Hey friends, Month one is a wrap! February, here we come! We crossed over into another new book: Mark! What a change of pace after John’s Gospel! Hold on to your hats! Jesus is moving quickly, “immediately”! In the Psalms this week, we saw Jesus the king, the savior, crucified and risen, the hope of all nations & generations! Linger in Psalm 22 a bit more. I don’t know how you make sense of it outside of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the birth of the church, the spread of the gospel. And Monday we will get the classic Psalm 23. In the Old Testament, we covered a ton of ground! We wrapped up the plagues. I hope you heard God’s mission for all people “none like me in all the earth” (9:14), “so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (9:16), “the earth is the Lord’s” (9:29), “so that you may know that I am the Lord” (10:2). We celebrated the Passover and took shelter under the blood of the Lamb (“Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29)! We crossed through the waters on dry ground. We saw our relentless, unrepentant oppressors get washed out, never to be seen again. We sang the Lord’s praise and celebrated our sweet freedom and victory together on the far side of the sea. We entered the wilderness and received bread from heaven (“I am the bread of life” John 6:35) and quail, enough for each day. God gave us water from the rock. We got advice from Jethro, the shepherd priest, with echoes of Eden “not good…alone”. Look for leaders, partners to share the work. We came to Mount Sinai and heard God’s claim on us “his treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” Thunder and lightning and trumpet blasts, fire and smoke and darkness. God gave us his words for our lives, showing us what it looks like to live set apart from the nations around us and exemplify his love, mercy, and justice. It’s hard to overstate the importance of Moses, Exodus, Mount Sinai, and the Wilderness in the life of God’s people. We got a little sneak preview of the tough and unfamiliar words ahead in Leviticus with some of those laws in Exodus 21-22. Suffice it to say life in the wilderness in ancient times was brutal. Following this God means reorienting your relationships and how you treat people, your calendar and how you reckon with time, and your possessions and how you think of ownership. It’s a good time to remember Jesus’ words “Do not think I have come to abolish the law and the prophets. I have come to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). And this: “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31). I’ve heard from a few of you that the Old Testament got to be too much. It can be a challenge both from the standpoint of content and volume. If you’re struggling to keep up with the whole Bible journey or need more time to process what you’re reading along the way, consider pivoting and focusing on the New Testament and Psalms. This would be better than getting discouraged and giving up the reading plan altogether. It’s a math game: the New Testament is about 23% of the content of the Bible. Psalms & Wisdom books make up about 10%. The remaining Old Testament books comprise 67%. A few of you have continued to share comments and questions. Keep it up as you need. Share what you’re learning about with others as you have the chance. Invite others into the journey as it makes sense. Let the Spirit lead! Peace in Christ, Karl Here are my Jesus sightings from this week: NEW TESTAMENT John 19 Jesus, the King of the Jews, the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, son of Mary, Crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered, died, was buried in a new, borrowed tomb John 20 Jesus, empty tomb, body gone, gardener, the risen one, Rabboni, Father, God, Holy Spirit, My Lord and My God!, Jesus Christ, the Son of God John 21 Jesus, spiritual Father to the disciples (“Children”), fisherman, Lord, shepherd, most written about figure in history Mark 1 Jesus Christ Son of God, mightier than John, baptizing with the Holy Spirit, baptized beloved Son, driven by the Spirit, tempted by Satan, preacher of good news, calling disciples, Jesus of Nazareth, Holy One of God, commanding unclean spirits, healing the sick, departing to pray, Mark 2 Jesus, forgiving sins, healing paralytic, friend of sinners, high priest, Son of Man, Lord of the Sabbath PSALMS & WISDOM 18 Jesus, my strength, God of my salvation 19 Jesus, my rock and redeemer 20 Jesus, the anointed king 21 Jesus, the Lord’s strength, salvation, and steadfast love 22 Jesus, Crucified & Risen, hope of all nations & generations OLD TESTAMENT Exodus 9-11 Jesus, the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, none like him in all the earth, the name proclaimed in all the earth, the light, the firstborn Exodus 12-14 Jesus, the Lord, the Passover lamb whose blood protects, the firstborn, the strong hand of the Lord that redeems his people, God’s visitation, pillar of fire & cloud, the glory of the Lord, the salvation of the Lord, the Lord who fights for his people, the Lord who saves Israel, Exodus 15-17 Jesus, the right hand of God, the Lord who reigns forever, the Lord your healer, the Lord your God provider, bread from heaven, Sabbath rest, living water, The Lord is my Banner Exodus 18-20 Jesus, Good Shepherd, Great High Priest, the one who brought Israel out of Egypt, delivered from the hands of Egyptians, God, God’s representative, claiming a people, washing/baptizing, I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, showing steadfast love, the Lord your God, Sabbath rest, the sacrifices Exodus 21-24 Jesus, the perfectly obedient one, the fulfillment of the law, the new covenant/testament, protector of the oppressed, poor, foreigner, the sacrifice, the firstfruits, the guardian angel