The Bible is meant for a community and to be read.

I am often amazed to talk to a number of people who sit in the pew on a Sunday morning for worship and find out that they have never taken the time to read the Bible.  I have heard the excuse, "Well, it is so big, I don't know where to begin?" "I started to read it but after Exodus, it was just too boring." "It is so hard to understand."  

I will admit that many of the above statements are indeed correct.  The Bible is large.  In fact, it is a collect of 66 books and not actually one book. The Bible was not meant for you to sit down and read it cover to cover.  The Bible is indeed hard to understand because it was written over the course years.  And not even just a few years but over thousands of years.  It was not written by one author with a coherent story line or plot twists to follow but changes dramatically from one book to the next. The Bible is one of those books that was gathered together not to share with you the history of the human race. (although there are stories related to our creation and some of the events that dramatically shaped us.)  The Bible is a book to get the reader to focus on their relationship with God and one another. 

However, people may attend worship services on a Sunday morning or any other time during the week.  Along with the seasons that have church on Wednesday evening as well. I am struck that a person would only hear 24% of the Bible. (AND THAT'S NOT EVEN INCLUDING SOME OF THE GOOD PARTS!!!)  This statistic is for churches that are using the Revised Common Lectionary.  

This got me thinking, "What is a good way for people to take the time to start to read the Bible?"  It took me a while to answer this question and after a while, I decided that I would have people start with the Gospel of John.  For there within it's pages lies the creation and the testimony of God's love for all creation and the gift that was given for humanity.