People of the Book
written by: Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
The people of the one true God are people of the Book. From the earliest days of the Israelites, through our contemporary society, the Word has been at the center of our faith. Letters and notes evolved into scrolls that were read in corporate worship, which evolved into the bound text, and now can be read anywhere on our phones. While these written Words are not to be worshipped, they are considered, in some manner, sacred.
I love Bibles. I just gave my son-in-law, who speaks German, my German Bible, printed in 1929. I told him its value can be measured in dollars, because I purchased it at a rare bookshop; but its real value is in the time of its printing. It was printed in Germany after WW I, when the German people were lost in despair. Rather than trust the Words within its binding, many turned to a religious alternative: the Nazis and the Reich church. I invited him to consider the person or persons who read and listened to this Bible, and consider whether they recognized within its pages that the Nazis were an idol; or did they use its pages to rationalize a warped political theology?
Justin has a friend in Germany with whom he Skypes each week to improve his German, and which allows the German man to practice his English. He loves talking to Justin because Justin is from the same town as Penny, on The Big Bang Theory. Justin sent him a photo of a page of the text from Genesis 1. The German exclaimed that it was old German, with many different terms from modern translations. It reminded me that the Word is an ever-growing, transforming, living document. It remains sacred and inspired, even amidst the shifting translations, because of the movement of the Holy Spirit which guides and informs our heart, mind, and soul.
Today, offer God your thanks for the gift of the Word of God: the Bible. The next time you pick your Bible up and read it, think of the people throughout history who read similar Words, and were transformed by them. Ask God to help you interpret these Words, not as an idol, but as the living God speaking through them, into you. When we think of the Bible in this way, the Word comes to life!
