Want to do some focused Bible reading this Advent? Read these verses over the next four weeks. (1) Week 1: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 (2) Week 2: Isaiah 40:3-5 (3) Week 3: Matthew 2:10-11 (4) Week 4: John 3:16-19

Verses to read as we prepare to recognize Good Friday, when Jesus gave up His life for our redemption. (1) Isaiah 53:5 (NIV): "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed." (2) Matthew 26:39 (NIV): "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'" (3) Mark 15:39 (NIV): "And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, 'Surely this man was the Son of God!'" (4) Romans 5:8 (NIV): "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (5) 1 Peter 2:24 (NIV): "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds, you have been healed."

Ask Pastor: What confuses you most in the Bible?

1. Reading the same verse five times and because you can’t focus. 2. Accidentally opening to Leviticus and closing your Bible for the rest of the week. 3. Buying a new Bible because a fresh start seemed easier than finishing the old one. 4. Opening to a random page, reading one verse, and calling it a quiet time. 5. When your unsaved friend accidentally quotes the Bible but you play it cool. 6. Texting someone a verse because you couldn't keep it to yourself. 7. The first time you read the Bible not because you had to but because you actually wanted to.