Reflections for 12/16/10

"When we see what the gospel demands of our lives, we may not even want to understand it."(R.Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 21)

One of many things that I love about reading the Bible is how I usually will find something new or understand a text in a new way. This is of course because the world in which I live, move and have my being changes. What's going on in my life at the time dramatically impacts what scripture says to me. What might not have been a challenging text 20 years ago, might be just what I need to be confronted by now. Perhaps that's why we say it is a "living word."

I'm also fascinated by how others see scripture and apply it to their lives. The best bible studies for me are the ones where there is a lot of sharing about the text and not me or some other leader telling folks what it means. Another part that's fascinating is to see what people think is truly important in scripture. What are the verses they feel are the be all and end all. That their salvation completely rests on. I then love to point them to some parts of the bible that might actually have something to say to them, and then they don't want the bible telling them what to do. By the way, its usually the ones about money.

Most of us probably would run the other way if confronted by all of scripture and not just the parts we like. Perhaps that's why scripture tells that we fall into the arms of a merciful God.

Blessings,
Ed