Join us on a year long journey into The Life Of Jesus beginning November 28th, 2021.

The life of Jesus has been centermost to Christians for over 2000 years. His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension are central to the faith for believers all around the world. Everything that came before Him is B.C. – Before Christ. All that has come since is A.D. – Anno Domini, a Latin phrase that means, “in the year of our Lord.” Indeed, Jesus is the centerpiece of history.

This study of Jesus’ life provides a means to slow down and spend a year getting to know Him more deeply, more authentically, more intimately. His life is told in the four Gospels of the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This study merges them together into one chronological series of 260 readings, at five readings a week. Sometimes an episode from Christ’s life is told in only one of the four Gospels. Other times it is told in two, three, or even all four of the Gospels. In those instances, the reference for all of the Gospel occurrences is noted.

Now a little reminder. While this is a chronological study of the life of Jesus, nobody can piece together all of the events in Jesus’ life in the exact order they occurred. This study follows a plausible sequence of events. But it is good to remember that the gospel writers weren’t overly concerned with these sequential matters. They had a story to tell. There is great merit to reading each Gospel on its own from beginning to end. But that is for another time. Here, we will attempt to look at the overarching story of the life of Jesus in roughly chronological order.

There are several components to this year-long exploration into Jesus’ life:

1. Daily Scripture Readings – Actually, they are five days a week. Consider reading each weekday to anchor your day in Christ.
2. Daily Devotions – These are written by me and correlate with the daily readings to help you think more deeply about what you are reading.
3. Daily Poems – These are written by my sister-in-law, Rev. Dr. Martha FrizLanger. They will help you imagine Jesus’ story through poetry.
4. Weekly Studies – These studies, written by my colleague Rev. Dr. Ben Greenbaum and others, are great tools for small groups and classes.
5. Weekly Sermons – If you cannot attend worship with us in person, you can always go to FishersUMC.org/resources/sermons to view online.
6. Weekly Podcasts – Ben and I will spend some time each week dialoguing about that week’s readings. 
7. Seasonal Opportunities – There will be varied opportunities for children, youth, and adults to connect with Jesus deeply throughout the year

Throughout my devotions, I use capital letters when referring to Jesus: Son, King, Messiah, His, He, Him, etc.  This sets Jesus apart from other mere humans. An exception is when talking about his relationships (e.g. “Mary’s son”). I do the same for references to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. The hope is that we are all drawn to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in this study as One who is Holy, yet approachable through His kindness and salvation.

All Scripture references are NIV unless otherwise noted.

Enjoy the journey!

Rev. Mark A. Ellcessor
Senior Pastor, Fishers United Methodist Church

volume 1 readings, devotions, poems

Volume 2 readings, devotions, poems

volume 3 readings, devotions, poems

volume 4 readings, devotions, poems

Walk Through Of How To Navigate The Life Of Jesus

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