3/29/24

Nothing like revisiting old friends on your birthday! This has been my friend for 40 years now. I was a junior in college when Kim Sanetznik  (you know her as Kim Elliott) said, “I can’t believe you’ve never read To Kill a Mockingbird.” And so she gave me a copy for my birthday.

I don’t know how many times I’ve read it over the last 40 years, but it’s always been this same edition. Sometimes I read it from cover (well, when it had one - the front cover came off. . . I don’t know how many readings ago) to cover; other times, I just picked it up, opened to a favorite spot and just read until I was satisfied. At one time I had 4 autographed copies, but I gave them away over the years. It was nice to have them, but I’m satisfied with my worn-down, beat-up copy. It has served me well!

And so, on my birthday, I’m launching into it again – my 40th anniversary of reading it the first time.  

I remember when I first read the Bible straight through. That was 50 years ago! I was in the 6th grade. Miss Paine, our teacher, had us make an index card for every book we read that year, and there would be a prize at year’s end for the student who read the most. I read everything I could get my hands on anyway, so I thought I had that in the bag . . . but I didn’t count on Thomas Bond. He was ahead of me! Soon, we were so far ahead of everyone else,  it became a contest just between the two of us! What to do? I had already been reading through the Bible anyway, so I decided I would count each individual book of the Bible as a separate book. . . so, don’t tell anyone, but the first time I read the Bible all the way through was to cheat on a contest! 

Miss Paine ruled the Bible only counted as one book. So, I lost. But not by much. 

My real adventure with reading the Bible began in 1985, when I was an associate pastor in Kentucky. Our youth leader, Barry McKinnon, started a Bible Study with the staff. We met at the pastor’s home at 6:00 once a week, and one of the goals was to start the habit of daily quiet times. From that time on, daily Bible reading has been part of my everyday routine – but it is never routine! 

Reading the Bible through is not particularly easy, as many of you have discovered. The narratives are easy to read, but then you have the legal stuff, and the genealogies, and the prophets, who can be mystifying if you don’t know the history behind what they’re writing about. 

Reading the Bible can be work! 

But it’s rewarding work. And it’s what God wants us to do. In Joshua 1:8, God tells Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful.” 

Some people approach the Bible as a self-help book, but that’s really missing the point. Yes, there are instructions for life, but they are embedded in a much greater and grander story. What I’ve found over the years is many Christians know stories from the Bible, but have no idea how it all fits together. Reading the Bible all the way through helps us see the overarching drama of salvation – from Creation to the New Creation, the Bible tells one long continuous story pointing to the coming of Jesus. Put another way, the Old Testament presents the problem, and the New Testament presents the solution, and that solution is Jesus!

Another thing reading the Bible regularly does for us is to sharpen and focus our beliefs. Countless times over the years I’ve had to adjust my thinking while reading the Bible – especially when I slow down and read carefully. Reading the Bible regularly also shapes us spiritually and protects us from falling for the theological flavor of the month.

But reading the Bible is more than just a learning exercise. Don’t get me wrong – learning is an important part of reading the Bible, and it’s vital for shaping us into the people God wants us to be. But there’s the relational aspect, too.

Reading the Bible is one of the ways God meets us. I don’t know how many times I’ve found in the book of Psalms exactly what I was feeling and not able to put into words.  Some days, I read the Bible and feel God’s approval on my life. Other days, when reading, I feel convicted and have to repent. It’s like having an old friend who knows just what you need when you need it.  

If you’re not reading the Bible regularly, then I invite you to start right now! We have a 6-month plan for reading through the New Testament at the church, and you can start from Matthew or jump in where we are now (Acts 3). Or read a chapter a day or a Psalm a day. The important thing is to get started! 

Many thanks to all of you for your birthday wishes! This birthday was a bit of a challenge because of my throat issues, but that should be taken care of next Thursday – just in time for Easter!

Blessings,
Pastor Terry