Reading the whole Bible out loud for the New Year

There are many different ways to celebrate the New Year. Some have raucous parties, others travel to Times Square, still others sit quietly at home with family. But one church celebrated by reading the entire Bible out loud from cover to cover. The whole reading took 72 hours.

The “Take Up the Sword” event is more of a relay than a marathon. Reading is nonstop, 24 hours a day. Members, one at a time, read in one-hour shifts. Some couples split the time equally, sharing passages. The experience encompasses generations, from 20-year-old readers to those in their 80s.

Pastor Tom Miller kicked off the event at 10 a.m. Thursday with the words of Genesis 1:1. It ends with a 22-person reading of Revelation during the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service — one reader for each chapter.

Remember this, the next time you feel too tired to read thru one chapter of First or Second Corinthians.