There seems to be so much at the moment to get passionate about at the moment.
But when it all gets too much we are in danger of switching off and losing the joys as well as the pains.
A man stood in front of a church and held a hymn book in his hand, waved it around for all to see and then went back to what he was doing.
Millions seeing this thought it was a Bible. He thought it was a Bible. It was not a Bible.
But he didn’t know because he hadn’t looked at it or in it.
And if he had he might have seen a beautiful, yet sometimes tragic, Love story between God and His creation. (Genesis to Revelation)
If he had actually found a Bible and read some of it and understood any of it, he would have seen pages upon pages of God loving His people and guiding them through the coldness of what the world would have us do. (Exodus, Isaiah, Acts…)
Chapters and Books challenging the racism between one tribe and another. Challenging the times when people have turned people into things to be bought, sold, enslaved and silenced and God Said No!
He would have seen Love songs between God’s people and their Lord. (Psalms)
He would have found Love poems describing God’s love for each of us. (Song of Songs)
He would have found Epic stories of Heroes and Prophets declaring God’s eternal struggle to keep His people close to Him. (Jeremiah, Nahum, Micah…)
He would have seen stories of people Loved by Jesus regardless of skin colour, age, ethnic background, disability or impairment.
Loving them regardless of their financial situation, their housing, the sexuality, gender identity, political views or their ability to speak full sentences.
Loving them regardless of their first language, their culture, their earning ability or their marital status. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts)
And if that man had understood the book he thought he was holding, He would have known that it would hold him accountable before he can hold others to any standard that he wants to measure people by (Matthew 7).
For God loved the world so much He sent His Son that whoever believes in Him will not be lost but have eternal life, For His Son did not come into the world to condemn it but to save it. (John 3:16-17).
For this next month – as a Church – we are going to do The Bible Course. It will help us to understand the bigger picture of God’s Love and see the stories of struggle and salvation that link us today with Jesus’ disciples and the mighty people of God in the Old Testament.
When we understand the Love that it stands for, then we will love it more and see how much we are loved by God.
Then we might wave it about and encourage others to pick it up for good reason and share it for the best reasons.
If you would like to know more about the Bible or The Bible Course. If you would like to be part of a zoom group to do the course together then email me.
May God’s Word reach out to you with Words of Love.