Ocala First Connection

This week we finish with the first five books of the Bible – called the Torah (meaning “Teaching” or “Law”). In less than two months, we have read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Bible Year has been a real blessing for our church and especially for all who have committed to doing the readings each day. Well done!  One question that was asked a couple weeks ago in our Bible Study was “Why do Christians need to read the Old Testament?” That is a great question and a common one when we encounter “ its harsh moral codes and ancient cultural norms (that) come across today as obsolete at best, barbaric at worst.” You may share a similar sentiment and be asking the same question. I gave the best answer I could at the time, but felt there was more that needed to be said.   I came across an article by Brent A. Strawn, professor of Old Testament at Duke Divinity School: We Need to Read the Bible Jesus Read . Strawn is an ordained minister in The United Me...

I am amazed at how quickly we are moving through the Bible. We finished Genesis back on Wednesday, January 19. Just eleven days later, on Sunday, January 30, we finished Exodus.  And we are already ten chapters into Leviticus.   The first 15 chapters of Exodus tell the foundational story of Israel. God delivers his people by bringing them through the waters of the sea and into the wilderness.  So now what?    Well, now on to the Promised Land. It was 250 miles from where they left Egypt to the land that God had promised Abraham. Given the number of Israelites – all ages of men, women and children, plus their possessions and livestock – perhaps two to three months would be needed to make the journey.  So why did it take them 40 years?     The problem is that the shortest route would take them right into the land of the Philistines who would most likely kill them all. And the shortest route would take them through the most arid parts of the Sinai de...

We are rapidly approaching the end of January and we are also approaching the end of our Exodus readings.  We will read the final few chapters on Sunday, January 30.  As I shared in my sermon last Sunday, the story of the Exodus is the single most important story in the Jewish faith and one of our most important stories as Christians, second only to the story of Jesus. The author of our Bible Year Devotional book, Magrey deVega, noted in a sermon that the Exodus is so significant that for the rest of our journey through the Bible, we're going to lose count of the number of times the authors of the books of the Bible refer back to this story of God freeing his people from slavery in Egypt through the waters, across the wilderness, and toward the promised land. The exodus forever shapes the consciousness of an entire faith. The exodus would forever remind the Israelites of who God was, who they were called to be, and what they were called to do. Several years ago, we studi...

Congratulations! We have finished reading the first book of the Bible together and today we begin the book of Exodus.  As we look back over the book of Genesis, we first affirm the key themes from the first three chapters that shape the story of the whole Bible: God has made us in the divine image and we part of a good and beautiful creation. We struggle with a downward spiral of sin, rebellion, and disobedience. God never gives up on creation, or us, but continually works for our redemption and restoration. God's promise to Abraham at the beginning of chapter 12 opens up a whole new movement in the story. God calls Abraham to leave his home and go to the land of Canaan, which God says will become his one day. And in that land, God promises to make Abraham into a great nation, to make his name great, and to bless him. The question is why is God going to bless Abraham and his family? Genesis 12:3 makes God’s purposes clear: so that all the families of the earth will find God...

Today marks the first full week of our Bible Year. We have read the first twenty-three chapters in Genesis, beginning with creation and ending with the burial of Sarah, Abraham's wife.  Our Bible Year Pastor's Bible Study begins tonight, Wednesday, January 12, at 5:30 PM! We hope you will join us  in-person in the Family Life Center, or online on Zoom ! Zoom Meeting Info:  Click here to join the meeting. Meeting ID: 837 8303 4354;  Passcode: 391975 I also encourage you to request to join the Ocala FUMC The Bible Year Small Group on Facebook. The group allows for ongoing discussion of the daily readings. The Bible Project is a great resource for short teaching videos on the Bible.  Here are a couple you may find helpful for our first week of readings from Genesis. Overview of the Old Testament Overview of Genesis 1 - 11 Finally, here is summary of my sermon from Sunday.  Y ou can watch the full sermon on YouTube (CLICK HERE) Sermon Summary I...

In the beginning . . . We read those words at the very beginning of Genesis.   Those words also begin our journey through scripture as we read the whole Bible together in 2022. Today (January 5) is Day One and we read Genesis 1:1 – 3:24. In the introduction to The Bible Year , Magrey deVega notes the metaphors that he grew up hearing about the Bible – that it was a road map, a how-to manual, or a cookbook. While those metaphors can be compelling, they ultimately fall short of the true gift of Holy Scripture. Thinking of the Bible in strictly utilitarian ways leads us to ask how the Bible is relevant or useful to me. But there are more important questions to ask: How does scripture draw me closer to God? How does the Bible lead me to be a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ? How do the readings help me grow in my knowledge and love of God and of my neighbor? Magrey deVega rightly points to the importance of linking prayer and scripture reading. As he writes, “We must read t...

Luke 9:28-43 – Astound All the People 43  Everyone was astounded by God’s greatness. The crowds were astounded not because they saw Jesus transfigured. Only three of Jesus’ disciples had witnessed what had happened on the mountaintop. They were astounded by God’s greatness because they experienced their own lives changing because of Jesus.   They had hope where they had been hopeless. They found faith where there had only been doubts.   They found love where there had only been judgement. They found healing where there had only been brokenness. They found life where there had only been death.   After Jesus’ death and resurrection, on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and the church was born, the crowds were astounded once more. They were astounded not because they had witnessed Jesus’ resurrection or ascension, but because they were seeing the lives of the disciples radically change.   Those disciples who had hidden ...