How did you do with the questions I asked in my sermon a few weeks ago? Did you open up your Bible to look for answers? Did you find out that Noah’s wife was not named in Genesis? Did you read Psalm 150, at the very end of the Book of Psalms? How many Proverbs are there? Have a look!
Each week I lead two Bible Study classes, and I always look forward to our time together. We read, we learn, we ask questions, as we seek to grow in understanding. I love leading the classes because every time I read a passage in the Bible, no matter how many times I’ve read it before, I always learn something new and find something fresh. That’s God’s Spirit at work, opening my eyes!
Our Wednesday morning class decided last December to make 2008 a “Year With The Bible”. So we all bought copies of “One-Year” Bibles, in which the Bible is divided into 365 daily readings: a text from the Old Testament, a text from the New Testament, a bit of a Psalm, and a Proverb or two each day. Each day’s reading takes about 20 minutes, and we now find ourselves half-way through the entire Bible!
Our Thursday evening group has chosen a more eclectic path this year, combining Biblical texts with articles and books. The past few weeks we took a fascinating journey asking questions about what Jesus means when he speaks of “eternal punishment”. We wanted to ask how we reconcile God’s grace, mercy, and love, with what appears to be unforgiving wrath and torment. We read from theologians and pastors who present a very different perspective from what most of us learned in Sunday School when we were growing up. If you want to learn more, come join us, or just ask!
I devote at least 6 hours of every week preparing for these two classes and then participating in them. It is rich time for me -- time to immerse myself in the Bible, in our Book of Confessions, in thought-provoking articles and books by theologians and other scholars, and in prayer for guidance by the Holy Spirit.
It was Anselm who almost a thousand years ago spoke of “faith seeking understanding” – that even as we take things on faith, we still are filled with a desire to understand, and that as we grow in understanding, we grow in faith. And that understanding comes through questioning, reading, studying, and learning, with our minds open to God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist put it best when he wrote, “The unfolding of your words gives light”. Now: can you find the Psalm that verse comes from!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Skip
