To Know, To Love, To Cooperate with God

In a little over a week (on February 8), our congregation will kick off the e100 Bible Reading Challenge, a journey through the "essential 100" passages of Scripture. We will also have a luncheon and a Bible Fair as part of that day's events.

But why read the Bible anyway? I'd like to take some time this week to answer this question. It was raised during one of the teaching sessions for our Bible in 90 Days program, when we were discussing some of the less "exciting" passages in Leviticus. Why should we read the Bible, anyway?

If the goal of human existence is to know God, to love God and to cooperate with God in God's active work in the world, then it seems to me that reading the Bible is part of how we know God and God's will for us and for the whole creation.

I know there are many excuses for not reading the Bible, but I don't really buy any of them. I know it is difficult. I know it is tedious at times. I know that it can be contradictory or confusing. But God is not simple either. I like to use the analogy of marriage. If you are married, you know your spouse is complex, sometimes hard to understand and even downright confusing at times. But it would be ridiculous to say something like: "He is so hard to understand, so I'm just going to give up getting to know him better or learn anything new about him. I have to live with him, but I just give up." However, we do this all the time with our relationship with God. "I don't understand how God is three in one, so I just don't think much about the Holy Trinity." "I don't get Leviticus, so I always quit reading the Bible then."

This past week we heard how Jesus called his first disciples, who would later be the Apostles. Jesus did not go the halls of the Hebrew Academy or to the famous CEOs. He called simple fishermen to follow him, to know him, to love him and to cooperate with his work in the world. He called people like you and me.

My encouragement this week is to roll up your sleeves, pick up the Bible and read. Bible in 90 Days? E100? Whatever. Open the Scriptures and read, that we may know and love God and cooperate with God's active movement in the world.