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Let us pray: 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, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."("The Book of Common Prayer," The Church Hymnal Corporation, New York. Pg. 236)
This collect (prayer) will be the Collect of the Day on Sunday, November 17th. It immediately came to mind while I was reading through the lessons for today; in particular, Paul's second letter to Timothy:
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work." [2 Timothy3:16]
Why this collect came to mind is that it is something I remember from my late childhood when, as a Lutheran, I found it fascinating that you could digest Scripture. Being taught at that time that the Bible had to be taken literally word for word, my imagination went wild thinking about tearing pages from the bible and literally eating them, as God instructed some of the prophets to do. [See Ezekiel 3:1-3]. Fortunately, since that time, I have gained a deeper appreciation for metaphor, and this morning I invite us to briefly consider what it means, metaphorically, to inwardly digest "all holy Scriptures."
What makes the Holy Bible unique amongst the religious literature found in the world is that it is a collection of very diverse writing and literary styles that roughly spans nine centuries; from the late eighth century BCE to the beginning of the second century CE.
For me, the bible is a study, in itself, of the ever-evolving relationship between humankind and God. Inwardly digesting holy Scriptures becomes vital to a healthy spiritual life, and our understanding who we are and whose we are; regardless of one's race, gender and gender identity, or where one is coming from culturally, economically, and ideologically. Furthermore, these scriptures teach us that in the God who created the diversity we see in all creation, the diversity we represent, all are one. As the psalmist reminds us, "The river clap their hands with us, and mountains shout for joy with us." [See Psalm 98]
This collect teaches us how to approach these scriptures and get to the point of inwardly digesting them; that we need to hear them, read them, mark them, and learn them.
HEAR
At the time when this collect was written, most people could not read. They had to listen to the scriptures being read to them by a priest or lector. The advantage of having to hear something being read is that it forces one to pay attention to what is being spoken. Today we use inserts of the lessons to help those of us who can't hear well in following along, but if you can, try setting them aside and just listen to the lector read the lessons for the day. Hearing them read can make them feel current and fresh.
READ
Reading scripture as a personal endeavor takes hearing the scriptures to a deeper level of apprehension. Reading allows one to pause, to think about what one is reading and ponder its meanings. Holy scriptures are not meant to be an exercise in speed-reading. We need to remember that those who wrote these scriptures were deliberate and economic in what the wrote and how they wrote; often choosing words that created layers of meaning. As such, one cannot grasp the richness of these scriptures by taking them literally; in the sense that every printed word comes from the mouth of God, but rather understanding that God speaks to the reader and listener through these scriptures in the context in which live - in the present.
I find the best approach to reading any scripture is to read it literarily and critically, as literature, in order to understand the type of literature one is reading and get into its flow. Reading scripture as any other form of literature frees the mind to question what is being read. Questions are an important part of the digestive process, as they result in a hunger for fulfillment and resolution.
MARK
As one chews one's way through the scriptures, one's taste for it will expand. One will find much that is appealing; much that make one feel full of assurance, comfort, peace, joy hope, faith and love. Those are the things one needs to mark; to take note of and keep filed in one's heart because they will come in handy in times of need and in times of healing.
One will undoubtedly run into things that are hard to chew; things that can make one feel uncomfortable, question one's self, and one's motives, or Paul said to Timothy that serve as a reproof or a correction to set one straight. These are things one also needs to mark and take to heart.
You don't have to agree with or like everything you hear or read in these scriptures. In fact, Jesus didn't agree with everything that was written in the scriptures. One of the lines Jesus used which establishes this fact is "You have heard it said... but I say..."; such as, "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye... but I say turn the other cheek" or "You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbors and hate your enemies,' but I say love your enemies." [See Matthew 5:38-43, Exodus 21:23-24, and Deuteronomy 19:21] Jesus isn't talking about hearsay or gossip, he's talking about something that is found in the Holy Bible or that can be derived four it. Jesus was taking issue with what is found in our scriptures.
LEARN
All scripture is written for our learning, and by learning is meant that we are to take what we hear, take what we read, take what we find nourishing and instructive and apply it. The greatest way to to learn is to utilize what we have been taught. As the saying goes, "If you don't use it, you lose it."
If one wants to know how to build something or bake a cake, one can read every instruction manual and every recipe book there is, memorize the instruction, the right material an, the right ingredients, the right measurements, and the right baking time, but unless one actually puts that knowledge to use, one will not have learned anything except a bunch of word about to put something together or how to bake a cake, but you won't end up with something useful or end up having a cake to eat. Holy scriptures serve as a guide to living a righteous life, and being proficient in all good works.
DIGEST
If we hear, read, mark, and learn from the scriptures we read, we will digest them. They will become part of who are just as the food we eat becomes a part of who we are.
How can we tell if we've digested scripture?
Again, metaphorically speaking, we will find ourselves belching it up from time to time; that it bubbles up and comes to mind when something triggers its emergence. If one is not belching scripture from time to time, one may be spiritually malnourished and need to take more of it in.
Holy scriptures are not only inspired and inspiring, they're refreshingly honest about the relationship we have with each other in the light of our relationship with a loving and faithful God. When I read scripture, I study it, I struggle with it, and at times I spend a good amount of time arguing with it; trying to figure it out, and I come away with a sense of gratitude, joy, and being loved.
One of the purposes of a church is to afford the members of its congregation and the members of the community which that church resides the opportunity to dig into the scriptures beyond a short Sunday morning homily. There is joy to be found in sharing a mutual feast on the smorgasbord of the holy scriptures together.
If you haven't spent time with our Bible, I encourage you to find some time with it and then take your time because it will feed you spiritually and embrace you everlastingly.
Amen.
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Until next time, stay faithful.
