25 Ways to Read Scriptures- Day 25

Conduct a "Habits of living in the Scriptures" audit

All believers are called to immerse themselves in the word, but there are hundreds of ways to do this.  What ways best resonate with your temperament, your weekly rhythms, and the season of life you are in?  Take a few minutes and scroll through the 25 ways that are in this blog.  Write down 3-5 of them that fit you the best.  

Then, picture a typical week and discern how these 3-5 might be incorporated into the flow of your week:  identify specific days and times, and write these wherever you keep track of your daily schedule.

Finally, stick to this new rhythm for the next 25 days, that is until Feb. 24.  Psychologists tell us that it takes us 25 days to truly establish a new habit.  Go for it.  Remember what God himself says about his Word:

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:   It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.  You will go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."   (Isaiah 55:  10-12)

25 Ways to Read Scripture- Day 24

Match a Bible verse with a home-made tune

Do you ever get an advertising jingle or a line from a song that you hate stuck in your head all day?  (If you do, so do millions of the rest of us.)    

Well, fight fire with fire.  Take any one sentence from Scripture that serves as an anchor in your life, and play with it melodically until it settles into a singable tune.  Perhaps there's a familiar tune that fits the verse.  Then, discipline your mind to "loop" through that little tune repeatedly throughout the day.  

Some possible verses to put to a musical loop:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want (Ps. 23.1)

The Lord is my light and my salvation (Ps. 27: 1)

Be still and know that I am God (Ps. 46: 10)

I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139: 14)

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God (I John 3: 1)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding (Prov. 3: 5)

May the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always (II Cor. 13: 14)

25 Ways to Read Scripture- Day 23

Write an epistle to a Christian community you are part of

Though most of the New Testament Bible books are epistles written to communities, one could also say that every book of the Bible is like an epistle:  every book of the Bible is addressed to a community (or the leader of a community).  Every book of the Bible serves to describe the character of God and how his character shapes us into communities of witness, that is, communities that are light in the darkness.

Skim portions of the New Testament epistles (perhaps portions that you are more familiar with), and then imagine that Paul or Peter wrote an epistle to a community that you are part of:  your home church, a faith-based group that you are part of, or Redeemer U. C.  

What might an epistle written to one of these communities in 2014 contain?

POOR IN SPIRIT

Blessed are the poor in Spirit” - Matt 5:3

The world renowned evangelist and Christian apologist Dr. Francis Schaeffer was frequently asked, “Tell me about your spirituality! What do you do?”

He refused to answer the question, but chose to reply, “My spirituality is poor”.

With his position, how could he get away with telling people he had poor spirituality?! I don’t know.

But I think he was using Jesus’ measuring stick.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit”.

What might than mean? Partly, it would suggest that....

·   it is okay to struggle with hypocrisy when claiming to follow Jesus

·   it is okay to be half hearted and sporadic with the spiritual disciplines

·  it is okay to not measure up on someone’s spiritual spectrum of holiness

·  it is okay to see the risen Lord and still doubt

·  it is okay to admit your need

But it is more than that. Your awareness of emptiness makes room for him and his coming kingdom. In being “poor in Spirit” you are powerfully blessed!

This is a dependable law. The spiritually broke tax collector “stood at a distance” and “would not even look up to heaven” (Lk 18:13). Yet Jesus said he “went home justified before God”(v.14).

As a chaplain I am afraid of breaking this law. In my department we are often approached to give supports for people struggling in different areas on their spiritual journeys. I wonder if we give the impression that we must set a standard that is not the one that Jesus uses here. I am afraid we might confuse people with our “ways to pray” and “ways to read”, so my prayer is:

“God grant us the grace to not inadvertently give people some laughable and absurd spiritual measuring stick. Use us so that we might make room for people who are standing at a distance.”

Those who are empty make room for God...and neighbour.

25 Ways to Read Scripture - Day 22

Pray the Scriptures

Any Scripture passage can be transformed into a prayer that flows from the heart of the reader.  Ponder how a major character in a Biblical story is your spiritual brother or sister, and pray about this pondering.  Ponder how the passage reveals the heart of God, and pray for wisdom and discernment to see this dimension of the heart of God more clearly, and invite the Spirit to shape you as an Image-bearer that reflects the heart of God.

For example, take Mark 3:  20-21, 31-35, a passage where Jesus' mother and brothers conclude that he is mentally ill.  Read these short verses 2-3 times.  Your prayer might take this kind of shape:

"Dear Lord Jesus, your own family questioned your sanity.  You are so far beyond our understanding!  I haven't explicitly questioned your sanity, but I'm good at ignoring those dimensions of your teaching that strike me as "over the top," a bit much.  Something in me would rather fit you into my neat and tidy boxes, as his family wanted to do.  But I do want to follow you, and therefore you declare that I am part of your family too.  Continue to shape me, refine me, as your brother or sister, and thank you for beginning a good work in me.  Amen."  

Now try it with another passage. 

25 Ways to Read Scriture - Day 21

 Sunday Psalm-ing

Today you are invited to live into the Scriptures by writing your own Psalm as part of your Sunday worship.  If guidance would help you, take note that Psalms come in about fifteen different types (for a very helpful chart, see the link below).  Here are five types with some examples of each.  If the Psalm which you compose today fits one of these five types, read 3-4 examples before you write your own.

Types and examples

Psalms of trust:    20, 23, 27, 46, 91, 121, 125

Psalms of repentance:  6, 32, 51, 102, 130

Psalms of praise and thanksgiving:  8,  100, 103, 104, 145-150

Psalms of quiet pondering and reflection:  1,  11, 131, 139 

Psalms of lament and struggle:  5, 10, 13, 42-43, 61, 64, 88

Chart of Psalms by type:  http://www.cresourcei.org/psalmtypes.html

25 Ways to Read Scriture - Day 20

 Saturday Creativity

The Bible rich and varied writings are filled with many kinds of creativity, and they evoke imaginative responses from us.  On a Saturday when it's too cold for many activities, exercise some biblical creativity by choosing from these possibilities:

• rewrite a parable using contemporary artifacts, e.g. the parable of the lost cell phone, the investment adviser who went out to "sow" his mutual funds, well, you get the idea.
• act out a biblical story with a few other folks
• re-write a biblical narrative as a children's bedtime story
• paint or colour a verse; maybe even risk some "abstract" art designs

25 Ways to Read Scripture - Day 19

Reading a lectionary

For many centuries believers have used lectionaries to guide their reading of Scripture (some scholars even believe this practice began before the birth of Christ).  Most commonly, a lectionary assigns three Scripture passages a every day for a three-year cycle, so that much of the Bible is covered during those three years.  Our bookstore contains devotional books based on the lectionary (10% off this week!), and one can also find them on-line or subscribe to a daily email (see, for example,  http://www.presbyterianmission.org/subscriptions/lists/daily-lectionary/).

In one lectionary, today's readings are Psalm 31, Gen. 11: 27 - 12:8, Heb. 7: 1-17.

25 Ways to Read Scriture- Day 18

Interpretative reading for a Thursday

If the work-week is a marathon, Thursday is the day for "stick-to-it-ive-ness," persevering until the week ends.  A good way to energize the body on a Thursday is to read Scripture out-loud with just a pinch of dramatic interpretation.  Reading the good book out-loud actually triples our reception of the Word, because our eyes, our tongues, our ears and (if we get a little dramatic) our bodies are all involved.  

Need a passage?  Try Paul's beautiful, Trinitarian hymn of praise in Eph. 1: 3-14 (which, by the way, our very own Greek class translated this week.  Track down one of the students and ask for a dramatic reading in Greek to accompany your own in the language of your choice).   

25 Ways to Read Scripture- Day 17

 Submit to the sword of the Word

Note:  we often struggle with one (or both) of two extremes:  we burden ourselves with unnecessary guilt and beat ourselves up, and/or we rest comfortably and unreflectively in God's "amazing grace."  If you struggle a great deal with the former, you should ignore today's suggestion.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God  (Eph. 6: 17).

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart  (Heb. 4: 12).

When I had an abscessed tooth, the dentist's drill dug deep and removed the toxins from its roots.  It was not fun, but I'm glad it happened.  The word of God is like that drill:  it's like a sword that penetrates deep into our souls and opens us up to the Lord's purifying fire which removes our toxins.  Centuries ago Ignatius Loyola developed the "daily examen" prayer, a prayer of opening up the past 24 hours of our lives before God's word and inviting him to "search and test us" (see Psalm 139: 23-24).  Ultimately, inviting that sword into the center of our being is the most healing act we can take.  

25 Ways to Read Scripture - Day 16

Stepping stones in the rapids

Frequently life is like trying to find the next solid stepping stone while crossing the rapids of a small river.  Jesus taught that "everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock"  (Matt. 7: 24).  

What 4-8 Scripture passages function like the stepping stones in the river for you?  Jot them down, and then go to biblegateway.com, paste them all into a WORD document, print it up, and tape them to the wall in an appropriate place. 

Then you will sing with the Psalmist, "My feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold...Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory  (Ps. 73:  2, 23,24).

HELP!

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.   “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him (Acts 8:  30-31).

Help!  I need somebody, Help! Not just anybody, Help! You know I need someone, Help!  (“Help!,”  Lennon/McCartney).

We live in a self-help culture.  Our definition of adulthood includes navigating our way through life’s challenges on our own, independently.  If we run stuck, we have bookstores overflowing with self-help books and, of course, that greatest self-help guru of all time:  Google (or one of its many spin-offs).  If I was given a loonie for every person who walked into the chaplain’s office and said, “I never expected to need any help, but I’ve hit a wall and I need to talk…,” I could retire to Mexico by now (well, almost…).   

The assumption is that if we can’t figure things out on our own, there’s something wrong with us. 

In the Kingdom of God, the reality is exactly the opposite:  if we think we can figure everything out on our own, there’s a lot wrong with us.  The very first comment that the Lord God made about us as he observed us in that wondrous Garden of Eden was, “it is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2: 18).

Did you catch that?  In a perfect world, before the fall into sin, we were created in such a way that we needed help!  And that need is only multiplied now that we walk with our Lord in a fallen world that he has redeemed.   That’s why Paul writes, “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you” (I Cor. 12: 21).  The community that is led by the Holy Spirit is an interdependent body in which every single one of us needs the others.

This need for help applies to every dimension of our lives (in different ways at different times), but it always applies to our devotional life.  We easily assume that praying and reading Scripture are just simple activities that anybody can do, and then we beat ourselves up because we discover that our devotional life isn’t going that well (sound familiar?).  That’s why in November we chaplains sent out “30 ways to pray” and this month we’re doing the same with reading Scripture.

Do you desire to strengthen your own reading of Scripture?  Do you recognize that you need help to do this?

True confessions – what follows is a naked sales pitch:  we’ve put together an annotated bibliography which lists most of the devotional books available in Redeemer’s bookstore, and the folks there have graciously agreed to put the entire collection on sale this week for 10% off.  Pick one up!  Send a text to a parent or grandparent and suggest they give you a late Christmas present or an early birthday present, and if you can’t find a benefactor to subsidize your devotional life, let me know and I’ll see what I can do (yes, I’m serious).

Because we all need a little help.

25 Ways to Read Scripture - Day 15

"Phone" a friend 

Every now and then I (Syd) receive this blessing:  I find a hand-written Bible verse in my mailbox with an anonymous note declaring that "I am praying that this verse will strengthen you today."  What a gift!  There are two ways to participate in this gift-giving:  (1) send a verse to someone (hand-written, text, email, post-it note over their desk, etc.) to strengthen them, and/or (2) invite someone to send a verse to you. Others often know us in ways that unveil our own blind spots, and such knowing, accompanied with Scripture, provides deep affirmation and encouragement.  We need each other!   (see today's Monday Morning Devo)    

25 Ways to Read Scripture - Day 14

"Be" a Bible character on this Sunday

Many of us have favourite Bible characters, folks whose actions and personalities particularly resonate with us.  For this Sunday, choose one that you resonate with, and imagine living this day through his or her eyes, ears and heart.  Some examples:  Moses, Shulamite woman, Martha’s sister Mary, etc. (I don’t suggest being an Ahab or Herod…) What would these people do based on their personality, relationship with God and situation? What specific actions do they do in their stories that you also can do?    Towards the end of the day (perhaps after Church in the Box) spend a few quiet moments reflecting on your experience of the day walking in their sandals. 

25 Ways to Read Scripture - Day 13

The slow motion replay for a Saturday

The book The Drama of Scripture has many things right, including these:  The Bible is a very dramatic book, and we are part of the drama.   For this Saturday, take any one episode in the story and try to live into the drama as follows:

I.  Read through the passage once to picture the details.

II.  Re-read it VERY slowly, and place yourself in the sandals of one of the major characters in the episode.  Push "pause" after almost every verse.  Take note of your five senses, the responses in your 'gut,' the character of the relationships between 'you' and the others in this episode, i.e. the entire event.  

What did living into the drama reveal to you about God and serving Him?

Some possible ways to live into a passage:

Through Peter in Matthew 14:  22-36

Through Miriam in Exodus 2:  1-10  (see also Ex. 15:  19-21)

Through Mary in Luke 10:  38-42

Through Nicodemus in John 3:  1-21 (see also John 7: 45-52 and John 19:  38-42)

25 Ways to Read Scripture - Day 12

Stress different words in the WORD

Emphasizing certain words in a passage brings new nuances of meaning to a verse.  Spend time reflecting on each stressed word in a biblical phrase.   ex. THE Lord is my Shepherd (Ps. 23:1):

                 The LORD is my Shepherd

                 The Lord IS my Shepherd

                 The Lord is MY Shepherd

                 The Lord is my SHEPHERD

A couple other possibilities:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name   (Matt. 6: 9)

                 I am the Way, the Truth and the Life  (John 14; 6)

                 The Lord is my light and my salvation,whom shall I fear?   (Ps. 27: 1)

25 Ways to Read Scripture - Day 11

Scripture memory

When I was a child in Sunday school, we were assigned a verse to week to memorize, but our teacher did not call it memorizing;  she called it "learning the verse by heart."  It's a great phrase -- when we memorize Scripture, it soaks into our hearts in a very unique way, and our heart is able to call it to back to mind in all kinds of situations.  

Choose one verse today to "learn by heart."  If a particular verse does not come to mind immediately, try this one:

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."   (Zephaniah 3: 17)  

25 Ways to Read Scripture- Day 10

Let the word be sung into your life

Paul writes, "Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly...as you sing Psalms, hymns and spiritual song with gratitude in your hearts to God."  Thousands of worships (and other) songs contain quotes and allusions to Scripture, and as we sing or listen to the singing of others (through CDs, etc.), the word is sung into our lives.  All the songs that we will sing in chapel today are filled with Biblical references.  Is there a particular song that sings Scripture into your life?  Track it down on youtube (or wherever) and listen to it right now.

Example:  a lovely gospel version of Jesus' invitation, "come unto me and rest, take my yoke upon you" can be found at 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TtnE2OUyMU