Word of God

Text for this Sunday's sermon/discussion at The River: Hebrews 4:12-13 (TM)


You've heard it before... probably many times in church. "Read your Bible." Like an exhausted mother of 4 children telling her kids to eat their vegetables, somewhere along the line you've probably heard a slightly annoyed, oft-frustrated, even desperate-sounding pastor plead with you to, "Read your Bible... p-p-please!"


So you do. You make the decision to read the Bible for yourself. The very next morning, you get up early, make a cup of java, turn off the television, open your big 'ol study Bible to Genesis, and three (or maybe ten?) chapters into it... zzzzzzzzzzzzz.  Huh? The next thing you know, you're waking with a jerk, wiping the drool off your face, and wondering what the heck happened to day one of your great Bible reading adventure! Then comes day two, day three... and then the whole exercise just seems to slowly fade from your memory.


But wait... doesn't Hebrews 4:12-13 say the Word of God (aka, the Bible) is, "sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey?" If that's true, why does it seem more like a great sleep aid than a knife? Or, playing off the surgery metaphor more precisely, why does the "Word of God" often seem to function more like the anesthesia than the scalpel? Is the Word of God really as powerful as it claims to be... or it it just an old book of stories and moralisms about people long, long ago... you know, more or less meaningless for more "sophisticated" people of today's world?


Well, you probably already know what my answer is to that question... duh, I'm a pastor! Of course I'm going to tell you the Bible is eternally powerful and effective... of course I'm going to advise you to read it (think of it as a spiritual vegetable!)... of course I'm going to do everything I can to help the Bible come alive to people who are seeking to know, and hear the voice of, and follow the Son of God - Jesus Christ! Sheeeesh... what kind of pastor would I be if I didn't attempt to do that?


But... are we pastor-types (and other varieties of Jesus Freaks) right about the Bible being the very "words of God"? C'mon, does a mysterious old book really have the power to breathe divine life into the spiritual death of humanity? How?


In order... I strongly believe the answers are: Yes, yes... and it is a divine mystery. One in which we can never fully grasp this side of heaven... but nevertheless, that which we can participate in with only a minuscule amount of faith.


So... if indeed the Bible can change lives... the questions then become something like: okay, so how do we approach it? How do we hear God's voice? How do we listen without falling asleep? How do we interpret its teachings? How do we become a "Christian?" How do we know we're following God's will? How are we supposed to live our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ? Just how the heck are we supposed to believe, and understand, and tackle, and READ this humongous book anyway? I believe it's powerful... but for goodness sake, how do I take it all in!!????


Well, dear reader... I'm so glad you asked. It's one of my favorite topics.  :-)