Pentecost 23 - Year B

I want to inquire about a relationship you are all having this morning...... Tell me, what is your relationship with.............. the Bible?
Or, more specifically, how do you approach the Word of God? Where does it "sit" in your life? Perhaps I am asking about the weight, the priority of scripture in your life.... and not to preach at you, or manipulate guilt, just because I am clergy and have got the rights on the pulpit at present. It reminds me of teaching Grade one RE, and every question you ask they used to reply "God" or "Jesus" because that must have been what I was expecting....

No, I am not exploring "how much" or "how often" or even "how much do you know"... It would seem to me that sort of approach diminishes the living, dynamic nature of the Word of God. It converts it into criteria, into a textbook approach of religion. Rather than a relationship - a relationship with living, powerful and potential words of faith.

I was actually going to preach on widows, widow's mites, and sacrifice etc. We are surrounded by widows in today's readings; Ruth, Naomi, the temple widow. But there is something there, in the stories and reflections of scripture today, about our use, our approach to faith itself. And it got me thinking about one of the key entry points of that journey, and indeed a continual sustaining force of faith journey - and that is, how we view, treat, take on and use ... the Holy Scriptures, the Bible.

You see, there are many starting points. For each of us have a different story of how our life has viewed the Bible.

For some, it is a fundamental, black and white, rule of life and literal word of God. Everything of life is formed from that word. If we view that as relationship, it is indeed a powerful thing, a guiding hand in all decisions and the shaping of life. The love of God is the word of God, and there is no moving away from that definition. It seems to me (and I am acknowledging with respect all starting points today), the challenge comes in being flexible about interpretation - but also in being flexible and respectful in other peoples' approaches.

For others, the Scriptures are historical story that have shaped the Christian church to this day, and will keep doing so. The context therefore is of vital importance, and research and study is needed so that we can understand what else was happening in that day and age. The challenge comes in transposing into connection through time, and in becoming selective about what parts of the Bible are relevant. I am not sure you can pick and choose what you want to use in the scriptures.

For others, the Bible is story. And these stories relate to the whole of humanity; who has gone before and who is to come. There is a more "weaving into life" approach that is open and flexible. The challenge then comes into the continual interpretation of how that story is relevant now.

There are other broad starting points. And then, those big picture backgrounds have to be coupled with our own experience to and of scripture in our lives - how it has worked, or not worked. What it has given us - or not given us.

For example. Many of us have Sunday School backgrounds - often where we meet the Bible for the first time. If that is positive and helpful, we will grow with a "good feel" about the word of God. If things are drummed home to us, or we have been made to feel guilty, or we have had a bad, even traumatic experience, with a Sunday School teacher, or RE teacher or mentor, then the Word of God is not of joy or life-giving. In fact, and we all know this experience, it can turn children and thus adults off the whole God-thing.

Or for some, who take literally the Word of God as the only way to know God, the experience can be equally distressing when God doesn't answer our questions. People are known to randomly open the Bible, eyes shut, and put their finger on a sentence, and expect to be told what to do next. There is huge disappointment when from our Bible upbringing, the experience doesn't match the expectation.

We all have a mixed bag of experience, a huge range of experience actually, from - good study groups to not-good study groups; from meaningful preaching to feeling abused and undervalued; from scepticism to witnessing the joy of epiphany as something clicks; from hearing truth to seeing it coupled with hypocrisy. We can start with confusion and give up confused; we can enter with doubt and be assured with comfort.

Let me say this. From my experience, and listening to other's experience, there is no right or wrong about how we do the journey with the Word of God. In that acknowledgement though is the presupposition that we, Christians, are approaching, engaging and using the Word of God as our mainstay. As Anglicans, one of the four main essentials of ourselves as Church has been agreed on as:
"The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, contain all things necessary to salvation, as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith." Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1888.

The ultimate standard of faith.

Yesterday I had the privilege of being part of "Seekers Day", an opportunity for anyone to come and begin an exploration of vocation with this diocese. Perhaps for some the intention seems ordination; for all, it is acknowledging that they are searching for what they no what yet it is God's call on their lives, and yet it is no other. The day, or half day really, is a good entry point into such inquiry. The process rests in small group dynamic, and at the heart of that dynamic is exploring scripture story into the nature of calling. We looked at the stories of Abraham, Mary and Peter.

There was wonderful revelation. From what is really a short process of immersion, naming the heart of the dynamic of call was revealed as we each coupled our own God story with the God story of these bible people. Just as for Peter there is confusion, doubt, over-enthusiasm and joy... so there is for us. Just as there is surety, anguish and humility for Mary.... so there is for us. Just as there is obedience, flexibility and continual shift for Abraham.... so there is for us. There is no more living proof of the God story being our story then when we actually merge them. Or, as someone expressed yesterday, press ourselves closely into them.

That pressing closely is revelation itself; it means we are acquiescing, agreeing, to the risk of scripture exposure! Today's scriptures are that living exposure. What do we do with Naomi and Ruth's strong relationship of love and obedience that enabled Boaz to work through the tradition of his day to finally be with Ruth and produce the heir line to David and thus to Christ himself? What do we do with the atonement theology of the writer of Hebrews that urges us to love the divine life? What do we do with the widow, the most vulnerable of society, who ridiculously and beyond reasonableness, gives away her very existence in a structure that belittles her giving?

I tell you what we do. We rejoice that this is our family; Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, the widow, and the writer of Hebrews. They are of our heritage, they are part of our story. And they are articulating their own upbringing, and their own experience, to broaden the compass of God's family so that we can recognise ourselves, and others can recognise themselves, in this Word of God. This is all intentional story; this is not random. The writer of the book of Ruth claims we are all part of the Jesse tree; the Gospel writer Mark reveals to us the generous, beyond reason, love of God and our expected, similar, response in return.

I will conclude. And you can rightfully accuse me of not unpacking the scriptures for you today. Let me say forcefully to you; it is your own responsibility. The privilege of delivering the homily is to open some entry points, to untie some preconceptions, to gather a universal feel for context and story that can enlighten and guide. The real work has to be done by you.

Who are you in the story?
How does the God story and your story come together to reveal to you where you have been and where you are to go?
What do you believe? What do you trust?
Go on the journey. Immerse yourself in God's word. Be like the widow in the temple - Expose yourself fully to Christ's love in his story. Take the risk.
The Lord be with you.