For several months, I have been praying and thinking about the importance of being a Multigenerational Church. Each generation has a meaningful perspective and brings something unique to the Body of Christ. As we continue to learn and grow in Christ together, I want us to learn from each other, too.
This year, I hope to encourage faith-filled conversations across all generations of the church family in two ways.
First, we will start by sharing a Question of the Week to encourage faith-filled, face-to-face dialogue and online conversations. Our Questions of the Week will be posted each Friday on social media, in Sunday's bulletin, and in the Midweek Update. Please take some time to chat with a family member or friend about our Question of the Week in person or on social media!
Here are some upcoming Questions of the Week for September to whet your appetite.
September 1-7: What’s your favorite Bible story and why?
September 8-14: Where do you feel most connected to God?
September 15-21: What three words would you use to describe Jesus?
September 22-28: What’s your favorite Bible verse and why?
September 29-Oct 5: What do you love about your church family?
Second, we will begin highlighting and reading a specific book of the Bible each month. I hope that by highlighting a particular book each month, all the generations of the church can explore the same part of the Bible together and reflect on ways we can apply it to our lives in today’s context.
During September, I encourage everyone to read through the Book of Matthew. Soon, I will be sharing some tips for reading through a book of the Bible with children, youth, spouses, friends, and neighbors in upcoming midweek articles. For now, I have shared some basic information and video resources about the Gospel of Matthew below to help get you started! I like to call this type of contextual information about a Bible Book the “back story.”
The Gospel of Matthew is one of the four Gospels found in the New Testament that chronicles the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus. It was written primarily for a Jewish audience and focuses on the themes of promise and fulfillment. The Book of Matthew has traditionally been attributed to the Apostle Matthew, also known as Levi, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. The Gospel of Matthew is more like the Gospels of Mark and Luke than John’s Gospel. Together, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels because they share a significant amount of common material and offer a similar perspective on Jesus’ life and ministry.
For those who would like a quick overview of the book before you read, or if you are a more visual learner, the Bible Project has two great videos for you to check out below.