Search Results

What comes to mind when you think about the word Apocalypse? I suspect for many of us, we think about catastrophic world ending events like we sometimes see in movies. But is this the right use of the word from a Biblical perspective? What is a Biblical Apocalypse and what is Jewish Apocalyptic literature? What does understanding this unique genre of writing contribute to our reading of the Bible? Watch Episode 19 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media 🡪 https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch When we read the book of Revelation or the visions described in Daniel, we usually end up talking about ‘the’ apocalypse. However, I think it’s more appropriate to talk about ‘an’ apocalypse when we’re engaging with the style of writing that is Jewish Apocalyptic Literature. This style of writing is densely packed with vivid images and metaphors which are meant to help us make sense of complex heavenly realities. This is very similar to the ways in which God speaks to us in other parts of the Bible like in the psalms and wisdom literature. Apocalypses also tend to lean toward being prophetic. For example, a very strong argument can be made that the apocalypses in Daniel prophesied the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Likewise, parts of John’s apocalypse in Revelation seem to prophecy about the end times. Because of this it makes sense that we tend to read parts of Revelation as being about a specific event at the end of time. However, there are also elements in Revelation which address the situation of the Church in John’s context, and still more which seem to look backward through history. In both Daniel and Revelation, we are told that what is being described is a vision from God. These visions help us to see history from God’s perspective and they reveal how God has been and continues to be involved in the unfolding of it. I think it’s also fair to say that these visions are intended to help us interpret our past, present, and future by taking God’s unique perspective into account. Where we might get into trouble is when we start reading these texts as a roadmap which we can use to predict how specific events will unfold before Christ’s return. When this happens, we can become distracted from our mission in the world which is to herald the Kingdom of God. I think these visions are best understood as opportunities for us to trust God. Specifically, to trust that God is in control of history and while we are given glimpses of what’s to come, we still see through the glass darkly this side of Heaven. This is part of the repeated theme found throughout Scripture of God inviting us to trust Him and His wisdom. The question remains, will we? I want to thank you for taking this journey through The Bible Projects “How To Read The Bible” series with me. I hope it has been a fruitful experience for you. I have certainly enjoyed preparing these reflections for you. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-10 (NIV)

Nowadays, when we want to send someone a letter, we turn on a computer or pull out a smartphone and start typing. In a world powered by email, I wonder how many of us still write or receive letters through the mail? Even so, the style and format of letter writing is still something we all understand. How did letters in the first century differ from today and what can we learn about how to read the New Testament Letters by reflecting on their Literary Context? Watch Episode 18 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch The first valuable insight here is that letters were extremely valuable in the first century. Letter writing was a process that took time and resources. Additionally, without a dedicated postal service, sending a letter came with its own list of very practical and yet significant expenses. For example, there were professional letter writers called scribes who could be hired to produce the letter. Then, letters would be sent with trusted couriers who would carry them to their destinations. These couriers would need to be provisioned for the journey and compensated for their efforts. Because of the associated expenses, letters would often be written with the intention of being ‘circulated’ along a travel route. Since making copies would be an additional expense, the courier would ‘deliver’ the letter at each stop along the journey by reading it aloud to the recipient communities. If a letter was deemed important enough by those communities, they would commission a scribe to make a copy so that the letter could be saved or shared with communities who weren’t on the courier’s travel route. The fact that the New Testament Letters survived is a testimony to how valuable they were to the Christian communities who received them since many copies were made for distribution and preservation. A second valuable insight is that first century letters were meant to be read publicly. This stresses the importance of reading each of these letters from beginning to end. At the very least, we need to consider any portion of a letter within the context of the whole. Finally, it’s important to recognize that the standard format of letter writing in the 1st century is different than what we’re used to today. First century letters can more accurately be understood as discourses, a type of intellectual argument like a research paper. Often, the introduction of the letter will contain a clue (or key) to what the letter is intended to argue. Likewise, transition words throughout the letter will help you to follow the logic of the argument leading up to its conclusion. You can see that we still use transition words today by reviewing this reflection. Words like ‘because,’ ‘finally,’ and ‘for example’ helped me to structure this small ‘letter’ for you today. When you read a New Testament Letter, take your time, and read it through from beginning to end. Watch for clues to the authors argument early on and then follow their argument by attending to the transition words along the way. Appreciate what it cost to have that letter produced and the journey it has taken to get to you today.

It’s unusual to read someone else’s mail but that’s essentially what we’re doing when we read the New Testament Letters. However, these letters were written to the Church and since we’re also part of the Church maybe they’re written to us too. What do we need to know about the New Testament Letters to help us understand them better and why are they still so relevant to the Church today? Watch Episode 17 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch When it comes to historical context and the New Testament Letters, Tim points out three important aspects, or layers of context that are worth paying attention too. The first aspect is that of the authors themselves. The apostles were the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ ministry and the first followers to be commissioned by Jesus to go out and spread the gospel. They received Jesus’ message directly and they also received His Spirit to guide and inspire them as they grew the Church. This also means that the apostles were uniquely positioned to act as heralds of the Kingdom. They were adept at explaining why the Kingdom was better than the current situation and they were passionate about inviting others to become its citizens. The second aspect is that of the Roman culture in which the early church was developing. Situating the letters within their cultural context helps to add colour to the edges of what these letters address. It also helps us to make the reasonable assumptions which the author would have expected his audience to make at the time. In addition, the ability to contrast the Kingdom with the surrounding culture also highlights how different the Kingdom truly was. I think this perspective is especially valuable to the Church coming out of Christendom. Consider that in the West, cultural values looked like kingdom values for so long that we’re not sure how to stay relevant as the two sets of values drift apart today. As such, the Church can learn a lot from these letters by recognizing that our context is becoming more like that of the first century. The Third aspect is the situational context of the letter. Essentially, what issues or questions were the letters specifically being written to address? These letters were written to address a wide variety of issues about belief and practice for members of Jesus’ Kingdom. As such, they are a significant source of theology and instruction offered in the context of very real issues and questions being faced by the early Church. The Church faces similar issues and questions today and these letters can help us navigate them too. Importantly, these letters were written to clarify the theology and practice of the Church and they were written by authors who had received Jesus’ teaching directly and who were being guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit. This combination of apostolic authority and divine inspiration is a large part of why they were included in the Bible that we still read today.

Typically, when we want to learn about something we go to school to study it. We usually learn from a teacher who we expect to teach us in a very straightforward way with an emphasis on the established facts and theories. Jesus was also a teacher, but his teaching methods were different even by today’s standards. Jesus' preferred method of teaching was through stories and parables. What is a parable and why did Jesus teach using them? How does knowing about parables help us to read them better? Watch Episode 16 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media 🡪 https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch Parables are a lot like poetry in their use of metaphor to communicate layers of meaning and in their use of imagery to tell a story. Parables invite us to use our imaginations as we learn, they invite us to think outside the box. Parables are also stories and stories are an important method for transferring ideas, values and meaning because they appeal to the common experiences of people. For this reason, parables are capable of transcending both time and culture as teaching tools and this helps to explain why Jesus’ parables are still so valuable to his followers even today. On the other hand, the meaning of a parable may not always be self-evident, and it may need to be unpacked to discover the teaching within. This was the case with Jesus’ parables and often we see that it was difficult for people to understand them. Even Jesus’ own disciples needed Him to explain His parables to them. So, why did Jesus teach in parables? Jesus taught in parables to invite and encourage his followers to be discerning. He wanted to break them out of the patterns of thinking that were common in their context. Patterns that were informed by religious and cultural forces which had nothing to do with God’s revelation of Himself through the Scriptures. Essentially, Jesus wanted to challenge their view of God, what God values, and the ways that they were responding to Him. He wanted them to think differently about God than they had been taught by the religious leaders and the culture of their day. His parables pointed them toward the reality of who God is rather than who they had made Him out to be. Shifting contexts, what does this mean for us today? Consider that we have the benefit of seeing Jesus’ ministry from beginning to end and so we may think that His parables have nothing left to teach us, that we have it all figured out. It’s also possible that like the original audience, we have slipped into patterns of thinking which are more about what we bring to the text than what the text intends to teach us. The question then remains, will we let Jesus’ parables challenge our way of thinking and correct our perspective of who God is, what God values, and how we ought to respond to Him?

The word Evangelion or Gospel means Good News and the Bible has four books which are commonly referred to as Gospels. These books were written by different authors but they all tell an exceptional story about an exceptional person named Jesus. Why are there four Gospels and what do we need to know about them to help us understand why they’re ‘good news’ for the original audience and for us today? Watch Episode 15 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch The Gospels were written in a particular style which it is helpful for us to understand as we read them. This style is called Ancient Biography and ancient biographies were not concerned with presenting an ordered account of someone’s life the way that modern biographies do. Instead, an ancient biography was organized to specifically communicate why someone was exceptional and worth taking notice of. It’s essentially an argument designed to convince the reader that the subject is worthy of admiration or even imitation. As such, recognizing what the authors' arguments for the exceptionality of Jesus are can help us make sense of the gospel accounts we’re reading. Being aware of the author's intended audience can also help us to recognize the arguments being presented and to know why certain details are given emphasis by one author and little or no emphasis by another. In addition, understanding the genre of ancient biography helps us to understand why the four gospels are so unique despite being about the same person. It’s because each gospel was written to tell us something different about who Jesus is instead of simply recording the details of his extraordinary life. When we study a particular passage within one of the gospels, it’s helpful to appreciate where it fits in the larger argument being put forward by the author. This is why I tend to agree with Tim that the gospels have way more to offer when they are read from beginning to end as mentioned in the video. Stepping back even further, reading the gospels in the broader context of Scripture also helps us to see why these books about Jesus were truly ‘good news’ for the original audiences and for us. Looking back over this series can help to highlight some of those reasons: It’s because Jesus is the ultimate intervention of God into our story (Part 2). It’s because Jesus is the hero we long for as we read through the Old Testament story (Part 5). It’s because Jesus is the character that we can and should model our lives on (Part 6). It’s because Jesus is the one who challenges or exceeds our expectations (Part 7). It’s because Jesus is the focal point of the tapestry of God’s redemption plan (Part 8). The gospels are also ‘good news’ because they invite us into the world transforming work of Jesus which he called the Kingdom of God, and I believe the arguments of all four authors are designed, at least in part, to persuade and equip us for participation in advancing that Kingdom.

Solomon is credited with writing a significant chunk of the wisdom literature in the Old Testament. This should come as no surprise since God blessed Solomon with Wisdom. You can read the story about it in 1 Kings 3:1-15. How should we understand The Books of Solomon and what does the wisdom of Solomon contribute to our reading of the Bible today? Watch Episode 14 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media HERE! The Books of Solomon are commonly understood to be Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs and while these are largely attributed to him it is not entirely clear whether Solomon himself wrote them down. As suggested in the video, these books pick up on a biblical theme we have already discussed in this series. Specifically, the choice offered to mankind at creation and throughout the movements of history recorded in the Bible; Will we trust in God’s wisdom and enjoy the blessing that it brings, or will we trust in our own wisdom? Let’s see what Solomon can teach us. The Book of Proverbs is primarily a collection of wise sayings. Many of these are not unique to Scripture and can be found in other ancient texts as well. In Proverbs, Solomon has compiled them, almost certainly added some of his own, and likely improved on others of value. It can be argued then, that Proverbs records the best of human wisdom. All the stuff that we’re able to observe or intuit from a divinely ordered creation and our experience of it. It’s the stuff which has been proven across time and cultures to enrich our lives and our relationships if it’s understood and applied well. However, as the teacher will show us in Ecclesiastes, the best of human wisdom is still just hevel or vapor. Ultimately, it will not satisfy us. The teacher argues that this is because the best of human wisdom is only a shadow of the wisdom of God. God’s wisdom does infinitely more than just enrich our lives and relationships, it perfects them, and we were designed to live in relationship with His wisdom. This point is driven home in the teacher’s conclusion; “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” (Eccl. 12:13) Song of Songs explores the relationship between us and God’s wisdom by using vivid imagery to describe a passionate romance between two lovers. Song of Songs is intended to show us that only in the passionate embrace of God’s wisdom will we find our ultimate satisfaction and fulfillment. I think Proverbs 9:10 serves as a helpful key to the wisdom of Solomon. In it we read that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” This captures the essential components of Solomon’s teaching in the concepts of fearing God and being in relationship with Him. The lesson here is that ultimately, it’s God who knows how all the pieces of His creation and of us fit together. It would be wise for us to trust His wisdom as we live our lives under the sun. Side Note: Notice that in Song of Songs, it’s wisdom which pursues us. For me, this is a picture of the whole redemptive story of the Bible. In our brokenness and rebellion, it’s God who pursues us and makes it possible for us to be in relationship with Him. Now that’s good news.

When we think about The Law, we tend to think of it in terms of rules that limit or define our behaviour. However, reading The Law in this way leads to some significant problems for Christians and the Church. Two significant problems are legalism and judgmentalism. How can we read and understand The Law in a more meaningful way today so that it becomes liberating for the Christian and a blessing to the world around us? Watch Episode 13 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media 🡪 https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch The Law exists as part of the grand story of the Bible and when we treat it simply as a behaviour manual or as a set of rules, we are actually taking it out of context. Taken in context we get a very different sense of what The Law was designed to do for Israel when it was given and what it still does for us as Christians today. In the video, the presenters identify two primary purposes of The Law within the story of the Bible. First, that The Law provides instructions on how to live in right relationship with God and Second, that The Law serves as an invitation to trust in God’s wisdom and live under His authority. There are three main types or categories within The Law which help us to understand their purpose for Israel. The first category is the Moral Law which taught Israel about God’s holiness and highlighted their own unholiness. The Moral Law defined right and wrong for Israel according to God’s wisdom and character. The second category is the Ceremonial Law which helped Israel to deal with their unholiness so that they would have the opportunity to live in right relationship with God. It also served to set Israel apart from the surrounding nations as a people specifically chosen and called out by God. The third category is the Civil Law and it served to provide the Israelites with contextually appropriate guidelines on how to live in relationship with each other and with their neighbours. So, how should we understand and apply The Law today as Christians? Have you ever wondered why so many Christians stand firm on the Moral Law while seemingly abandoning the Ceremonial and the Civil Laws? Let’s dig in for a minute together. Firstly, Christians dispense with the requirements of the Ceremonial Law because of Jesus. Since Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law in dealing with our sin, He has completely restored the relationship between us and God. The evidence of this is the Holy Spirit present in the believer. Secondly, Christians dispense with the Civil Law because much of it fails to speak directly to our modern context. However, the principles underneath the Civil Law are timeless and Jesus affirms them often in His teaching. Jesus summarizes them in the Great Commandment when he tells His followers to “love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) Finally, Christians affirm the Moral Law because it reveals God’s holiness to us just as it did to Israel. Through the Moral Law God defined right and wrong according to His wisdom and character. Like Israel, we are invited to trust in that wisdom and the character of God as we live in obedience to the Moral Law. The important distinction for Christians as we read and understand The Law is that because of Jesus, we no longer live under its condemnation. Rather, we live in submission to The Law because of our love for the lawgiver. Jesus affirms this in the Great Commandment as well when he tells His followers to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) When you read The Law, it can be helpful to think about the three categories as you try to make sense of it. It’s also helpful to remember, as you examine how to apply it in your own life, that our posture toward The Law has changed because of Jesus.

The section of the Bible which is referred to as The Prophets is a compilation of books that reflect the lives of fifteen people who were specifically called by God to speak to Israel on His behalf during the Old Testament period. What do we need to know about The Prophets that will help us read and understand the books that bear their names? Watch Episode 12 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media 🡪 https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch What is a Prophet? Tim points out that the way we might immediately think of them is something like a fortune teller. Someone who predicts the future. However, this image reflects more about our own culture than that of the Israelites. Some images that I think do a better job of capturing the concept of a Biblical prophet are that of a divinely inspired messenger or a divinely appointed advocate. I like these images because the major task of the prophets was to deliver God’s word to his people and to remind them of the covenant relationship they participate in with God. There are some other things we should consider when we read The Prophets as well. For instance, the prophets are each called to speak to specific times and circumstances in the life of Israel. It’s important for us to recognize this contextual component when we read their words. On the other hand, each prophetic word from God is still useful to us as we seek to understand his nature and character. Therefore, the Prophets are also helpful in discerning God’s will for the people that live in relationship with him in any period. Scholars also believe prophecies bear multiple fulfillments throughout history as well. This seems to be accomplished in part by the common use of hyperbole in prophetic texts. The Day of the Lord is a great example of this. Often, a prophecy about The Day of the Lord will include a warning of judgement against present circumstances and a future hope expressed with poetic imagery on a cosmic scale. Because The Day of the Lord is characterized by God’s judgement of present circumstances we can usually point to specific times when Israel was indeed judged as the fulfillments of this prophecy. The periods of exile are great examples of this. Likewise, we can read about the prophetic words of future hope and restoration surrounding The Day of the Lord and point to specific fulfillments when Israel was restored to Jerusalem and to the promised land. We also know that there is a final judgement and an eternal hope on a cosmic scale which these prophetic words point us toward. Thus, the prophecy about The Day of the Lord bears multiple fulfillments and the imagery used to describe it is flexible enough to encompass all of them. The use of hyperbole then is a good indicator that a prophecy is meant for more than just the original audience. We should neither dismiss its use as exaggeration or necessarily take it as a literal representation of events past or present. Instead, we should hold these two extremes in tension as we wait on Him.

The Book of Psalms is the largest collection of poems in the Bible, and it can feel a bit overwhelming to leaf through its many pages and chapters. What do we need to know about the Book of Psalms that will help us read and understand the poetry it contains? Watch Episode 11 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media 🡪 https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch There are a couple of interesting points to reflect on in this video. First, the People of God wrote lots of psalms. Some of these were designed for corporate worship and others for personal devotion, reflection, and teaching. Some were written for times of rejoicing and others for times of sorrow. The Book of Psalms contains a variety of these different types and it’s helpful to be aware of which type of psalm we’re reading as we seek to understand its meaning. Second, the Book of Psalms is a collection of psalms but doesn’t contain all of them. For instance, David is thought to have written hundreds of psalms but only a portion of these are included in this book. This suggests that the compilation of the Book of Psalms was done intentionally and therefore its contents and structure are meaningful to how we read and understand Psalms. The five-part structure identified in the video is useful in this and I would encourage you to review it. Third, the Book of Psalms was compiled for a people in exile. The Israelites in exile could read the psalms and find in them the capacity to draw near to God while living in a foreign land without the temple. The parallel for us as a people who belong to the Kingdom yet remain foreigners in the world is compelling. This suggests that the Psalms are also beneficial to us. Just as Israel was waiting for the Messiah and the restoration of Jerusalem, we are also waiting for the Messiah to return and to usher in the New Jerusalem. Finally, the Book of Psalms is meant to be meditated upon. When you read the poetry contained within, take your time. Many people find it beneficial to pray their way through a psalm. To do this, read through a psalm slowly, line by line, and invite the Holy Spirit to guide your meditation as you allow the words of the psalmist to form the outline of your prayer. I think the lesson here is that the Psalms aren’t just for the people of Israel, they’re for the people of God. This means they’re also for you and for me.

Last time, we looked at how Biblical Poetry speaks to our hearts by employing certain structural design elements. What more can we learn about the poetry found in the Bible by examining the use of metaphor and how should we understand the metaphors Biblical poems contain? Watch Episode 10 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media 🡪 https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch Metaphors help us to make sense of and communicate intangible feelings and concepts by connecting them with the tangible elements of our lived experience in the world. They help us to make sense of our lived experience. Metaphors are also highly cultural since they appeal to the common experience and language of the communities in which they arise. Therefore, some Biblical metaphors may not make sense to us today unless we first unpack their meaning to the original audience. This is an area where Bible commentaries can be extremely helpful to us when we read Scripture. Another way to interpret metaphors in the Bible is to look at how the same metaphors are employed in other parts of Scripture. An excellent example of this is offered in the video regarding the metaphor of the sea in Scripture. The video also points out the role that the narrative portions of Scripture play in informing the metaphors found in Biblical poetry. Likewise, the metaphors found in Biblical poetry can deepen our understanding of the narrative portions. This reinforces the need to not only read Scripture but to meditate on it as well. Finally, a metaphor can be interpreted by observing the self-evident characteristics that connect a subject to the metaphor being used. Essentially, looking for the parts that overlap. I think it's valuable to consider all these things as we read Biblical Poetry and as we encounter the metaphors employed therein.

Poetry is another significant literary style in the Bible. In our reflection on Literary Styles in Part 3 we characterized Biblical Poetry as the language of the heart. What do we need to know about the style of poetry found in the Bible that will help us to read the Bible well? Watch Episode 9 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media 🡪 https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch Tim makes an interesting point about how most of God’s speech in the Bible appears as poetry. I think this speaks to the power of poetry to communicate the things of God to us. It suggests that what we cannot fit into a box of human logic, God invites us to experience through feelings and emotions and His chosen vehicle for doing this is poetry. As is typical of Biblical literary styles, the poetry we find in the Bible is different from that of modern-day poetry. Therefore, it’s important that we understand the unique aspects of Biblical poetry that can help inform our reading of it. As an example, in the video Tim talks about the use of Couplets which are paired lines of verse that typically introduce a thought in the first line and then complete, contrast or deepen that thought in the second line. Tim points out that Biblical poetry is designed to cause us to slow down and ponder the meaning of the text. This is also why sometimes we find poetry in the middle of a good narrative section of Scripture. The poetry helps to reinforce what the story is telling us. It is the author's way of making sure the reader gets the message. I love the image of the multi-faceted diamond used in the video as well. The poetry of the Bible is densely packed with meaning which we can learn to appreciate by reading, re-reading, and pondering over a text. Biblical poets use structural devices like refrains, chiasms, symmetry and inclusios to help create that density in much the same way that design patterns are used in Biblical narratives. I think the takeaway here is that Biblical poetry is designed to “ignite our imaginations through vivid verbal artistry.” It speaks to our emotions and experiences and begs to be understood through the heart more than the intellect.

So far, we’ve looked at Plot, Character, and Setting in relation to Biblical Narrative. There is another component which needs attention though and it’s called Design Pattern. Design Patterns are made up of repeated themes that help create intentional patterns which also communicate meaning to us as readers. What can we learn about how to read the Bible by looking at some of the Design Patterns that tie Biblical Narratives together? Watch Episode 8 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading. Get access to RightNow Media 🡪 https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/innerkippresbyterianchurch One of the most valuable things about discovering design patterns in Biblical narrative is the way that they help us weave together the big story of the Bible and help us unpack what it means for our lives. As you begin to recognize individual design patterns and the way that they get repeated in Scripture, you can start to see how they contribute to the grand narrative design within Scripture. Like a quilt, each individual square is beautiful in its design and can be appreciated on its own merits. Often, there are squares that look the same or only slightly different from each other. When the squares are woven together into a quilt, we gain the perspective to see how each of the squares adds to the beauty and complexity of the overall design. This broader perspective allows us to appreciate the skill with which the quilter has drawn the pieces into a cohesive whole. It’s our ability to appreciate the individual threads and patterns within the tapestry of God’s Word that helps us to see the big picture of God’s plan and his participation in the grand story. I think it's also important to highlight how Jesus sometimes completes and sometimes breaks or transforms the patterns of the Old Testament in order to weave something even more beautiful from them. Tim gives us a great example of this when he explores the pattern related to passing through water. Jesus participates in this pattern at his baptism and later, baptism becomes an important pattern for the church as well. Passing through the waters of baptism remains a symbol of entering into participation in the Christian story for new believers even today. Certainly, design patterns help to emphasize important themes in Biblical narrative. When you read the Bible, watch for the familiar patterns that are present and use them to help you see the bigger picture of what God has done, is doing and will yet do which his Word bears witness too.