All too often people say: I should read the Bible more. The problem here is expectation management: Reading pages after pages of anything is a time consuming activity which hardly anybody does regularly anyway. Now add the desire for spiritual fulfillment coupled with moral (self-) pressure: That cannot work.
I am glad that since 1731 the Moravians have published the daily watchword as an ecumenical ministry that transcends confessional, political and racial barriers of all kinds. That is a nicely packaged biblical devotional for every day 365. It consists of one verse from the Old Testament, one verse from the New Testament and a prayer. All three follow a common theme and get reflection going by just briefly reading them. You can get the Moravian Daily Texts as a book, per email or on Facebook. They are a very good daily practice.
For church use I like an added feature: the watchword for the week. Going forward I will base this weekly reflection on the watchword and let it speak into our situation at St. John’s United Church of Christ. The watch word for July 20th fits the purpose of our congregational meeting:
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Isaiah 44:6)
Twice a year we get together to learn the state of the church. The mid-year meeting is all about the money: How’s the budget doin’? On this occasion Isaiah reminds us that
1. Money is not everything but God is the Alpha and the Omega.
2. Mammon is no God and cannot be worshiped.
That is certainly not limited to our congregational finances: Your own budget at home reflects your values as well. Can God see how good a Bible reader you are based on your bank statement?
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