The Bible, a Cradle

-

 

Schwetz, Ferenc, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commonn

            Luther famously wrote, “The Bible is the cradle of Christ.” This is very crucial for understanding what Lutherans mean when we use the phrase Sola scriptura that is, Word Alone. Some Christians seek to make the Bible into a science textbook (see The Fundamentals by Lyman Stewart) or a rule book for secular governance (for example, John Calvin’s brief theocratic rule of Geneva), but as Lutherans, we believe Scripture testifies to Jesus Christ and is the basis for the teachings of our faith. When we read the Bible, it strikes us a Law and Gospel, naming both the reality of Sin in the world and the even greater reality of God’s love for the whole wide world.

            Now, for those who haven’t done a lot of Bible reading, it can be a disorienting experience. That’s because the Bible is not so much a book, but a library. It is a library filled with all kinds of different documents, all describing God’s ongoing faithfulness, each in their own unique way. A deed of sale (Jeremiah), a Government Proclamation (Ezra), a Travelogue (Acts), a Hymnbook (the Psalms), Apocalyptic Literature (Daniel and Revelation), a Cosmic Court transcript (Job), and Poetry (almost every book in the bible) all pointing us to God’s good acts among people.

            In addition to being disorienting, reading scripture can be daunting, especially for people who endeavor to read the entire bible. How do you even do that? The same way you eat an elephant, one bite at a time. If you read about three chapters a day (except Psalm 119, it requires a day unto itself), you’ll have read the whole bible in a year!

            Regular reading of scripture reinforces the Christian story. These days that is incredibly important. You see, since the internet came into wide-spread use, the average American engages with 4,000 stories a day (some as simple as “buy our shampoo and everything will be good in your life”). This glut of stories can swamp the good news about God’s love found in Jesus Christ. Making sure the biblical stories are part of your daily consumption of stories, is vital for a strong faith life.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Table of Contents: Seven Central Things

-
Image
Introduction Intro (Ash Wednesday) The Road to Emmaus Saul on the Road to Damascus A Unified Theory of Lutheranism Today Gathering Gathering at Pentecost (Sun 18 th ) Not Gathering The Art of Gathering Gather in a 3D World How Then Shall We Gather? Gather Prayer Baptism (Jesus + < Jesus Alone)—Galatians 3:23-29 An Emergency Baptism (Sun 25 th ) BEM and Indiscriminate Baptism Baptism in a 3D World What then of Baptism? Baptism Prayer Confession & Forgiveness The 51st Psalm A Shattered Unicorn The Book of Forgiving (Sun 3 rd ) Yup, it really means you are forgiven. How Shall We Confess and Forgive? A Prayer The Word Word, words, joy, judgement Chuckwagon Grace The Bible a Cradle The Word for Now (Sun 10 th ) What is the Good Word? A Prayer Giving Thanks Sanctifying Gratitude I would have been Blind, instead I See Grateful Thankfulness, Now It is Good to Give God Thanks and Praise (Sun 17 th ) A Prayer The Meal R
Read more

Sent Out in Song

-
Image
                The Hymn “The Canticle of the Turning” is a favorite among a whole generation of Lutherans, probably all for vaguely the same reason, it was sung at an especially powerful moment in their life. For me it was sung before my cohort of Young Adults in Global Mission left the Lutheran Center in Chicago to our particular destinations around the world. A one-man band sent us off; if I remember correctly, he was simultaneously playing bagpipes, a harmonica, and drums. He played as all of us excited and anxious young people sang Mary’s song about the transformation of the whole world on account of her son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. It was the song that sent us out into the world to join in that mission. In my case that song sent me to an 850-year-old English abbey converted into a retreat centre where I cleaned rooms, taught kids archery, and served booze to Anglican Bishops.               I think that song was sung in LTSP’s chapel the night I and 11 other seminarians found ou
Read more

I would have been blind, instead I see

-
Image
                At my last annual eye exam, my optometrist suggested that I see a specialist; she thought something looked a little off, but 90% of the time what she saw wasn’t a problem. So, I went to an ophthalmologist, completely chill—there is a 90% chance it is nothing. I ran through the eye chart, got a puff test, all the semi-regular stuff that gets done to one’s eye. Then they brought me to a back room and started manipulating my eye with what looked and felt like a spoon and a dental tool.               Next thing I knew there were needles in my eye injecting numbing solution and a big old laser burning the back of my eyes. By the time I went back to the waiting room, I felt like a throw away towel someone used to clean up a flooded muddy basement. 1 in 10. How lucky, I thought.               After three more sessions spaced out over 8 weeks, they’d stabilized my eyes with those lasers, and in so doing they’d saved my eyesight! In fact, if I’d gone to the Ophthalmologist 3
Read more