The Parish of Sandal Magna
St. Helen's and St. Paul's Church
Serving Sandal, Walton and Portobello
in Wakefield UK

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© Sandal Magna PCC 2011

Our Vision for Lent, Easter & Pentecost - Reading the New Testament from Cover to Cover

House Groups will be making plans for what they will be studying during Lent, and to complement this, I would like to encourage every member of the church to set themselves the challenge of reading the New Testament in 90 days.

House Groups will be making plans for what they will be studying during Lent, and to complement this, I would like to encourage every member of the church to set themselves the challenge of reading the New Testament in 92 days.
90 days includes the 40 day period of Lent and the 50 day period from Easter to Pentecost.

We will be giving everyone a plan of daily Bible Readings which take you through the New Testament in chronological order. You can download this at the bottom of the page. You can also use the on-line resources which are linked at the bottom of the page or why not download The Message version of The New Testament from itunes?

Sally and I road-tested this during the 63 days of our sabbatical journey, and it was a complete revelation to us to read the New Testament from cover to cover, and rediscover the truth of this timeless treasure.
You can read it in whatever version you choose, but from our own experience we found it very refreshing to read the new translation called The Message.
As Eugene Peterson who made the translation writes, the Greek language of the N.T. is the informal language of everyday life.
'This version of the New Testament in a contemporary idiom keeps the language of the Message current and fresh and understandable, in the same language in which we do our shopping, talk with our friends, worry about world affairs, and teach our children their table manners. The goal is not to render a word-for-word conversion of Greek into English, but rather to convert the tone, the rhythm, the events, the ideas, into the way we actually think and speak.
It doesn't matter which version you choose; King James, NIV, The Message, but it may be that you would like a change, because it enables you to get a fresh perspective on familiar stories and passages.
With this in mind, I have, in faith, ordered 55 small New Testaments, with Psalms and Proverbs also, for only £5 each, which will be available from the bookstore in St. Helen's. Do let us know if you would like me to reserve you a copy.
Reading the New Testament from cover to cover would help us to continue to work out our Vision for Growing Outgoing Disciples. As we immerse ourselves in the life and teachings of Jesus and the Apostles, we will be encouraged, challenged and changed as the Holy Spirit brings the Word of God alive in our hearts.
Yours in His grace,Rupert