Summer days are long in Seattle, providing a good time to sit on the porch, or in a park and read. What should we read? Today’s best-seller that will be forgotten next year, or something of perennial interest, like the Bible? The Bible is not one book, it is a whole library of books written by many people over many centuries. There is something for everyone: good news in the Gospels of Mark and Luke (“gospel” means good news), adventures around the Mediterranean world in the Acts of the Apostles, practical messages followed by mystical imagery in the book of Revelation. Don’t forget the familiar Bible stories from the books of Genesis and Exodus, the philosophical musings in the books of Job and Jonah, the political history in the books of Samuel and Kings, and the inspiring (and sometimes angry) poetry of the Psalms. Christians believe that the books of the Bible are not ordinary books, that God the creator of the universe guided the authors to produce information that God wants us to hear. The point of the exercise is to offer a personal relationship between individual believers and a God who loves us, just as friends ask each other, “Where do you come from, what do you do, what do you think about the world?”
You can read the books of the Bible for the rest of your life with increasing understanding and wonder. Get started now! Not sure where to begin? Come and join us at St. Barnabas on Sunday mornings. Our liturgy begins shortly before 10 am with hymns (many of which echo Bible texts). One of the glories of the Anglican tradition is that every Sunday liturgy includes Bible readings. The sermon usually focuses on exploring one of that day’s Bible passages.
