Disclaimer: At the request of a few of the congregation, I’m ‘publishing’ the text of my sermon ‘as written.’ I cannot guarantee that I will deliver the sermon ‘as written.’
“Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
We continue our Lenten journey with the seven words of Spiritual Renewal. The Spiritual word for today is “read.”
- I don't think that any of us here could dispute the value of reading, whether it is the reading of a book, of a newspaper, of letters, or even articles on the Internet. Reading allows us to enter into realities we have never personally experienced, either historical or fictitious, whether that is Huckleberry Finn on the Mississippi, Hamlet at Elsinore, Sherlock Holmes in his study, Anne of Green Gables, or Faust in his study.
- Still this is not all there is to reading. Bishop Susan was first and foremost recommending that we read the Scripture, far more than telling us to join a book club. The opportunity to read the Holy Scriptures is one that should be dear to Lutherans. After all, the first major translation of the Bible into a vernacular language was credited to Luther... though other translations that predate his. His translation would be seen as the most popular and the most accessible, aided of course by the invention of that wonderful contemporary invention, the Gutenberg printing press with movable type.
- Prior to this time, the Scriptures were the domain of the scholar and the priest. The scholar could read and study the text, often in the original languages. Interpretations were put forth, most of which were so very subtle and complex that the average person could in no way understand them. The priest could read the Scriptures to the people, even if he did not understand them himself. The average person could neither afford a copy of the Bible nor could they understand the language it was written in; they were even forbidden at times to read it for themselves. Can you imagine the joy that met the first translations of the Bible in the languages of the people?
- Now, versions of the Bible in our own languages and even our own style of speech abound. Sometimes we take this for granted, although I know many here endured a separation from reading the Bible.
- So why read the Bible? The simple answer would be to say that the Bible contains the Word of God itself. It tells the story of God's relationship with God's people over a broad scope of time. It is something we as disciples need to know; not because not knowing would lead to condemnation, but knowing can lead us to better know the mind of God and the mercy of God.
- So what would we tell someone who want to start to read the Bible? How do we keep them from getting confused and frustrated?
- Well, choosing a readable Bible is an excellent place to start. At one time, someone asked “which is the best Bible for me to get a hold of?” Leaving aside any and all questions of proper translation or theology, the answer is quite simple - “The best one is the one you'll read.”
- We might encourage the new reader to ask questions and read the Bible with a notepad near by. It would also pay to have a Bible that you're not afraid to write in as well as a Bible with notes and explanations. (That's called a “study” Bible.)
- A person starting to read the Bible should start with one of the more readable books, like the Acts of the Apostles. Starting with Deuteronomy or Revelation would be an invitation to frustration and end of reading.
- How would a first time reader of Mark's Gospel react to today's reading? It is not an easy thing to read "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” That can be pretty daunting for a new reader, although someone with years of Christian teachings behind them may comprehend it better while still finding it troubling. This is one of the passages that needs... no, REQUIRES reading and rereading, year in and year out. Each re-reading might have nothing new for us, until someday something new shows itself to us. Then we'll want to dig into it.
- We live in a literate culture and are surrounded by the written word, both positive and negative. We all know that paper won't refuse ink. Still, the only way we have to know in our day and time how God dealt with our spiritual ancestors, the Hebrew people, is to read the books of the Bible, The only way we have to know now the words of Jesus carried to us by his earliest followers is to read the Scriptures. The one way we have to feed our spirit with the revelation of the love and concern of God is to read it, often bit by bit, and digest it, morsel by morsel.
- We have the privilege of reading the Scriptures in our own language at our own pace. We can choose any version we'd like and read at our leisure. To avoid reading it would deprives us of both God's true communication of the proclamation of salvation and the rule by which we live. It is in the Word that we come to know the one who is called The Word.
- “Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
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