The Scripture writing plan for this coming year God willing (2027) is to write out and memorize the Sermon on the Mount. I’m sure we all would have loved to be there, listening to the Lord Jesus describe the character and actions of those who would be his disciples. His teaching was a revolution in the way that people think: to value poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, a peacemaking spirit, and a willingness to be persecuted for his sake. None of these characteristics seem to come naturally to us. If we consider the opposite of these characteristics we might see a picture of what is valued today: pride, a lack of morality, egotism, desire for money and fame, revenge, selfishness and corruption, aggression, and an unwillingness to stand up for or be associated with the things of God.
We need to take the time to be disciples – to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to him. The act of writing has been shown by several studies to increase the ability to remember, and even though many of us may feel that we are not very good at memorizing, may the fact that it is a fabulous exercise for the brain encourage you to give it a try. If the words of Jesus are in your head, even if they are not there perfectly, they will guide you in your own words and actions so that you can become more like him.
Linked with this study is the book Teaching of the Master by L.G. Sargent. It was first published in 1950, and reprinted recently by The Christadelphian Office. This book is available for purchase (links below) or you may be able to find a second-hand copy of it online. It is also available as an e-book (link below) or if you prefer to listen, you can find recordings in a couple places (links below).
The Scripture Writing verse lists will be made freely available on this website in December. There is also a 2027 Planner that is available now that you can purchase from Amazon (links below) if you prefer. I created the planner because I find I am way more successful at completing the study when I am also using it daily to keep track of other things in my life but it is totally possible to use your own notebook if that’s what works for you!
Search for the Teaching of the Master at these bookstores:
United States: Christadelphian Books; Christadelphian Library
United Kingdom: Christadelphian Office
E-book: Christadelphian Office
Audio-book: Youtube; if you subscribe to Renew, it is available as an audiobook on that platform.
Planner links:
Canada: Amazon.ca
United States: Amazon.com
United Kingdom: Amazon.co.uk
I have not included a link to Australia because for some reason it lists it as unreasonably expensive in my opinion. If you have ideas about how to fix this, please let me know.