Today is Bible Sunday – the one Sunday a year set aside for us to think specifically about the Bible, what it means for our faith, how it speaks to us, how we engage with it, and we might even think about those who don’t have access to it.
I might have shared with you before that my Grandma, my Dad’s Mum, gave me my first Bible. I remember opening it one Christmas, I was probably about 9 or 10, and the brightly coloured beautiful cover grabbed my attention, but when I opened it there was just page after page of wafter thin paper with so much writing! However, every so often, there was a colour plate – and I spent ages gazing at those pictures and wondering at the people who looked so different to anything I knew.
Of course, when I came to buy what I might describe as a ‘proper’ bible for my daughter some 30 years later, once she had grown beyond the picture bibles, I was able to buy a bright pink, flowery version with hints and tips on what to read when, and lots of questions to engage the reader, an entirely different experience.
Not long ago, the Bible Society held a survey, asking people what they thought of the bible: ‘big’, ‘just too complex’, ‘old and out of date’… were some of the answers. Despite that, one hundred million copies are sold or given away worldwide every year, one and a quarter million of these are sold in the UK – but of course we don’t know if they are being read!
As Christians I’m sure we will all have a ‘Bible Story’, what is yours?
Do you have a favourite translation? Is there a hefty but delicate family heirloom that has been passed down through the generations? You might share Bible story books with children or grandchildren. Are you someone who listens to the Bible being read out loud on podcasts and CD’s? Maybe you use a devotional, with a daily snippet carefully selected for you?
For me now, at this point on my Christian journey, I can appreciate that the way any of us access the Bible isn’t any less valid that the other. God will speak to us through scripture and will find a way, the important thing is that we find a way of accessing it that works for us. Not just works for us in the sense of understanding and fulfillment, but also to fit in with busy lives where time with God is often a very precious space, carved out in an otherwise busy day.
Inlaid in the floor of the Central Lobby of the Houses of Parliament there is a scripture quote from Psalm 127 – ‘Unless the Lord builds the house the builders labour in vain’ – one reminder that Scripture has informed, shaped and provided the foundations for our country. How wonderful that God’s word isn’t just a strong foundation for a nation to be built upon, but for each of us individually too, as God’s people! As we know it, learn to live by it and allow God to speak to us through it.
If we reflect on our reading from Nehemiah and the trials and tribulations he and others faced, we can see just what a difference God’s word made to that community. In around 445 BC Nehemiah arrived back in Jerusalem, sent by King Artaxerxes, for whom he worked as cupbearer, and a few years earlier, Ezra had arrived.
The people had been exiled in Babylon about 140 years earlier, eventually Babylon was overturned as the regional superpower by the Medes and Persians. Though the temple had been rebuilt and efforts to rebuild the nation had begun, it wasn’t all plain sailing, but the reading of the Law of God changed things, as the people realised and reaffirmed their identity as God’s people, bound to him in a sacred covenant.
The Law was written in Hebrew, but during their exile their everyday language had changed to Aramaic. Most of the people wouldn’t have understood what they were hearing, so it was translated and explained for them. How familiar does that sound to us today?
Despite having translations in our own language, we often still struggle to understand exactly what the meaning of a particular passage is, in fact over the years theologians have often disagreed over the meaning, so we’re not alone; but how can we overcome this?
We are blessed with a myriad of books, websites and of course others in church that we can reference or go to in order to unlock some of the more difficult passages, however we do need to invest time and energy to support this learning and understanding.
Nehemiah and the priests will have prepared carefully for this event, building a wooden platform so that Ezra could be seen by all; sending around invites to ensure everyone was there; arranging for the meaning to be explained by the Levites, who would have had to study and discuss the text beforehand so they knew what to say.
The whole event had been planned as a centrepiece for the foundation of this renewed community, everyone would have a sense of anticipation and they all listened attentively – for about six hours in total, as God’s word was shared and explained.
This complex and mixed audience, those passionate about their faith, those that had lost their way, and those somewhere in between – all needed God’s word, and needed to hear it for themselves to enable God to speak into their individual circumstances. This is what bound them closer to God, and to each other.
In verse 9, we hear that ‘when the people heard what the Law required, they were so moved that they began to cry’. They were struck by the gap between what they ought to have been and what they were, and grieved at how they’d fallen short.
But Nehemiah and Ezra tell them not to become obsessed with their sin but rather to enjoy and celebrate what the Lord had done for them. God’s goodness highlights our own sin, but much more, it brings grace and the knowledge of love and forgiveness.
Have you ever wept over a bible passage?
Have you ever had a time when, possibly feeling a bit low or bound up by something you’ve done, of possibly even failed to do – hey presto, you recall a bible passage or read a section of scripture that speaks exactly into your situation? That is God coming through to us, in our unique, individual situation – and it’s always wonderful and affirming, and it is in sharing those stories that we can encourage others to read God’s word!
It was as Nehemiah, Ezra and the people gathered around God’s word that they were bound together as a community. For us too, coming together around food and the Scriptures, worshiping and praying together, sharing stories, hopes and fears can prove to be a restart moment.
The Bible transforms lives because it is the written word that leads us to the living word, as John says in the prologue to his Gospel: ‘The Word became flesh and lived among us.’ (John 1.14). Just as in Ezra and Nehemiah’s day, the word of God is central to understanding our place in the world and how to live.
It shows us that it is the truth and grace of Jesus Christ that is the hope of our lives and the hope of the world. So, on this Bible Sunday what can we take away from this?
We do need to read scripture – but choose a translation and a way that works for you. For myself I’ve always maintained that if I need to look in a dictionary to understand some of the words then it probably isn’t the best translation for my daily reading. In fact, my bible has an app that brings the pages to life with pictures, maps and a commentary, that meets my needs much better.
When we do read, listen out for prompts from God, does one word or sentence jump out? If so, spend some time in prayer asking God what that means, and remain open at all times to hearing from God.
Share stories! Our world is becoming more secular, but many people will recall bible stories from their time at school and can engage in conversation about them. There are many folk who are changed by hearing stories of God at work in our lives…
You might just be that person they talk about in years to come when they’ve found God for themselves – stories really are key in sharing faith.
And if you would like to do more, feel free to speak to myself or Michelle. We would love to do some bible exploring sessions with you all! Maybe we could decide to join a scheme to support bible translation and gifting to countries where bibles are needed – so that God’s wonderful word comes alive for us and the whole world! Amen.
Service: Reverend Rebecca Yates – 29th October 2023
Referenced Scripture: Nehemiah 8.1–11