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And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.
Revelation 22:17
The Last Words of the Bible
Several friends and parishioners have mentioned to me in the last month that they are trying to read the whole Bible “from cover to cover”. I am delighted that people are willing to encounter God’s Word. We do well to remember that for centuries, possession of Biblical texts by laity was a crime punishable by death. Owning and using a Bible are gifts that the heroes of the Reformation gave to us, sometimes at great peril to themselves.
Reading the Bible requires some preparation and intentionality. Please allow me to make some suggestions about how to approach reaching Holy Scripture.
(1) The Bible is not a novel. It is a library. You wouldn’t walk into a library and “read it” from start to finish. Reading a cookbook from start to finish would give you a lot of recipes, but not a menu.
(2) The Bible was, for the most part, an oral document designed to be heard. It’s okay to read it out loud. Listening to it or reading with a friend is great.
(3) There were certainly dozens of “authors and editors” of the text we have. Don’t expect one single viewpoint, even within a single book.
(4) Find a modern translation with some commentary. Your family’s King James Version is a noble document, but the translation is more than 400 years old. We’ve learned a lot since 1611 and unless you can read Shakespeare without notes, you won’t get much from the text. Sundays, we read the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). The English Standard Version (ESV) and the Christian Standard Version (CSV) are good alternatives.
(5) Biblical authors didn’t use Chapters & Verses. Chapters were added 800 years later, and verses didn’t get settled until the 16th century. They can help you find things, but don’t get too hung up on them.
(6) Choose one book of the Bible and read up on why it was written, by whom and to whom. A good map, a timeline and a sense of the larger context can help. Bronze Age Israel and Roman Palestine are millennia apart!
(7) Remember to Pray before and after reading. Doesn’t have to be elaborate, just acknowledge that the Holy Spirit reads with you.
(8) Choose to look for God’s love. God loves the world; God cares for the world and in the end God will gather the world in love.
I treasure the opportunity to talk about the Bible. Let me know what you are reading this summer and what questions and insights you encounter. God’s Word is a free gift. Open it and receive the water of life!
Peace,
Mark +
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
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