Bible Sunday, 25 October 2026

On Bible Sunday we'll join with Christians across the world to celebrate the ancient and ever-living gift of Scripture.

It's an opportunity to gather in worship and give thanks for the stories, poems, songs, prayers, letters and wisdom that have shaped generations of disciples and continue to inspire, challenge and surprise us each day.

The Methodist Church has always held Scripture as the primary authority for our theological thinking, interpreted through tradition, reason and experience. As we live a Methodist Way of Life we commit to the Notice station, a call to pay attention to God in the Scripture and the world each day.

Bibles at 3Generate

This biblical orientation continues to thrive in exciting new ways today. Earlier this month, hundreds of children and young people gathered at 3Generate, and each received a free Bible to take away.

It was so heartwarming to see so many of them proudly walking around with their new Bibles tucked under their arms. As Conference heard this year, our young people are hungry to learn more about the Bible and get deeper into it.

As well as the Bibles, the children and young people at 3Generate also received an 'Adventure Book' (see image) containing a whole year's worth of weekly activities based around the lectionary's gospel readings, with reflection questions, prayers and adventures to try.

We pray that they might develop a lasting habit of engaging meaningfully with the good news expressed in the Bible.

Bible Month

Next year will mark the tenth year of Bible Month. Over the years we've dug deep into the books of James, Jonah, Colossians, Ruth, Mark, Isaiah, Revelation, Genesis, John and Philippians. In 2027, we turn to the Psalms.

We'll explore two psalms each week, giving us a snapshot of the whole Psalter and taking us on a journey through the highs and lows of human existence, with God as a faithful companion on the way. Find out more about Bible Month here.

Exploring the Bible in Small Groups

If you'd like to explore the tricky questions about the Bible with a small group, why not try Sunshine and Showers: the Bible's beautiful strangeness?

This six-session course creates space to chew over some of the paradoxes and challenges that we all experience when we read the Bible, including whether or not it is the 'Word of God' and how to handle stories which seem to be more fiction than fact.

There is a free participant journal, together with a series of animation and conversation videos to guide you along.

The Bible can feel overwhelming, confusing and obscure at times. I find that the gospel passage scheduled for Bible Sunday is extremely helpful. It's Matthew 22:34–46, and in it Jesus (rather audaciously) summarises the whole of Scripture, the Law and the Prophets, in a super-simple and easy to remember phrase: love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself.

When you find yourself wrestling to make sense of something in the Bible (for example, the miraculously stripy lambs in Genesis 30:37–39 – look it up), come back to those words of Jesus. It's all, fundamentally, about love.

Happy Bible Sunday!

Andy Fishburne, Discipleship and Faith Formation Officer