Have You Chewed on the Bible Lately?

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

- Collect for Proper 28C

I really like the collect appointed for this Sunday. The Rev. Ann Fraser used it a few weeks ago in our adult formation class to contextualize the great themes of Scripture. The prayer summarizes our belief that the way in which we see the Scriptures forms us to be people of hope in a world that too easily calls us to despair.

The Anglican tradition honors the power of our reason and our long tradition to serve alongside the power of Scripture, forming a sturdy foundation for our faith practice. We do not assume the Bible is a book of prescriptions we use by turning to the correct page when we are in a bind. We assume it is worthy of deep and regular engagement. Often, we find it is best studied in a group.

I’m blessed to gather with small groups of you twice a week as we engage in the communal study of Scripture. We deeply engage in these texts, and I always walk away with a new insight. Some of the people I have the privilege of studying with have been literally marking their Bibles up for decades. We often get a note from a previous study that illuminates our present circumstances.

Inwardly digesting Scripture is to turn ourselves over to the life of the Spirit. When it has truly formed and transformed us, then we are chewing it sacramentally. In the same way we experience the presence of Christ in the consecrated bread and wine, we can experience the life-giving power of Scripture to set us free to serve one another and to become more Christlike.

This sort of communal study and commitment to work things out together is much needed in our world. Too often our public rhetoric cuts off any possibility of mystery and instead divides the world into winners and losers, or polarizing positions that refuse any movement on either side. Reading Scripture in the way our tradition calls us to absorb it is committing to a life that will be outwardly transformed.

If we read, mark, and inwardly digest the truth of God’s love and our connection as God’s beloved children, we cannot imagine ourselves disconnected from the sufferings of this world. We cannot turn a blind eye to people we do not agree with or imagine that God has favorites who deserve privileges that others do not warrant. This is not easy work, and it may feel messy and challenging at times. But when we commit to it, we start to see the world a lot more like I imagine God does.

Peace, Beth+