Making Sense of Scripture

Just recently I finished reading The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien for the second time. I was hoping that by reading it a second time I would come to fully understand it and the world J.R.R. Tolkien created in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings book series. Unfortunately I don’t think I accomplished that task. With names that are very difficult to pronounce and settings that are beyond most of our imaginations, I found myself still wondering what to make of it all. It is not to say I didn’t learn more, but more like I was left with more questions than answers upon my second reading. I believe this is a common sentiment that people have upon reading the Bible. It too has names difficult for most of us to pronounce and settings that we have never witnessed with our own eyes. I also find myself sometimes left with more question than answers.

The Christian Bible is one of the most influential books in Western civilization, yet many of us take it for granted or have been poorly informed about what it is. You may have one or two at home, yet you haven’t opened it since it was gifted to you many years ago. You may be a well-seasoned reader that has spent many years reading it from cover to cover. Whoever you are, one thing we are pretty sure about is that the Bible, although a valuable source of information, can be an intimidating piece of literature for both novices and scholars alike. Would you like some help? Would you like to know more about what you are reading? Who put it together? Why it is important?

The next two weeks in our Tuff Stuff Part 2 series we will hopefully begin to make senses of scripture for you. Not to say that you will be able to understand Scripture in both a contextually and theologically complete way, but that you may be able to pick up a few skills that will help you to navigate its difficulties. We hope you will join us in worship for the next couple of weeks as we “Make Sense of Scripture”.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church