, in the land promised to them. An important concern throughout is whether or not they will choose to live faithfully under the reign of God. In the beginning they will live under God’s reign without a king. Then, they will ask to live under the reign of a king like other nations do. We will watch to see if this will help or hinder God’s people to live under God’s loving rule.

Stage Four is about the warnings given to God’s people and the experience of exile and captivity. In this stage, the lack of faithfulness on the part of God’s people prompts many warnings from the prophets of looming disaster. In these warnings is an invitation for God’s people to return to God. When disaster comes, God’s people will undergo their greatest crisis of faith. When all that they had taken for granted is taken away, will they continue to believe in God? Will they learn to seek God in the midst of their exile?

Stage Five features messages of hope and tells of the return of God’s people from exile. In this stage, when God’s people had lost any prospect of a future as a people, a startling announcement of hope comes to them from the prophets. We see how hope energizes a people. We see opportunities that we never thought possible for God’s people to return from exile and start life anew. Will God’s people seize the opportunities? If they do not, what further hope is there?

Stage Six tells about a New Covenant made with us through Jesus Christ. This stage starts with the beginning of the New Testament. Testament is another word for covenant. This stage presents the story of Jesus Christ through the four gospels. Jesus’ message will focus on the coming reign of God. We will see that Jesus is not just another main character. We will see how the unfolding events of Jesus’ life and ministry explain how he is the central character of the Bible and all of human history.

Stage Seven presents the story of the Church. After Jesus was raised from the dead and exalted to heaven, we see how his reign is manifested on the earth through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is sent to Christ’s followers, they become Christ’s hands and feet, his Body, in the world. We see how the Holy Spirit fills flawed men and women and calls them to lead and serve. We conclude the Bible knowing that this stage is to continue until Christ returns.

The Layered Bible Journey will refer to these seven stages throughout the book. The other strategy this reading plan employs is in the way the Bible readings are arranged. As we said, the books of the Bible are not arranged in chronological order. There are chronological reading plans available that attempt to solve this problem. The problem with chronological reading plans is that the reader is made to plod through side-by-side accounts of each time period from multiple books of the Bible. The time period being addressed then appears to move in slow motion. What should be inspiring becomes wearisome. The goal, therefore, of this reading plan is to help readers uncover the stages of the biblical plot in a way that pulls readers along and makes the journey rewarding from start to finish. What this plan aims to do is help you experience the Bible in a way that is closer to the way you experience any good book.

How the Layered Bible Journey works

In a typical year-long Bible reading plan, if you start in January, you do not get to the New Testament until about September. This is why many people get bogged down somewhere in the middle of the Old Testament. This reading plan allows the reader to see how the plot develops at a quicker pace. This accelerates your understanding and builds your anticipation to see what happens next. This is accomplished by having you read the Bible in three layers. Each layer uses a subset among the sixty-six books of the Bible and covers one-third of the Bible. Each layer takes you through all seven stages of the biblical plot. Your understanding of the biblical story is built one layer upon the other. It’s like starting with the skeleton, then adding muscle and form, and then flesh. If you complete one reading a day, this plan takes you through the Bible in a year. At this pace, each layer spends twelve weeks in the Old Testament, and five weeks in the New Testament, for a total of seventeen weeks per layer.

The first layer is designed to introduce you to the seven stages of the plot. You move through the central story of the Old Testament in three months, so that you can begin reading the New Testament in the fourth month. When you get to the New Testament in the first layer, you read Luke’s two-volume history, which includes the story of Jesus Christ in Luke’s Gospel and the story of the Church and the activity of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts. When you complete the first layer, you will have read one-third of the Bible.

The second layer will take you back to the beginning of the story after you have uncovered the basic skeleton of the Biblical story in the first layer. In this way, the plot that you have become familiar with is able to unfold again through other parts of the Bible. This both reinforces the central story and adds muscle and form to the story. In the second layer, you will become more acquainted with God’s laws, the wilderness journey of God’s people, another history of David and the kings who followed him, and some of the prophets. In the New Testament, you will read the Gospel of Matthew, and get a view of the Church through the letters of the apostle Paul. At the end of the second layer, you will have read two-thirds of the Bible and be ready for the last third.

The third layer takes you back to the starting point once again and fleshes out the story with the remaining parts of the Bible. The third layer emphasizes a collection of books in the Bible known as the Writings. The Writings include the Psalms and the wisdom books of the Bible, such as Job and Proverbs. These writings are known for their literary power. They are filled with the spiritual reflections of God’s people. When you get to the New Testament, you will read the two remaining gospels, Mark and John. The letters of John, James, and the book of Hebrews contain reflections on the life of faith. Finally, when you read the Book of Revelation you will have completed the third layer and your reading of the Bible in its entirety.

This book is laid out so that each stage within each layer forms a chapter of the book. You can see the layout in the chart below:

Your daily experience

There are 357 readings. The readings combine chapters of the Bible, but do not ask you to stop in the middle of a chapter. The readings are of somewhat equal length, but an effort has been made not to stop at an awkward point in a story. Using the layered approach often allows you to begin a book of the Bible and stay with that book however many days needed to complete it. It helps the unique voice and perspective of each book come through. You are able to piece the narrative within the books together so that the narrative of the whole Bible emerges.

You will be given notes to read before and after each day’s Bible reading. These notes are intended to help ease you into your Bible reading and then to help you begin the process of making sense out of what you have just read. An attempt has been made to give just enough interpretation in the notes to help you, but not so much that it leaves no room for your own work of interpretation. Where difficulties exist in the scripture reading, these notes offer some help in working through them, but you might find that not every difficulty is resolved. Finally, in these notes there are hints here and there at some areas of application, but the desire is that the application will be revealed mostly in your personal encounter with God. The goal in these notes is to give just enough knowledge so that the scripture speaks for itself with its own special authority.

A practical way to enhance your journey of reading the Bible is to underline or highlight passages where God is speaking to you. Make notes in the margin of your Bible, and in this way, you will make your Bible your own personal study and devotional Bible. Keeping a journal will help you track of your own growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ. There will be times when your experience of reading the Bible is as dry as a desert. Understand that God honors the discipline we bring. Sometimes seeds are planted even when we are not aware of them. Journaling is a way to connect seed-moments, moments of growth, and harvest moments that yield significant fruit in our lives.

You will want to begin and end each day’s scripture reading with prayer. Before you read, pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to you through what you read. To help you end your scripture reading time with prayer, a short prayer is included with each day’s reading. The prayer is not intended to serve as a substitute for your own praying, but rather to aid you in beginning your own prayerful reflection. The form of prayer that accompanies each day’s reading assignment is known as a collect. A collect is intended to collect or gather one’s thoughts and intentions into a prayer. It has a single focus, made up of five parts: 1) an address to God using one of God’s names, 2) a description of one of God’s attributes or actions in the world, 3) a request, or petition, based on that action, 4) a description of what it looks like when the request is fulfilled, and 5) a concluding praise of the One through whom the request will be fulfilled.¹

Using collects provides a way to pray through the Bible. Each day’s scripture passage presents one of God’s actions in the world. This divine action in the world invites us to form a petition, or request, based on that action. Our prayer is that God would do what God did again in our time, that God’s action would continue or deepen, or that God would allow us on this new occasion to join in what God has done or is doing. Describing what it would look like when the request is fulfilled is so important. It is the so that of the prayer. It is the hoped-for outcome of the prayer. This part of the prayer provides a vision moment, a rallying point for living. It is meant to build a bridge of meaning, significance, and motivation to carry us over into action—our grateful response to God’s word. The hope is that each prayer for the day will inspire your own praying through the Bible.

As you walk through each layer of this journey, my prayer is that form and flesh will be added to your journey with the Lord. Once you have read the whole Bible, you will find that studying the Bible is less intimidating. You will feel confident to go back and explore sections of the Bible in greater detail because you know where those sections fit in the larger story and where those parts have intersected your own story. There is a real good chance that you will feel confident enough to lead others in studying the Bible. You may also find yourself wanting to read though the Bible in its entirety again and again in order to gain deeper understandings and experience fresh revelations.

Design for Group Study

From the time that the Layered Bible Journey was introduced as a pamphlet, those who have gone on the journey have traveled as individuals, married couples, pairs of study-buddies, small groups at church, community groups, or even groups from work that meet before the day begins or while on break. Studying the Bible in groups can enhance your journey and even serve as a means of grace. Specifically, groups offer built-in support and accountability, an opportunity to pool insights, and a source of spiritual community. Making the Layered Bible Journey into a group study does not have to be complicated. Keep it simple. Below are ideas.

Set the parameters ahead of time for how often you meet and the span of readings that will be discussed (for example, the readings for the week completed just before the group meets).

Begin the time together with prayer, sharing needs from the group and asking God to shed light on the meaning of the scriptures to be discussed.

Review which of the seven stages of the journey you were exploring and what books of the Bible you read, and discuss what the series of readings meant to you as a whole.

Each individual should come prepared with the day’s reading that meant the most to him or her. Be prepared to explain to the group why this reading stood out to you.

Share how the reading shed light on your understanding of the Bible or shed light on your life personally as a disciple of Christ.

Be sensitive to members of the group who have come under conviction, or made a commitment, or have uncovered a past hurt as a result of their encounter with the scriptures. Be ready to love and support them.

After everyone has shared, go around the circle again and share what your take-away will be from the group meeting. What will you carry with you to live out in your daily life? Your take-away might be from what you brought to the group, from what someone else shared, or from what the group experienced.

Close the time together in prayer. Allow anyone who wants to pray to do so. In the prayer time, remember to thank God for the gifts God has bestowed in the time together.

Review the time of the next meeting and the readings to be read before the next meeting.

Layer One (L-1)

Creation and Fall/Stage 1, L-1

Genesis 1-11

Layer 1. Week 1. Day 1.

Creation and the Creator. Genesis 1-2

Before you read…

As you read the Creation Story in Genesis, do not expect it to tell you all there is to know about how the universe came to be. This is not its intention. There is much room left for mystery, amazement, wonder, and exploration. Its main intention is to tell you about the Creator and what makes human beings what they are today. You may notice that Genesis 2:3 seems to bring to a culmination all that has preceded it. Then, Genesis 2:4 seems to begin another story with more focus on the origin of humankind (Adam is the Hebrew word for humankind) and how the human race continued living (Eve is based on the Hebrew word for living). There is not just one Creation Story. Let each provide its unique, powerful witness to the Creator and the way the Creator has built meaning into the universe.

Reflection after your reading…

It is important to note that other religious accounts of creation existed in ancient times in the region. Perhaps, a few of the elements in the Genesis 1 account of Creation might have sounded somewhat familiar to ancient Israel, who may have heard of the other creation stories from other nearby cultures, but any similarities would pale against the striking differences presented in Genesis 1 between the God of the Hebrews and the so-called gods depicted in the other ancient accounts of creation. In the Hebrew account, Creation was not the result of a cosmic, messy struggle fiercely waged between good and evil gods. We see an orderly progression that in every stage was found to be good, therefore pointing to one transcendent and moral Creator who existed before everything, who spoke Creation into being, and who was involved from the beginning to insure that all was very good. The story of Creation sets the stage for the biblical drama to unfold.

A culmination point is reached with the making of the first humans so that we know they are to play a special role in the epic drama that follows. We are told that we share God’s likeness. We assume that the likeness is not physical. God is Spirit, and God created us with both spirit and flesh. Within our spirits is a unique capacity for self-awareness, conscious thought, creativity, communication, and relationships. Our relational nature allows us to reflect the character of our Maker whose nature is love. The seventh day is when God rested—not that God, whose strength is inexhaustible, needed to rest. God wove rest into the fabric of creation for the sake of God’s Creation. In this way, God instituted the Sabbath, which is the one day out of every seven when humankind should rest from their labors to allow us to appreciate life, add to our quality of life, and make our quality of life more sustainable.²

The story of Adam’s creation from the earth pairs aptly with the first commandment given to Adam to till and keep the earth. Mutual interdependence between human beings and their habitat is a part of God’s design in creation. This same interdependence was designed for Adam and Eve in the story of how Eve was brought into being. The story of Eve’s origin from the rib of Adam balances with the fact that every male that has been born since Adam is born of a woman. This emphasis on mutuality and interdependence among Adam and Eve and the earth is a part of God’s intended ideal portrayed in the garden paradise of Eden. God’s creation reflects God’s nature and the value God places on love and relationships.

Prayer

Creator God | You fashioned us in Your image | When we lose perspective, make us aware of the wonder that surrounds us | That we may live lives that bear witness to your glory in the world | Through Jesus Christ, the wisdom and Word of creation, Amen.

Layer 1. Week 1. Day 2.

The Fall of humankind in the Garden. Genesis 3-5

Before you read…

In the Garden of Eden, the first humans, Adam and Eve, were given both freedom and limits. They could freely eat of every tree of the garden but a limit was placed on them when they were forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The limits that God imposed were life-giving limits and were intended to maximize, not diminish, their experience of freedom. Observe what happens when they disregard those limits by eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge of good and evil. Why do you think they disobeyed God’s instructions?

Reflection after your reading…

When you examine the bait that the serpent used to entice Eve, it reveals the desire Adam and Eve had to possess God-like knowledge. If they knew what God knew, they would not have to rely on God. Their actions communicated their desire to be able to act independently without God’s help. It amounted to a rebellion against God, no matter how naïve their intentions might have been. Choosing independence over relationship resulted in their separation from God. This separation, referred to as sin, marks the human condition. Because Adam and Eve chose to place themselves outside the care of God, they felt, for the first time, truly naked, vulnerable, and ashamed. When God noticed the difference and challenged Adam, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the Serpent.

God announced to Adam and Eve how life would be decidedly different as a consequence of their actions. Outside of God’s care, all would experience toil and frustration in different ways as they sought to make a living and make a life. The introduction of thorns and thistles brought toil and frustration into the growing of the plants that provided their food. Labor pangs would be greatly increased, and infant mortality would become an all too frequent fact of life for future generations. One of the greater consequences of eating of the forbidden fruit was the affect it had on the relationship between Adam and Eve. The shame they felt and the reaction to cast blame on the other was not a one-time event. The shame-blame cycle is at the heart of most conflict, and explains why conflicts escalate. It is no wonder that this cycle would undermine the original mutuality and interdependence between Adam and Eve. In the next generation, the conflict in Genesis 3 escalated to murder by Cain against Abel in Genesis 4. Not many generations after Cain, we see human conflict escalating to vengeful and disproportionate mass killing. This basic tendency toward conflict made the world a more dangerous place.

God’s gift of clothing to Adam and Eve represents God’s gracious care over them in the midst of their shame and vulnerability. God knew, however, their tendency to choose independence over a life under God’s care. For this reason, we see God banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden and from access to the Tree of Life. Had Adam and Eve not disobeyed God, they eventually might have been invited to eat of the tree of life. We will never know, however. Once banished, a flaming sword guarded the entrance back into the Garden. If humankind will ever be allowed back to the Garden, it will have to come by another way—a way provided through divine intervention that will be many ages in the making. Notice how Genesis is setting the stage for the biblical drama of redemption to unfold.

Prayer

God of grace | Who made garments for Adam and Eve to cover their shame | Reveal to us the dangers of placing self at the center of our universe | That we may surrender that place to You again | Through Christ, our Redeemer, who covers us with His grace, Amen.

Layer 1. Week 1. Day 3

The ark and the preservation of humankind: Genesis 6-9

Before you read…

Interestingly, other religions tell about a cataclysmic flood in their cultural story. These stories were used to depict the wrath and capriciousness of their gods, but the Hebrew version of the Flood is different. The God of the Hebrew story is different.   

Reflection after your reading…

The story of Noah begins with an explanation of how things got so bad. After a number of generations, unrestrained vengeance and evil created a world so wrought with violence and suffering that God had to make the difficult decision to flood the earth and bring an end to what God had started. The flood was the means of last resort. The only question for God was whether to end the human experiment altogether, or use this opportunity to start over and continue the experiment. God, we know, decided to start over.

Think about what the ark means for the future of all humankind. The ark that God instructed Noah to build represented God’s desire to preserve a remnant of humanity who would constitute a new beginning for the human race. The rainbow is a sign of the covenant that God has made with all humanity not to flood the whole earth and start over again. A covenant is a promise, but it is no ordinary promise; a covenant is a special kind promise that brings two parties into a relationship. Through covenant, the relationship takes on certain responsibilities that create structure in the relationship so that the relationship is enhanced, takes on greater purpose, and works toward a desired end. In this case, God is one party to the covenant and the whole human family is the other party to the covenant. The desired end is no less than God’s ideal.

Covenant is such an important concept in the Bible that the whole Bible is organized into the Old Covenant (Old Testament) and the New Covenant (New Testament). God’s covenant never to put an end to God’s human creation, nor to re-start the human race again by use of a flood, or the like, expresses God’s enduring commitment to laboring with humanity and bringing this part of God’s creation through to its full potential. No other being on earth was created with the capacity for both good and evil as human beings. The freedom given to humankind is a test of sorts to see how the love of God, not force or coercion, can bring this part of creation into a loving response to their Creator. The rest of the Bible is, therefore, about God’s relentless desire to reclaim and redeem the promise of humanity.

Prayer

Righteous and Holy God | You revealed in the Flood our self- destructive tendencies | Show us our tendency to hurt ourselves and others | That we may work with You to preserve Your sacred vision of human life and community | Through Christ, who preserves our lives through baptismal waters, Amen.

Layer 1. Week 1. Day 4.

The Tower of Babel: Genesis 10-11

Before you read…

The story of the Tower of Babel, in Genesis 11:1-10, provides an explanation for why people speak different languages around the world. This story, however, is more than about language. The Tower of Babel pushes us to examine our human tendencies and motives.

Reflection after your reading…

Why did God think the actions of the people were so dangerous that God had to put an end to their work? Notice, they were not just building a tower; they were building a city. The building of the Tower of Babel represents the society-building, technology-creating nature of human beings. We don’t build, though, just to meet our basic needs. We go further and put much effort into building monuments that allow us to make a name for ourselves. The people in the story wanted the top of the tower to reach into the heavens. Centuries later, the pursuit of fame and power would lead the Egyptian pharaohs to build great monuments at the expense of Hebrew slave labor. Perhaps God’s confusion of the language was meant to place a check on this human tendency toward vanity that so often leads to oppression and betrays the promise of God’s likeness in us.

This story does something else in its placement within the larger biblical story. It tells us that the self-destructive tendencies within humankind that existed before the Flood still exist after the Flood. Something more is needed to realize the potential in the human family as God created it. Something more is needed to express the love that is capable of existing between God and the human beings God has created. The covenant between God and humankind needs more structure. The makings of a major shift in the biblical story are in place.

Prayer

God of the universe and God of our cities | You once caused humankind’s progress to be held back when it endangered the human family | Remind us that You, alone, are our God, and we are not God | That we may learn humility, justice, and fairness, and not lord over one another | Through Christ, the Suffering Servant, our Lord and Example, Amen.

The Covenant Journey/Stage 2, L-1

Genesis 12-50

Layer 1. Week 1. Day 5.

The call of Abraham and Sarah: Genesis 12-15

Before you read…

Realize that Genesis 12 marks a really big turning point. Think of the magnitude of what God asks of Abram and Sarai in verse 1. Try to imagine the significance of the promise God makes to Abram and Sarai in verse 2 if they do what God asks. Then, in verse 3, try to visualize the impact this divine arrangement promises to make on the world through this elderly couple.

Reflection after your reading…

When God preserved a remnant of humanity through the Ark and the Flood, God did so in order to continue his dream of a people who reflect in their lives the image of God’s love. Sadly, the Tower of Babel illustrated humankind’s propensity to repeat the original sin in the Garden of Eden. You might think God could just write his plan in the clouds for all humankind to see, but we have a hard time understanding love in general. We require specifics. We require concreteness. Sometime after the Tower of Babel event, God took the initiative and began a remarkable kind of intervention to reclaim humanity for Himself. God chose a couple, Abram and Sarai, and their descendants, to become the objects of God’s special favor so they could model the blessings of a relationship with God. God promised to bless them as they, by faith, followed God’s leading away from the comfort of all that was familiar to them and toward a strange land that would become the special stage for their story to unfold. They were chosen for this blessing so that they would become a blessing to all the families of the earth.

What might appear, at first, to be an example of simple favoritism is rather a strategy God uses for the benefit of all humanity. The stories of their encounters and struggles show that Abram and Sarai were flawed human beings and the land they lived in was fraught with dangers; yet, their faith in God and, more importantly, God’s faithfulness to his covenant promise, allowed them to model before their neighbors a life that God blesses.

Prayer

Our Covenant-Making God | You have taken the initiative with us, and have been faithful to perform all you have promised | Do not bless the life we devise for ourselves, but lead us into the life you are blessing | That you may expand our vision and help us discover the blessing of being a blessing to others | Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, who made a new covenant through his self-giving love, Amen.

Layer 1. Week 1. Day 6.

A vision of descendants and influence: Genesis 16-19

Before you read…

Connected to the covenant promise were two important features of the relationship: the land upon which they were given to live out their story and a vision of offspring as numerous as the dust of the earth. The land would serve as the stage upon which their special story was to unfold. The vision of offspring provided an amazing vision of the influence they were to have through their descendants. Yet, we often see that when God communicates a vision, it seems that obstacles emerge that threaten to bring an end to that vision. The fact that Sarah had not been able to have even one child certainly presented a threat to the vision of descendants. What should be our response when obstacles emerge?

Reflection after your reading…

When Sarai thought about her inability to have children, Abram and Sarai decided to take matters into their own hands by using their slave, Hagar, to give Abram a son. Ishmael, however, was not who God had in mind. Perhaps, a lesson to be learned is that when obstacles come, God is faithful to God’s promise. The best thing to do is to watch and wait. Meanwhile, Abram and Sarai were given new names, Abraham and Sarah, to signify their new identity as the ones through whom God will establish his covenant. Circumcision of all Hebrew males also became a sign of their collective covenant identity. Besides watching and waiting, the reading for today teaches us to remain faithful.

Another lesson comes in Genesis 18 regarding the virtue of hospitality. To understand why hospitality would be a big deal, it is important to understand the land, which the Lord had chosen to be the stage for the covenant people. This was a narrow strip of land that is somewhat the size and shape of Vermont. This is not a very big area when you think of the area’s importance in history. Today, we know this narrow strip of land as the modern nation of Israel, but at this time in the story it is known as the land of Canaan. The area’s importance in the time of Abraham and Sarah was the highway, which traversed from north to south through this strip of land. This was the main road linking Africa and Asia, and by extension, Europe. To the west of this strip of land is the Mediterranean Sea and to the east is the Arabian Desert. This location ensured that many foreign visitors would pass through the land Abraham and Sarah occupied.

So, it was very important when three angels, masquerading as strangers, came to the entrance of Abraham’s tent. It was a test for Abraham and Sarah. They showed the strangers exquisite and extravagant hospitality. The beautiful example of hospitality that they provided showed that God’s selection of them was not misplaced. They were chosen to be the example of faith and the object of God’s blessing. They were blessed to be a blessing to others and therefore model God’s blessings. Such a mission required that Abraham and Sarah be in contact with strangers, be open to them, connect with them, and share with them. We can also see how the inhospitable response of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the destruction that resulted, reinforces the point.

Prayer

O God | Who imparts to us visions much bigger than ourselves |

Help us not to shrink before the face of obstacles | That we may lean on You more and learn more about You during the waiting and watching | Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who overcame the obstacle of death, Amen.

Layer 1. Week 1. Day 7.

A test of Abraham’s faithfulness: Genesis 20-23

Before you read…

As you read, you will hear of the long-awaited birth of Isaac, and then in the 22nd chapter, God asks Abraham to do the unthinkable. What lessons can be learned?

Reflection after your reading…

God was faithful to God’s promise to grant Sarah and Abraham a son. Just a few years later, God asked Abraham to do the unthinkable—sacrifice Isaac. We can speculate as to the reasons. Since the neighboring cultures practiced child sacrifice, God brought Abraham to the brink of sacrificing his son, so he would know the pain associated with such a horrific religious practice. This seems plausible because God would soon go on record prohibiting child sacrifice.

This cannot be the only reason, because we are told at the beginning of the story that God intended to test Abraham. The idea is that God always meant to stop Abraham before he was to take the life of his son, but God did so only after proving that Abraham would put obedience to God first. Learning faithfulness is that important. Faithfulness and obedience are what make covenant work. We also see meaning in the way God provided another sacrifice to substitute for the sacrifice of Isaac—the ram caught in the thicket. Here is the idea of an animal, whose death we are not to take lightly, becoming a substitutionary sacrifice for Isaac. In this, the participants can see the cost of sacrifice, and yet be allowed to walk away hopefully transformed by what has been experienced.

Prayer

Ever-faithful God | Who tests the comfortable, and comforts those who are being tested | Test us and search our hearts | That we may be found to be faithful | To the One who was faithful unto death, and became our sacrifice, Amen.

Layer 1. Week 2. Day 1.

Isaac and his sons, Jacob and Esau: Genesis 24-27

Before you read…

As the story of Abraham’s descendants unfolds, a key question to be asking is this: How will the covenant, that was first made with Abraham, endure and be passed from generation to generation? Who gets that responsibility?

Reflection after your reading…

In this reading, we are introduced to Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, and to Rebekah’s brother, Laban, who plays a prominent role a little later. Quickly though, the story begins to focus on the fraternal twins, Esau and Jacob, who were born to Isaac and Rebekah. We’re told that the sibling rivalry began during the delivery with Jacob grasping Esau’s heel as they passed through the birth canal. When they were older, Jacob managed to use a pot of stew to swindle Esau out of Esau’s birthright as the first-born. Later, when Jacob, with the help of his mother, carried out a deceitful scheme and cheated his brother Esau out of his father’s blessing, Jacob had to flee for his life.

The question we begin asking is this: Who, between Jacob and Esau, is fit to carry on the mantle of covenant-partner to God worn first by Abraham and then by Isaac? Neither one seems to fit the part at this point in the story. What becomes clear is that God often chooses and entrusts people before they become trustworthy. God then sets out to arrange the circumstances that will further develop the character of the person God chooses.

Prayer

God of the Covenant | Who entrusts underserving people with great things | Do with us and in us what you will, and, in this way, refine our character | That we may grow and prove to be worthy of your trust | Through Christ who has called us to be the Church, Amen.

Layer 1. Week 2. Day 2.

Jacob has a dream and learns patience: Genesis 28-31

Before you read…

Rebekah told Isaac that the reason for Jacob’s sudden departure was to find a wife, but we know that the real reason was Jacob had to flee for his life. Jacob’s ambitious schemes against his brother, Esau, roused in Esau a burning desire for vengeance. A turning point was needed in Jacob’s life. This is when God chose to intervene in the form of a life-changing dream.

Reflection after your reading…

There could have been nothing more life changing for Jacob at that moment than to experience the dream that God gave him. When heaven opened up for him like it did and God showed him a vision of his future influence, Jacob knew that the moment was special and needed to be marked. Jacob poured oil over a stone pillar and named the place Beth-el which means house of God. Jacob’s ability to grasp the meaning of all this helps explain to us why God chose Jacob over Esau to carry the covenant mantle of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac. Someone like Esau, who would give away his birthright for a pot of stew, probably would not have been able to appreciate fully enough the long-term nature of God’s covenant promise.

That being said, Jacob, whose name meant grasper, had serious character defects of his own that needed addressing. The best way to provide this character-building experience was to allow Jacob to get a taste of his own medicine. The best one to give this medicine was his mother’s brother, Laban. Jacob would learn much about the persistence and patient endurance that is often needed in order to obtain what you desire. He would learn how to rely on God to work out things when Laban was attempting to outwit him. During this time in Jacob’s life, Jacob fathered twelve sons who would become very important in the fulfillment of God’s vision. Eventually, Jacob would hear God in a dream telling him to leave the land at once and return to the land of his birth. Jacob’s life was about to come full circle.

Prayer

O God, the Giver of dreams | You not only enlarge our vision, you expand our abilities and deepen our character | Grant that we would learn the lessons you desire to teach us through the trials of life | That we would be able to carry the torch to the next generation | Through Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith, Amen.

Layer 1. Week 2. Day 3.

Wrestling with God: Genesis 32-35

Before you read…

In the last reading, God told Jacob to return to the land of his birth to take his place as the heir to the covenant promise. This meant, however, that he would need to face Esau again who had vowed to kill Jacob because of Jacob’s deceitful treachery. What all awaits Jacob on this journey home?

Reflection after your reading…

You can sense the fear Jacob felt for his family as he heard that four hundred of Esau’s men were coming to meet him. He split his company so that at least half might survive a collision with Esau’s men. He prayed. He sent a rather large peace offering ahead of him in the hopes of appeasing Esau’s wrath. As night approached, Jacob put his family in a place of some relative safety.

When Jacob bedded down for the night, he did not know that he would spend the night wrestling with an angel. The angel was masquerading as a man, but in Jacob’s mind, he was clearly standing in for God. Because of Jacob’s formidable strength and ability, the wrestler had to resort to a blow that dislocated Jacob’s hip. The sun was about to rise and the angel’s cover was about to be blown, but Jacob refused to let go until he received a blessing. The angel not only gave him a blessing; he gave him a new name. Instead of Jacob, which means grasper, he would be called Israel which means the one who has striven with God. The limp that Jacob carried the rest of his life after that event would always be there to remind him of all the ways God had developed his character through the experience of struggle and perseverance.

Jacob was now prepared to meet the brother whom he had betrayed so many years before. Jacob could appreciate the error of his ways. He had learned how to humble himself and bow in contrition. To Esau’s great credit, Esau forgave him. When we allow ourselves to become bold enough and vulnerable enough, we can learn from our struggles and how our own character defects contribute to our struggles. When this happens, it feels like our old self is wrestling with a new emerging self. The more we invite God into that struggle, and hold onto God through the learning process, the more he will give us the new self that was always a part of our destiny. Is there a struggle like that going on with you? Have you invited God into that struggle? Are you holding onto God?

Prayer

God of Jacob | Who knows us better than we know ourselves | Give us the courage to be vulnerable and teachable in the midst of our struggles | That we may grow into the person you are creating us to be | Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is full of grace and truth, Amen.

Layer 1. Week 2. Day 4.

The Story of Joseph: Genesis 36-39

Before you read…

In the story of Jacob, we learned that Jacob (a.k.a. Israel) had twelve sons. The 37th chapter of Genesis begins the story of these sons. Be warned that in today’s reading there are genealogies, sex, and people reportedly being put to death by the Lord. These sections of the Bible may not have the same appeal for today’s readers as they did for those seeking to trace the meaning of their tribal ancestry back to one of Jacob’s sons. What will hold the most interest in today’s reading will be the continuing story of Jacob’s son, Joseph. We also learn how God’s people moved from the land of Canaan to Egypt. This story will occupy the main stage and take us through the rest of Genesis over the course of the next several days.

Reflection after your reading…

We have seen blatant favoritism before in relation to Rebekah and her son, Jacob. So, it shouldn’t be a big surprise for us to see Jacob