On December 31, 2023, I was provided the wonderful opportunity to be the guest preacher at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

Here is the sermon I delivered:

Today is the day when we close 2023 and look forward to 2024.  Today is when we reflect on our past year and look forward to a new one.

It’s on the last day of the year that we might celebrate the New Years’ Resolutions that we succeeded in maintaining and it is also when we set our sights to the new day that tomorrow brings as well as the new hopes for us to find ways to be our better selves.

I set a goal for 2023 that I completed just a few days ago.  I was able to keep my New Years’ resolution.  That’s always a good feeling. 

But, before I get to that, before I tell you about the resolution I kept, I need to share a story, or maybe a few. 

You all know me well enough to know that I have always loved reading scripture during our church services.  I take the words from the Bible very seriously, and in a way not unlike Mary in the manger scene, I cherish and ponder the words, as best as I can, in my heart.

These are the words of God.  And the words of Jesus.  They are holy and important.  And I treat them as such.

A few years ago, I stated a journal of sorts.  The journal isn’t a diary.  Instead it’s a book that consists exclusively of passages from the Bible that resonate with me for one reason or another.  When I read a Biblical passage that I feel has special meaning or importance or teaches me something, I write it in my journal. 

This journal consists of words from the Bible, not my words, God’s words, that speak of love and devotion, words of God’s grace and his goodness.  Stories of Jesus are there – and so are some of the messages and lessons he gave.  The Christmas story from Luke is there, the same one recited by Linus in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.  The 23^rd Psalm is there as is the passage from 1 Corinthians that is read at many weddings, including my own – all those years ago. 

“Love is patient… love is kind.”

There are words and passages in the journal that motivate me, that inspire me, and there are ones that make me think deeply about so much. 

Sometimes the passages that I write in my journal come directly from my scripture readings in church, but not always.

I’m inspired by God’s words.

But it is here that I must make a confession, I had never read the entire Bible.  I’ve read portions of the Bible.  I read some of the books in the Bible.  But I never read the whole thing – or even most of it. 

To be truthful, even though I have read a lot of books in my life, I’ve neglected many classics… including the most important book of all time.

A few years ago, a friend encouraged me to read Moby Dick.  I’m glad I read it, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it.  The book was so lengthy that sometimes I felt I was on that ship with Captain Ahab chasing the white whale. 

A number of years ago, probably two decades or more ago, a publishing company embarked on a multi-year venture of printing in a hard cover series, the entire collection of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts cartoons.  This collection contains over 20 volumes each covering a two-year period of the dailies and Sunday comics. 

This probably tells far too much about me, I’ve never read War and Peace.  I have neglected much of Shakespeare.  Dickens and I aren’t every close.  I’m not even that friendly with Mark Twain.

But I determined that that collection of comic strips was something I needed to own and I was motivated to read the entire Peanuts collection.  And I did.  You’re looking at a person who has read every single adventure of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Schroeder, Linus, Snoopy, and the rest.  I read them all.  I learned a bit too.  Believe it or not, Charlie Brown didn’t always lose.  He had some great moments over the years.  He successfully took on a bully once and at another time, he even hit a home run. 

Today, though, we’re not here to discuss the theology of Peanuts, if there are any…

I have read the complete Peanuts anthology, but, I never read the Bible in its entirety.

As I thought about this, I started to imagine what St. Peter might say to me at the pearly gates of Heaven one day.

    “Hello Paul.  Welcome.”

    “Thank you.”

    “I see you read the entire story of Charlie Brown and his friends.”

    “Yeah, I especially like the baseball ones.”

    “You read every single comic.” 

    “Yup.”

    “But you never read the Bible.”

    “Ummm.”

    “You invested all that time in cartoon people and never found the time to read the word of God.”

    “Yes.  I suppose you’re right.”

    “Do you think Charlie Brown is on the other side of those gates sitting on a throne with Jesus at his side?”

    “Well, I never really thought of it that way…”

You see, I couldn’t find a way to make that conversation go very well in my mind.

So, on this, the last day of 2023, I am proud to say right here, to all of you, that a few days ago, I finished reading The Bible.  In 2023, I read the whole thing.

I did it.

Now I just have to wonder if St. Peter is going to ask me which volume of works I liked better… Peanuts or The Holy Bible…

It’s the Bible, don’t worry.

(Although the baseball cartoons in Peanuts are very good…)

Last year, just before the new year of 2023 dawned, I was made aware of an on-line program, it turns out there are many, that breaks the Bible into passages, from Genesis to Revelation, in order, in just the right amount, to allow a person with daily readings, usually of about ten minutes or so, to completely read the Bible in one year.  I followed such a program and completed the Bible the other day.  (I couldn’t wait to get to the end so I read a few chapters ahead of time). 

It’s interesting, though, in addition to learning a lot spiritually and historically, and finding many many passages for my journal, I also learned that some people believe that there is a right way and a wrong way to read the Bible. 

A few weeks ago as I was talking about this with a friend and he commented on how challenging the King James version is.  I had to laugh. 

I didn’t read the King James Version.

The on-line program I used allowed the reader to choose between many different Bibles.  Sometimes I’d compare how a number of different versions told the same story, but, for the most part, I read from the English Standard Version and, I am not ashamed to admit, they even had what is known as the Easy English Bible.  Yeah, I read from that on many occasions, especially when I got immersed in some of the most challenging parts of the Old Testament.

And, lest anyone think that I didn’t need help in this, I also watched on-line videos from a source called The Bible Project that explained each book of the Bible in detail before I began reading each of the many books.  In that way, I had a study guide of sorts with me at all times.

But reading something each day isn’t easy.  Our lives are busy.  We all have much to think about.  So, while I read the words, I didn’t always embrace them.  I didn’t always understand them and, probably more often than I care to admit, my mind wandered and I didn’t take it all in. 

I greatly enjoyed the first books, what the Jewish people would call the Torah.  Many of the most famous Old Testament stories are there.  The Psalms were good, but I don’t always enjoy poetry so much.  I never read Walt Whitman or Emily Dickinson or the collected works of Robert Frost. 

I enjoyed Proverbs very much.  I love the stories in the Gospels.  But, all together, it was somewhat of a mixed bag.  Ezekiel was tough.  I also seemed to never end.  And some of those minor prophets in the Old Testament, well, to me at least, they all kept telling some of the same stories.  With the Good News coming, I’ll admit, I just couldn’t wait for the Old Testament to end.

To get through the Old Testament took me more than nine months.  The New Testament, Matthew’s Gospel, didn’t start until October 10^th.  Yeah, the Old Testament is long.

But I made it, from the first day until the last.  I read the Bible.

I learned a lot.  My faith grew and grew and it grows even today, even as I share all of this with you.

I filled my journal with many passages.  I even made an index. 

I found a passage, last week, in Jude that I really love:

God is able to keep you safe so that you continue to trust him. One day you will stand in front of him and you will be very happy. God will bring you to that place and you will be completely good. You will be able to stand near to God, who shines with beautiful light.  He is the only God. He is the one who saves us because of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we praise him! We say that he is very great! He rules with power and authority. This has always been true. It is true now, and it will be true for ever. Amen!

But, the most amazing part of that journey brings me right back to where this whole sermon began…

Today is the day when we close 2023 and look forward to 2024.  Today is the day when we reflect on our past year and look forward to a new one.

It’s on the last day of the year that we might celebrate our New Year’s Resolutions that we succeeded in maintaining and when we set our sights to the new day that tomorrow brings as well as the new hopes for us to find ways to be our better selves.

I set a goal that I completed.  I kept my new year’s resolution and read the Bible.

But I realized, as I took that journey that this wasn’t one that I needed to travel only once.  It is one I need to visit again and again.

I have a New Year’s Resolution that I plan to follow in 2024. 

I plan to read the Bible from cover to cover.

Yes, I need to do it again.  I need to re-read all that I loved and I need to give those difficult passages another good long look.  I need to hear God’s message as told through many.  I need to learn the lessons.  I need to understand, even more, what the whole thing is all about.

I understand the big picture – God loves us and that he sent his one and only son to Earth to teach us and to help us understand.  I know that the Old Testament sets the groundwork for the glory of the new word, of the life of Jesus, and of the new covenant – the one we worship today and always. 

But there is so much more.  There’s too much to understand in one long reading.

I’m certain that I got whatever deeper meanings there were in the Peanuts strips when I took that journey.  I don’t need to do that again.

And I don’t ever need to re-read Moby Dick.

But I do need to re-read the Bible.

I’ll start my new journey there tomorrow.

And I’m pretty certain that this new habit is one that I’ll continue each year for the rest of my life.

I’m not sure I’ll ever understand it all.

And I’m not sure I’ll ever stop daydreaming or losing focus in some of the most difficult parts, but maybe, through repetition I’ll better understand.

These are God’s words meant for us.  I plan to engross myself in those words and stories and messages always.

I can’t say that I’ll accomplish this next year, but maybe, one of these years, I’ll even try my hand at the King James version. 

Maybe.

God willing…

Amen.

Here is the sermon as I delivered it: