Words Coming Alive

Be sure to bring your 2019 Worship Guide with you to worship on Sunday, Jan. 20.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. When I feel afraid, think I’ve lost my way, still you’re there right beside me, and nothing will I fear as long as you are near…”

While the inspiration for this song comes from Psalm 119:105, it is #601 in our hymnal, with words by Amy Grant and music by Michael W. Smith. This year’s worship focus is What the Bible Really Says About…  We’re starting out (last week and this week) with an introduction to the Bible—what’s in it, where it came from, and how to read it.

Some days the words of the Bible wash over me like cool water in the summer in Arizona, refreshing and bringing peace. Other days it’s hard for me to read the Bible, not just because the print is small but also because the words can be confusing or challenging or just seem irrelevant.

When I stay with reading the Bible, discoveries pour out. I find that the Bible becomes living, breathing words, not just words on a page. Here’s what I mean. After reading a passage I hear its words in things people say, in pictures I see, in images in music or even on TV or in movies. I am strengthened.

Recently I was reading the story of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River and hearing the words, “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I’m well pleased.”  Suddenly the words and water were everywhere. It rained hard and I watched my little herb garden turn green with life. My hand kept turning to the photo of the Jordan River in the photo book from our 2018 trip to Israel. A waterfall poured down in a movie we were watching and all I could picture was standing under it and hearing God say, “I’m right here with you.”

This is God’s Holy Spirit working to make Scripture come alive. All we need to do is bring ourselves to it, to the Bible and make a commitment to read it and let it wash over us.

Then we know deeply what the Bible really says. When we feel afraid and think we’ve lost our way, God is right there beside us saying, “You are my beloved ones.”

Blessings, Sharon