Use these four devotional readings to prepare your heart for the Christmas season. Devotional Readings for the Christmas Cycle: Biblical Passages Related to the Annunciation, Birth, and Second Coming of Jesus the Christ The Christmas Cycle encompasses three liturgical seasons in the church year: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. Read More

The Thanksgiving season reminds us to express appreciation for the bountiful blessings we receive from God, the giver of all good gifts. Find verses and prayers honoring and giving thanks to the Lord. Reflect on the ways God has blessed your life throughout the year – how God has… Read More

Who decided what books should be in the Bible? Why were these decisions made? Read this article to find out The Bible as Christians know it today did not begin as one large volume—with Old and New Testaments. It came into being as part of a selection process called “canonization.”… Read More

Different Christian traditions include different books in the Old Testament. This table offers a comparison of the Old Testament canon used by Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christians. The Old Testament in Christian Bibles contains all of the books included in the Jewish Scriptures. Some Christian traditions also include… Read More

What does the word “Septuagint” mean? Is the Roman numeral “LXX” significant? Find out the answers to these questions and more. In the third century B.C. Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt, translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Many Jewish people lived in Greek-speaking areas of the Mediterranean world,… Read More

The “New Testament” is the second part of the Christian Bible. Its twenty-seven books continue the story of God’s people begun in the Old Testament (the Jewish Scriptures). The “New Testament” is the second part of the Christian Bible. Its twenty-seven books continue the story of God’s people… Read More

Read profiles of several Africans featured in the Old and New Testaments. If one were to ask most people if Africans are found in the Bible, the common answer one would get would be that they are not. There are several reasons for such an answer such as… Read More

Freedom requires sacrifice. Reflect on the price and value of freedom through this brief meditation inspired by the work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom, for Dr. King, was grounded in social justice; it could not be attained without sacrifice and self-denial. Reflection What do you want?… Read More

In the time of Jesus, the Samaritans were despised by most Jews for two reasons: (1) many of them were following the lifestyle of the Roman world and ignoring the Law of Moses; (2) the Samaritan religious traditions denied that God was present among his people in Jerusalem and scorned… Read More

When did the events in the Bible take place? This reading guide gives a historical and chronological perspective to your daily Bible reading. Prehistory Creation Genesis 1.1—2.25 Adam and Eve in the Garden and the First Sin Genesis 3.1-24 Cain and Abel and the Murder Genesis 4.1-16 Noah and… Read More