The Bible in 100 Passages - Fourth Presbyterian Church

Before anything else, I need to begin with gratitude: I am so grateful for the gifts and talents of all those who have written devotions throughout this “Bible in 100 Passages” series! The varied styles, reflection, and approaches helped make the devotions far richer than they would have been with a single voice, so my deep thanks to every single writer.

I’m grateful as well for Katrina Buchanan and all the work that she did to compile and edit these devotions, along with occasional reminders to send them in on time. This series couldn’t have happened without her — thanks, Katrina! My thanks as well to Ann Rehfeldt and Rocky Supinger for being thought-partners in how this series was shared and distributed.

I also want to close by extending my sincere thanks to you and everyone who took the time to be a part of this “Bible in 100 Passages” series. Committing to doing anything for over three months is a serious undertaking — so to anyone who has been reading these daily devotions, watching the weekly “Rhythm and Word” videos (or listening to them as podcasts), or coming to the monthly Bible studies: I appreciate the time you’ve invested in this series and hope you’re walking away knowing more about the Hebrew Bible and the world that these texts came from!

I loved to read the Bible when I was growing up, but learning more about the history behind each book — putting myself in the shoes of those writing and compiling these texts, envisioning the pain, hope, worry, creativity, and faith that went into writing them — is what ultimately helped make the Bible feel like God’s living Word to me. If this series has sparked that in you, too, I hope you’ll continue to keep learning and exploring. Even with 100 passages, we were only able to scrape the surface of the complexity contained within these 39 books, and I will readily admit there were plenty of omissions and oversimplifications along the way.

A few folks have asked whether we’ll continue this series. As of right now, the plan is to launch another “Bible in 100 Passages” series in the autumn of 2026, this time focused on covering the entirety of the New Testament. For now, though, I am so grateful to have been on this journey with you all — and hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

To receive these daily readings in your inbox

Sign up to receive the 100 passages in your inbox daily.

To receive weekly reflections on the texts

Sign up to receive Matt Helms’ weekly video reflections on the texts (if you don’t already receive our “Rhythm and Word” Wednesday emails) or subscribe to our YouTube channel).

You can also listen to these weekly reflections via podcast or on multiple podcast platforms.

To join us for a monthly Bible study

A monthly in-person Bible study on these 100 passages is being led by Matt Helms on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in Anderson Hall.

In our October gatherings we discussed the Pentateuch/Torah. You can watch that session here.

• Tuesday, November 4 on the Prophets: register here
• Tuesday, December 2 on the Ketuvim/Writings: register here

A monthly online Bible study on these 100 passages is being led by Nanette Sawyer on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

• Tuesday, October 14 on the Pentateuch/Torah
• Tuesday, November 11 on the Prophets
• Tuesday, December 9 on the Ketuvim/Writings