Starting yesterday, and for the next couple days, several churches are partnering together to read through the entire Bible at a local park. Straight through. Day and night. Without stopping. Genesis to Revelation.
With the help of volunteers, they recruit even more volunteers to read for 15 minute increments. I became one of the latter volunteers when a friend of mine (remember Kelly, from the branding post below?) became one of the recruiting volunteers. Each recruiter is given a 3 hour period to fill with people to read, and if they can't fill all the slots, or someone is a no-show, the recruiter fills in.
Kelly had been given the noon to three chunk yesterday afternoon and filled it primarily with the college students and other friends that weekly visit his family's ranch. I took the 12:45 to 1pm slot, a convienent time for me to take my lunch. And Sunday, when I signed up for it, I knew that I would be reading Leviticus. Something in my gut just knew.
My gut, though sometimes completely off base, was right on the money this time. When I arrived, I was just in time to start reading from the end of Leviticus 13, all about infectious diseases, proclaiming things clean or unclean, sacrifices to become clean again, mildew in fabrics and houses, and a woman's monthly period. It was quite educational. Did you know, for example, that in order to be declared clean after a disease (and after the requisite minimum 7 day waiting period, and ceremonial bathing), you have to bring 2 doves or pigeons (whichever you can afford) to the priest along with hyssop, a scarlet thread and an epaph of a certain substance? The priest will then kill one of the birds over fresh water, tie the other bird up, then dip the living bird into the dead bird's blood and the fresh water and sprinkle it before the Lord 7 times, ending with a few douses on you? Makes you kind of greatful that we have freedom in and under Christ, doesn't it?
At least I didn't read any faster. After me, my friend Jacque read all about sexual regulations. Good stuff.
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oh wow. I've never heard of a group of people doing that before. Thats very cool. So are people actually there listening to others read the bible at 2 in the morning?
ReplyDeleteI remember someone, you or the costins talking about doing that last year... It's the park right by your work right?
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