This Sunday is the 19th of October and also the 19th Sunday after Pentecost. Hey Nineteen!

If you enjoy a bit of biblical numerology, the number 19 is often associated with faith and spirituality. One explanation ties it to the nineteen heroes listed in Hebrews 11, which we will highlight on All Saints Sunday in November.

The number 19 appears in several biblical passages. Joshua 19:38 lists 19 cities in the territory of Naphtali, and 2 Kings 25:8 notes that Jerusalem was burned in the 19th year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.

After Solomon’s death, the united Israelite kingdom was divided into two parts. Nineteen kings and one queen ruled the southern kingdom of Judah. That queen, Athaliah, was a notorious and ruthless ruler who reigned for about six years before Judah fell to King Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon in 586 B.C.

Centuries later, in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered near the Dead Sea. Among them were 19 copies of the Book of Isaiah. Of the ten most frequently mentioned women in Scripture, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is named 19 times.

Even the Hebrew calendar follows a 19-year cycle to determine the timing of God’s annual Feast Days. Certain years include a leap month to maintain harmony between the lunar and solar calendars. It takes 19 days in total to observe all the Feast Days: Passover (1), Unleavened Bread (7), Pentecost (1), Trumpets (1), Atonement (1), Tabernacles (7), and the Last Great Day (1).

So this Sunday, the 19th day of the month and the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, come celebrate your faith with us. Worship begins at 9:30 AM, and we will observe a Service of Healing, Anointing, and Holy Communion.

Let’s make this “Hey Nineteen” Sunday one to remember. No need for a Steely Dan tune, just a song of faith, a touch of healing, and a joyful chorus of praise.

Blessings,

Pastor Marc