A Bible Revival
Anyone else noticed a Bible Revival lately? It seems to me that more and more people in my little circle of the world are reading the Bible for themselves and discussing its meaning and impact with renewed curiosity and vigor. (I would say "corner of the world" but that seems far too limiting and boxed in.) Many people used the start of the new year as a time to begin reading the Bible from cover to cover, including those of us at Cathedral of Hope. We're reading as an entire congregation with each Wednesday night's sermon as the guide.
One observation so far about this renewed commitment to Bible study in 2006... The opportunity to witness others carrying their worn and weathered Bibles into the sanctuary and opening them up to highlights and curled up pages, is often a huge part of the overall lesson and experience. The fact that the pages are sometimes brittle and curled up on the ends could be attibuted to that particular Bible's placement open-faced next to a sunny window for a year or two, but I choose to believe these pages are weathered because they have been poured over again and again during intense times of study, worship, and reflection. It's inspiring to know that these people have sought God and have encountered God in those pages.
Reading the Bible together is also giving us the opportunity learn things that we might have missed otherwise. During last Wednesday night's sermon, Rev. Piazza spoke about the creation story from Genesis, but rather than break down the story piece by piece, he focused primarily on the first five words of Genesis--"In the beginning God created..." I've flown past that verse a thousand times in my life, thinking I need to hurry up and get into the heart of the story, but Rev. Piazza's hesitancy to do that made me stop and think and wonder what else I might have missed. He stressed the importance of those five words, saying that, among other things, they establish God as eternal, singular, and intricately involved in our existence. He suggested that the rest of the Bible's two thousand pages are rooted in these basic ideas. I hadn't thought of the Bible's opening statement quite that way before.
Reading the Bible as a group isn't about streamlining thought, but about becoming increasingly aware of the ways in which God speaks to, teaches, and uses those around us. Reading as a team doesn't somehow relieve us of individual responsibility, but rather challenges us to hold up our end of the bargain and seek God with at least as much energy as our neighbor with the endless highlights and crumpled up pages. And in the process, not only will we become more educated and enlightened, but perhaps we'll also begin to see the same old principles in a whole new light.
One observation so far about this renewed commitment to Bible study in 2006... The opportunity to witness others carrying their worn and weathered Bibles into the sanctuary and opening them up to highlights and curled up pages, is often a huge part of the overall lesson and experience. The fact that the pages are sometimes brittle and curled up on the ends could be attibuted to that particular Bible's placement open-faced next to a sunny window for a year or two, but I choose to believe these pages are weathered because they have been poured over again and again during intense times of study, worship, and reflection. It's inspiring to know that these people have sought God and have encountered God in those pages.
Reading the Bible together is also giving us the opportunity learn things that we might have missed otherwise. During last Wednesday night's sermon, Rev. Piazza spoke about the creation story from Genesis, but rather than break down the story piece by piece, he focused primarily on the first five words of Genesis--"In the beginning God created..." I've flown past that verse a thousand times in my life, thinking I need to hurry up and get into the heart of the story, but Rev. Piazza's hesitancy to do that made me stop and think and wonder what else I might have missed. He stressed the importance of those five words, saying that, among other things, they establish God as eternal, singular, and intricately involved in our existence. He suggested that the rest of the Bible's two thousand pages are rooted in these basic ideas. I hadn't thought of the Bible's opening statement quite that way before.
Reading the Bible as a group isn't about streamlining thought, but about becoming increasingly aware of the ways in which God speaks to, teaches, and uses those around us. Reading as a team doesn't somehow relieve us of individual responsibility, but rather challenges us to hold up our end of the bargain and seek God with at least as much energy as our neighbor with the endless highlights and crumpled up pages. And in the process, not only will we become more educated and enlightened, but perhaps we'll also begin to see the same old principles in a whole new light.
posted by Jen Austin at 12:05 PM
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