Reflections for 10/3/10

"They ask, What is Jesus saying to us through the Scriptures and our daily lives? There is an opportunity to share faith experiences. It's non-academic; it's non-Male; it's non-clerical. It's much more homey and folksy; it's much more alive, even if it's also harder to control. But that shouldn't be our main concern, should it?"(R.Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 328)

One of the first times I was invited to lead a bible study after being ordained, I tried to lead it in a way that invited them to read and share what the Bible was saying to them. The groups initial response was to balk. This was not what they were used to. They said that the priest had come in and told them what the text meant, defined Greek words, etc. In short, filled their minds with all kinds of academic stuff. I said okay, I could do that, however, did they really want to have left wing liberation theological reading of scripture? I could make them all good ideological liberals if that's what they wanted, or we could try the way I had originally wanted.
After a couple of minutes to ponder what I had just said, they decided that reading the bible together and discussing where it touched their lives and resonated with their experiences might be more interesting.

I do find that it is far more interesting as a teacher and even as just a participant to get to share what the passage says to me. Is it good to know what others have said in the past? Certainly. But for the Bible to be a living document, one that touches hearts and invites growth, it needs to be in conversation with our lived experiences.

I will say that sometimes the conversation goes off onto interesting tangents. That sort of uncontrollable that Rohr speaks of. But I find that just as enjoyable. It's even more fun to find what took us down that train of thought to begin with.

While I still enjoy reading the Bible on my own. I get so much more out of it, when talking about it with others.

Blessings,
Ed