SOAKING IN THE WORD

Download this issue

"The holy scriptures are like waters in which a child can wade and an elephant can swim.”

I’ve heard this quote variously attributed: to St. Augustine, Martin Luther, Pope Gregory the Great, St. Gregory of Nazianzus. Of course, great minds think alike, so all could have employed the analogy at one time or another. The point, in any case, is that whether you are a great mind or a dullard, whether you are a brand-new baby Christian or a saintly sage, you can go to the Bible and find something that’s right on your level, something that speaks to exactly where you are living.

Here’s the other thing. Just as the Bible is accessible to all kinds of readers, it can also be accessed by all kinds of approaches. We can study it book by book, word by word, line by line. We can read it for the “big picture” in order to understand the larger sweep of God’s saving story. We can meditate on Scripture, listening for God’s word to us and letting that word move us to contemplation. And we can read theologically, exploring the themes and ideas that run through Scripture.

In the spirit of different people and differing approaches, all four of our adult Christian Education offerings this fall take us “back to the Bible,” but each in a different way. For example, many have enjoyed the summer’s Contemplative Bible Study in which a short passage is read a number of times, slowly and quietly, allowing listeners to discover what God is saying to each of them. Many have told me how meaningful they’ve found this method. One of them is Ernie Cook, who then volunteered to lead a Contemplative Bible Study on Ephesians this fall. If you’ve never experienced it, I encourage you to give the contemplative approach a try.

For those who enjoy a theological approach, Michael Mills is leading a class called “Telling Christian Stories.” It’s about developing a biblical worldview, a Scriptural understanding of reality, based on N.T. Wright’s epic The New Testament and the People of God. Michael is a relative newcomer to St. John’s and holds a Master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. He taught this course previously while serving as a missionary in Sweden. If you enjoy screwing on your thinking cap, this may be the class for you.

The Women’s Bible Study continues this fall with Vestrywoman Lea France facilitating their journey through the entire Bible. Next up is Jeremiah, an intense book by an intense prophet, who calls God’s people back to holiness and faithfulness when the walls were quite literally coming down around them.

And then there’s the class I’m teaching with the help of Michael Brown: the E-100 Challenge. It’s a program by Scripture Union which allows folks to read through the Bible without having to read the entire Bible. Rather, readers focus on the “Essential 100” texts, fifty from the Old Testament and fifty from the New. The class calls for a twenty-week commitment, with daily Scripture readings and reflection questions (completable in ten minutes or so). At the Sunday class, we will pull together themes and theology, showing how it all fits together in Christ.

So jump in! Or wade in, as the case may be. With four different classes, I know there is something for all the different folks who call St. John’s home. I look forward to seeing you on Parish Life Sunday, September 12, where you can sign up for a class or find out more.

Yours in Christ,