Incredibly strong steel cords lie inside the concrete of major highways, buildings and dams. We don’t see these cords, but they bear up under great pressure and hold everything together. What if there are such cords in the Bible? And what if we could lift out and see these cords, these golden threads, that tie together the whole story of God’s plan for our world? Think with me about this for a moment.

 

The Bible is one book. But it actually contains 66 separate books. These were written by at least 35 different authors across 1500 years. Yet, mysteriously, the Bible still has a deep underlying unity. It all holds together. Scripture has a storyline simple enough to teach a young child, but deep enough to occupy our minds for the rest of our lives. As one of the church fathers said, “The Bible grows with the reader.” The more you read the more you find. The deeper you mine, the more treasure you excavate.  Like no other literature, the Bible contains history, poetry, stories, prophecies, theology, doxology, personal letters and visions of the world’s end. Yet through it all the one God reveals a consistent long-term mission to redeem his creation which went astray.  

 

Even with the Bible’s complex diversity, there are, astoundingly, themes, phrases, and images which recur from beginning to end. I call them golden threads. This Lent, we’ll be lifting up six of these shimmering cords that tie together the story of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. We will see how each one gives us a unique way to tell the whole story of the Bible. The golden threads will reveal to us what God is really up to in our lives and in the world. We will get stitched into the magnificent tapestry that is God’s Word.  

 

During Lent, we focus together as a congregation. The program operates on multiple levels. The whole goal is being formed more deeply by the Holy Spirit.

 

We read one key verse every day for 42 days, so that it becomes part of us. We follow a golden thread each day for a week. We lift up that thread from the early stories of God’s people through the life of Jesus and into the mission of Christ’s people. Above all we pray. The suggested prayers offer a way to launch your own prayers and be stitched into God’s great story.  

 

Golden Threads gets delivered in multiple formats. There’s a printed book filled with gorgeous full color art and laid out for ease of reading. We offer a daily email of the printed content for those who like to read on devices. And, back by popular demand, a daily podcast delivers Golden Threads to those who enjoy content by audio. Plus, we offer 25 community groups meeting all over town at different of times so you can dive deep with others. Of course, the messages and music in worship lift up each week’s golden thread.

 

One of the ways I seek to express my love for you is by offering you the very best of what I have found questing into Scripture. I think well enough of you to strive to bring you insights that will be challenging and fresh, yet grounded in our historic beliefs. I put heart and soul into the ten months it takes to prepare for this journey with you. I hope you will share books and podcasts with others even as we go together through these 42 days.

 

Link to All Things Lent