Hello, St. Paul’s.
One of my favorite Collects goes like this: “Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life …” We hear it on the Sunday before Thanksgiving every year.
Hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest: the Church seems to be telling us that we should first HEAR the Scripture, and only then read and study it. In ancient times most people didn’t have access to written materials, if they could even read, and so they encountered the word of God by hearing it. As it was passed from voice to voice the story would vary and evolve, depending on which details were retained, dropped, or added in each telling. In our literate age we tend to depend heavily on written texts, even to the extent, sometimes, of being critical of someone reading aloud when they deviate from the text by a single syllable.
While I don’t encourage anyone to offer extemporaneous translations of Scripture in church, I do think that we can keep in mind that these are not just translations but paraphrases of ancient material, and sometimes we can lose sight of the power of Scripture if we get too bound up with the script. When I used to serve regularly as deacon I sometimes enjoyed memorizing the Gospel and telling it as a story, with no book between me and my listeners. It was striking how many people started off following word for word in the bulletin but soon put down the paper and became fully engaged in the story.
I want to invite you, during worship, to let go of the bulletin a little and allow Scripture to speak to you. We have a roster of excellent lectors, so you should have no trouble understanding the reader. You might try closing your eyes and imagining the scene the reader describes. Place yourself in the story. Let it speak to your heart. Imagine how it might touch your life.
So, this Sunday, try hearing the Scripture before you read it: it may come alive for you in new ways.
See you on Sunday.
Your sister in Christ,
Penny
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