In my life in the church, I have have always read the Bible. I believe the writers were inspired by the Spirit of God to write their biographies, histories , poetry and letters. When you pick up the Bible, where do you go for inspiration ? Some churches are “ Paul” churches. An early leader in the church, Paul wrote wrote to the communities about what to believe and how to live together.
Some other churches are “ Gospel” churches , where the focus is the first four books of the New Testament and the life of Jesus. Other places read the Psalms , as it is the devotional book of the Jewish and Christian people.
But, the Bible is hard to understand, and it is old. So ,what do read alongside it. I read many novels, and I try to find God in the fiction. Not all writers are Christian, but being a Christian is my orientation. I have read a few Muslim novels from African writers, and they write differently from North American novelists. But what do you read beside your reading of the Bible ?
I write for Rejoice, a Mennonite devotional magazine. We are assigned different Scripture texts and a theme. We are given a week of writing opportunities . I read Richard Rohr’s on-line daily blog. He is a Franciscan priest, who writes from a theological perspective. I have bookmark on my computer , Sacred Space, but I do not use it very often. Earlier in my life, I read the Daily Bread, another devotional guide . Many people read the Bible devotionally , so they might feel closer to God
It is a giant leap from 2000 years ago to today. And as we read the sacred texts, it is really about interpretation. We might say, we read the Bible in a literal way, but none of us are going to give away all of our money and follow Jesus. There is a story from Jesus’s life about a guy who asks what must he do to inherit eternal life. And Jesus tells him to sell all that he has and give to the poor, and then come follow me. When was the last time that any of us did that as a faithful response to Jesus of Nazareth ? We read for meaning and interpretation
Do not only read the devotional material. Read the newspaper, and read history, poetry and novels. Read them next to the Bible. One of the hardest things for Christians is to actually read the text. I am guilty of reading the first few verses, and think that I know what the passage is all about. Read the whole passage, and all the words…slowly
And then let the Spirit move you, and your thoughts, from the time of Christ to today. That is a long journey sometimes . Stay with the Spirit for a few minutes or a an hour or so. Stay with the Spirit as you drive to work. Stay with the Spirit as you play hockey. Stay with the Spirit as you preach your sermon. And stay with the Spirit as you try to live a faithful life.
The writer of the Gospel of John writes, and I read it, “ But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in him. “ ( John 20:31 ) . I am doing all my reading with this in mind. What are you reading ?
Fred Redekop
Ponder Anew 