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We have just started our new sermon series, "Church: We are Family," and each week, the sermon has complementary readings. Most weeks, it will simply be a small book in the New Testament, but this week's readings scatter through the whole Bible.
 Day 1 - GEN 12 Day 2 - ISAIAH 66 Day 3 - MATT 28; JOHN 3:16; 1 TIM 2:3-6
Day 4 - GAL 3 Day 5 - REV 21-22
I wanted to give a little bit of background that I think will help as you read these passages.
Genesis 12 is about God speaking to Abraham. Abraham (Abram at the time) is the father of all the Jewish people. This part of Genesis comes after humanity has chosen it's own way instead of God, and so God is at work with His plan to create a new humanity from all people's of the earth. He chooses Abraham for the primary purpose that Jesus will be a descendant of Abraham. He tells Abraham He will bless the world through His descendants and Jesus is the ultimate answer to that promise.
Isaiah 66 hints at this future blessing where all people groups and nations are blessed.
Matthew 28 is Jesus' commandment to His followers to go tell the good news about Himself to the world, and John 3:16 and 1 Timothy 2:3-6 help us understand God's love for all people and His desire for all people to be a part of this new humanity He's creating.
In Galatians 3, the Apostle Paul helps unpack how Jesus was supposed to come through Abraham and His descendents.
And in Revelation 21-22, it speaks of the futre day when Jesus will restore all things, right all wrongs, and establish His reign forever with his new family.
I hope this helps as you read these Scriptures this week, and my prayer is God transforms us, as a new family, as we encounter Him through His inspired word.
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