A Light Unto My Path – Changing Lives (Part 2)

GEORGE ALLEN, Retired CCCC MINISTER

While my approach to daily Bible reading entitled A Light Unto My Path, introduced last month, can be used individually or as a family, its usefulness and effectiveness is enhanced by becoming part of the life of a congregation. Following is my method of using it in this way.
I introduced the Bible reading program in a sermon on the importance of knowing and responding to the Word of God, such as the parable of the Sower and the Seeds in Mt 13, Mk 4, and Lk 8, explaining the plan of the program as outlined in last month’s article.
My method was to read the twenty-eight passages assigned for each week on Mon or Tues and prayerfully ask the Lord what in those readings He had for my people that week. I began my preparation with the Bible, not a topic.
As I read, I made notes of passages that would be suitable or adaptable for elements of the liturgy. These passages then became the source of the week’s service material, reinforcing what the people read during the week. I consistently called attention to the program saying something like, “The call to worship this morning is from our Bible reading for last Tuesday in Matthew.” People were reminded of the reading program and began to get on board themselves.

I wrote down random thoughts that came to me from the scripture passages which became the scripture lesson (or lessons) for Sunday. I also tried to find another supporting passage that could serve as a responsive reading. My goal was to fill each service with as much scripture from the preceding week’s readings as possible. People started trying to anticipate what scripture I would use for the sermon text, and usually they were right—all listening to the same Spirit!

Wednesday was spent forming the material for the week’s worship bulletin. I also began forming the outline of the message, a process that continued on Thursday so that I was ready to make my notes on Friday. The message continued to be refined, focused, and sometimes shortened as I prepared for Sunday. I tried to formulate the main point in a sentence and eliminated everything that did not contribute to that focus. A lot of this work happened outside my church office, often in bed, where God is frequently active.
With this program my last three congregations grew spiritually and numerically, as people got excited about the Bible and the faith. I also grew spiritually as I was continually amazed at the way the Bible hangs together. Using these twenty-eight passages as my resource each week convinced me of the unity and divine inspiration of the Bible. I cannot see how the week’s passages, accumulated at random, can fit together and comment on each other without a divine Author. One of the advantages of the program is that the preacher is forced to deal with the whole Bible, not just one’s favorite or easiest parts. It also pushes us out of our homiletical ruts, as for instance dealing at Christmastime with Revelation instead of Lk 1 and 2.

There are disadvantages to this program. Many will preach on Ephesians, for instance, in a series of sermons. In the Bible reading program Ephesians goes by in a week! But take heart. It comes up again next year and the following years. And when we are wallowing in Leviticus or the end of Ezekiel, there is always a psalm, proverb, or New Testament section to help us find something preachable.

I think preparing this way is harder and more time-consuming than other methods of sermon preparation, but I have found God honors it, and people appreciate the effort. I believe the Reformation conviction that the average literate layman (or preacher), while not being able to understand all the Bible (who can?), can with some encouragement and weekly teaching in the service come to see what he or she needs to know of God’s character and will for their lives.

The Bible writers earnestly desired to be understood; they said what they meant and meant what they said. That’s the motivating principle of this program.

A Light Unto My Path is available from nsresources.com