A Word from Pastor Nathan
Dear Friends:
When I was in Vacation Bible School as a wee, impressionable, and aspiring Southern Baptist, we sang the song, “The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that’s the book for me. I stand up tall on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!” The tune is infectious, and the motions help burn
one’s energy.
That song has always troubled me. There are Biblical texts of terror and beauty, and sometimes they neighbor one another! A minister once reminded me, “The Bible is not the fourth member of the Trinity.” Her words are funny yet true and raise the question, ‘How do we critically engage the Bible in ways that are transforming?’
Barbara Brown Taylor writes in her book, Leaving Church, “I know that the Bible is a special kind of book, but I find it as seductive as any other. If I am not careful, I can begin to mistake the words on the page for the realities they describe. I can begin to love the dried ink marks on the page more than I love the encounters that gave rise to them. If I am not careful, I can decide that I am really much happier reading my Bible than I am entering into what God is doing in my own time and place, since shutting the book to go outside will involve the very great risk of taking part in stories that are still taking shape. Neither I nor anyone else knows how these stories will turn out, since at this point they involve more blood than ink. The whole purpose of the Bible, it seems to me, is to convince people to set the written word down in order to become living words in the world for God’s sake. For me, this willing conversion of ink back to blood is the full substance of faith.”
In Jesus, the Word became flesh, not text. We call this the scandal of incarnation. Taylor is telling us that incarnation continues each time we become living words in the world for God’s sake. Each time I’m with you in worship, each time I see you serve and welcome your neighbors, the Word becomes flesh and fresh again.
May the scandal of the incarnation continue as we lean into the mystery of faith.
Peace abundant,
