Muskoka Lakes Ministry of Knox, Port Carling & Zion, Torrance
Sunday April 11, 2021
Message: Reading God’s Word Together
Reverend Glynis Faith
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Announcements
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Lectio Divina resumes this week. It is held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday evenings by Zoom.
Presbytery of Barrie meets on Tuesday at 7p.m.
Zion church is planning a community clean up on Earth Day, April 24th. More details in next week’s announcements. If you would like to volunteer your time to help, please contact Robin Keeler (416) 540-4324
Margo and John-Peter Murley have undertaken the daunting task of cleaning out the Sunday School storage room. Thus far they have removed everything (and it is hard to believe just how much stuff was in there). The room has been washed down and a gallon of paint has been donated to freshen up the walls. What we need to complete this project is paint for the shelving and cupboard area, some new supplies, small clear storage containers and labels to organize everything before it goes back into the room. If you would like to help Margo and John-Peter complete the Sunday School storage room project, please make a donation to Knox, noting on the donation “Sunday School Project”
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Call to Worship
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12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 (NET) AMEN
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Prayer of Adoration & Confession
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Lord God Almighty, we bow our heads before you to honor, praise and worship you. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
Lord Jesus, You are God’s Word in the flesh. You came to teach us about God and to teach us His ways. You showed us the Father’s love, and You taught us how to live align our will with God’s will.

Holy Spirit, You encourage us to live in God’s – to study His Word – to trust in His Word and to stand firmly planted on His Word.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit we thank you for the canon of the Bible, for the many translations that better enable us to understand, for preachers and teachers and leaders who engage us in Your Holy Word.
Although we are instructed to gather and hear Your Word spoken regularly and called to spend time in Your Word, we confess that many of our Bibles are covered in a layer of dust. We set out to read, but find ourselves confused, shocked and struggling with pronunciations. We commit to regular church attendance, but find other invitations, events and Sunday family visits can easily derail our well intended commitments.
Lord, forgive us in Your mercy. Forgive us and plant in our hearts a deep desire to know You and an even deeper commitment to take part in this 31 week church campaign to read through the Bible together as a church.
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Words of Assurance
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"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear." Isaiah 59:1

No matter how far down or how high up you are, the hand of God can reach you. No one is out of reach. No one need be out of touch with the Lord.
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Scripture
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Luke 24:13-35 (NIRV) On the Road to Emmaus
13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village called Emmaus. It was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked about those things, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing him.
17 Jesus asked them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?”
They stood still, and their faces were sad. 18 One of them was named Cleopas. He said to Jesus, “Are you the only person visiting Jerusalem who

doesn’t know? Don’t you know about the things that have happened there in the last few days?”
19 “What things?” Jesus asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet. He was powerful in what he said and did in the sight of God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed Jesus over to be sentenced to death. They nailed him to a cross. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to set Israel free. Also, it is the third day since all this happened. 22 Some of our women amazed us too. Early this morning they went to the tomb. 23 But they didn’t find his body. So they came and told us what they had seen. They saw angels, who said Jesus was alive. 24 Then some of our friends went to the tomb. They saw it was empty, just as the women had said. They didn’t see Jesus’ body there.”
25 Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are! How long it takes you to believe all that the prophets said! 26 Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and then receive his glory?” 27 Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures. He began with Moses and all the Prophets.
28 They approached the village where they were going. Jesus kept walking as if he were going farther. 29 But they tried hard to keep him from leaving. They said, “Stay with us. It is nearly evening. The day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 He joined them at the table. Then he took bread and gave thanks. He broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. But then he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “He explained to us what the Scriptures meant. Weren’t we excited as he talked with us on the road?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 disciples and those with them. They were all gathered together. 34 They were saying, “It’s true! The Lord has risen! He has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then the two of them told what had happened to them on the way. They told how they had recognized Jesus when he broke the bread.
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Prayer of Intercession
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Merciful God, we bring before You our prayers of Intercession.
Where there is sickness, we pray for healing
Where there is loneliness, we pray for companionship
For those who are grieving, we pray for You comforting presence
To those who are lost, help us point the way back to You
Where there is fear, we pray for strength and assurance

To those who are exhausted, we pray for renewed hope and energy
Lord God, hear our prayers. In Jesus Name we pray. AMEN
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“ Reading God’s Word Together ”
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Up until about the dawn of the 21st century, the average Canadian home had at least one Bible in it. Some homes had family bibles. The family bible was generally a large book that sat prominently in the livingroom/family room, or what was often referred to as the formal room. The family bible would often have a section at the front for recording births, weddings and other special family events. Clippings from the obituaries were kept tucked into the pages. A newly married couple often received a large family Bible as a gift to them as they were now a new family. Some families even opened it regularly to read aloud to the family.
Over the years there has been a steady succession of biblical translations produced to encourage people to open God’s Word and read the Good News. One translation is even called The Good News. Eugene Peterson produced a paraphrased Bible called The Message, which continues to be a favourite for some. There are study bibles for youth, women, couples, and men. There is the red letter Bible that uses red print for the words considered to have been spoken by Jesus. There is also a green Bible, that highlights our call to care for the earth.
Reading, listening to, discussing and actively engaging God’s Word is important to our faith. God longs to speak with us, and this is one of the ways conversation with God takes place. More times than I can count, reading or hearing Scripture read has shone a light on a question I had brought before God, or has opened my eyes to something I needed to do, or something I needed to stop doing. God’s Holy Word is a gift to us, yet we often struggle to read it.
You may have noticed in our reading today that Jesus walked with these individuals heading for Emmaus and He explained how the Old Testament had predicted His death and resurrection. Then, when they gathered around a meal (which generally includes conversation) Jesus broke the bread and blessed it (reminding them of something they had seen Him do before) and suddenly they realized!!!
Reading our Bible is not simply an individual exercise. Many in Jesus’ day could not read! Many today cannot read. Some people do not like to read – perhaps reading is a struggle that causes them more frustration than pleasure. That is why reading God’s Word should be a community exercise. Those who can and who enjoy reading can open up their Bibles daily and seek God’s guidance. Others might listen to God’s Word spoken through an app, a television service, or an online service. Hearing God’s Word also happens through things like Lectio Divina, Bible study groups, small group discussions and conversations with family and friends. Hearing God’s Word also happens through worship, as the Word of God is read and interpreted.
As we prepare to read the Bible together over the next 31 weeks, lets consider for a moment: 1) why do we not read or engage with the Bible? 2) Does it matter if we read or engage with God’s Word? And 3) How can we commit to reading and engaging God’s Word over the next 31 weeks?

1) why do we not read or engage with the Bible?
I suspect one of the greatest deterrents to our engaging Scripture is that we struggle to make sense of it.
The Bible is God’s love letter to you. In it we are reminded that we were created for a reason – for a purpose. Through the Bible we better understand the nature of sin and how sin separates us from God. We are reminded from Genesis through to Revelation how great God’s love for us is and the distance God will go to save us from our sins and restore us back into a relationship with Him – a relationship we were created for.
But our Bible canon is made up of 66 individual books. In the Old Testament we have the 5 Books of the Laws, with the 5th book, Deuteronomy recounting much of the first 4 books. It’s a bit confusing if you don’t know that Deuteronomy is considered Moses’ last attempt to remind the people of where they came from and what they will lose if they forget their covenant with God. So he is retelling the story, but if you don’t know that ahead of time it can seem like one of the soap operas when someone wakes from a dream, that no one knew they were having, and you start the whole season anew, only with the newly awakened character now present in the story.
There is a lot of repetition throughout the historical books too. 1 & 2 Chronicles and 1 & 2 Kings are two differing accounts of Isreal and Judah’s history. The books of the Kings, as the title suggests, is focussed more on recording the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah. If you read the books of the kings and then the chronicles without realizing they are covering the same history with a different focus you will be confused! (didn’t that king already die? I thought the Babylonians already captured Isreal – are they captured twice, and if so, how did they get back to their land???) It is kinda like when you are researching details for a history paper. You have several books telling the same story. Some books you choose will be from different perspectives. You will have the same story from different viewpoints. This is great for research, but if you are trying to read the Bible from cover to cover like a novel, the repetition and varying views can become a distraction – perhaps even frustrating.
Poetry and wisdom literature are not meant to be read literally, so if you are not sure which is which and what the purpose of each book is, you will likely find yourself closing your Bible and picking up the remote control instead.
Unfortunately, the prophetic books are not in order either. Instead of being placed in chronological order, the 5 major prophets are listed before the remaining minor prophets. And if you are wondering what the difference is between a major prophet and a minor prophet, it is not their rank; but rather is it the length of their book!
The prophetic books are a wonderful read, but if you are unaware of the historical background or if you are trying to make sense of the characters
and the themes as a story, you will be out of luck. The prophetic books go back and forth in the history of Israel and Judah
Now, you might think the New Testament would be easier to read. In many ways it is, but it is still confusing if you don’t understand the books or the context.
The first four books are the Gospels. The Gospels are four different accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus from four different perspectives and written to different audiences. If it feels like you have already read something, you probably did in the previous Gospel.
The books of Acts is an historical account of the origins and spread of the Christian church and the Epistles are letters written to various churches and individuals. The letters are generally written to address an issue or concern that has arisen in the church. Without knowing what the issue is, the letter can seem harsh, troubling and again, confusing.
So why might we find it hard to read or engage with Scripture? Perhaps it has a lot to do with our lack of knowledge about the canon as a whole.
So does it matter if we read and/or engage with Scripture? I would suggest it does, and Scripture also suggests this is important. Go all the way back into the books of the Law – remember Deuteronomy, the book where Moses is retelling the story and reminding the people to remain in covenant with God. Deuteronomy 31:9-10
“9 Moses wrote down this law. He gave it to the priests. . . . He also gave
the law to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them, “You
must read this law at the end of every seven years. Do it in the year when you forgive people what they owe. Read it during the Feast of Booths.”
The Law Moses is referring to is the first 5 books of the Bible. This was a lengthy read done during one of their festivals.
Friends, it is easy to get off track – to go astray – to venture with Eve into the world of putting our own will ahead of God’s – to taking what we desire instead of trusting that God knows the whole picture.
We read our Bible to remind us of God’s love – to remind us of the consequences of sin – to remind us that temptation and sin do exist – to lead us back into the joy of God’s presence – to fill our hearts and minds with God’s promises. We also read God’s Word to seek answers to the questions in our lives.
And yes, it can be confusing, so we take part in studies to help us learn more. Learning together can be rewarding, as we each share our knowledge. We also come to church regularly to hear God’s Word spoken and to learn more about the situations surrounding the passages we read.
So, how can we commit to reading God’s Word together over the next 31 weeks? (Good question, eh?)
Well, that is what we hope to do over the next 31 weeks by reading a translation of the Bible called “The Story.” The Story is an abridged bible that recounts the Bible story in chronological order – no repetition – no confusing back and forth - no need to be a history major or biblical scholar. “The Story” reads like a novel with 31 chapters.
Here is my vison, which I hope you will be a part of.
1) You will begin this week by reading one chapter of the story each week. They are not overly long chapters and you have the week to read it through.
2) Talk with your family about the chapter you have been reading, perhaps around a meal (perhaps some of them are also reading along). If you live alone or your family is not interested in a discussion about what you are reading, engage a friend in a conversation – perhaps someone from the church who is also reading along.
3) Our Sunday sermon will be based on the chapter each of us has just read. This means that what you have read throughout the week will be fresh in your mind when we have the sermon.
4) Take part in one of the Study groups or Lectio Divina offered each week. These groups will also be focused on the same chapter.
My vision is that together, as the family of God, we will reconnect with God’s Word and that we will encourage and support one another in learning and living God’s Word together. I hope you will join me in this vision!!!
If you do not have “The Story” and you would like a copy, please give me or your elder a call. The first batch of books went very quickly, so I ordered extras. The books are 9.50 each (taxes included) which I believe is less than half the retail. If the cost of the book is a concern, please call or email me.
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Prayers of Thanksgiving & Lord’s Prayer
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All knowing God we lift our hearts in thanksgiving to You. Your love and care for us is beyond what we deserve and we do not give You thanks enough. Hear our collective thanks to You, God.
All powerful Lord we sing praises to You. Each season unfolds because You have created it to do so. The stars, moon, sun and planets are held in place by Your divine plan. We have life because You chose for it to be. We have the hope of the Resurrection always before us, evidence that true power is not what we often believe it to be.
All loving Father we thank you for Your Word, which teaches us of Your unending love. We thank you for Jesus, who came to show us the pure depth of Your love. We thank you for the Holy Spirit, continuing to guide us and help us live in Your love.
Smile Your blessings upon us now as we repeat the Lord’s Prayer, saying, “our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. AMEN
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Commission & Benediction
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Friends, take God’s Word in hand and carry His Word wherever you go. And as you do . . .
May the love, grace and peace of God go with you. AMEN
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Support the Work of Knox and Zion in 2021
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DONATIONS TO ZION, TORRANCE
Mail cheques to Zion Presbyterian Church 1046 Torrance Rd, Torrance, ON, P0C 1M0
E-Transfers to zionchurchpc@gmail.com No security question required
Pick up ~ Please call the office (705) 765 3797 to arrange pick up

DONATIONS TO KNOX, PORT CARLING
Mail cheques to Knox Presbyterian Church Box 283, Port Carling, ON,
P0B 1J0
E-Transfers to KnoxChurchPC@gmail.com No security question required
Pick up ~ Please call the office (705) 765-3797 to arrange pick up

May God bless all you do and give in His Name!