emrging from the text
Growing up in the christian faith I have often said to myself how I really need to get into the Word. What I meant by that was a feeling of disconnect from God. I thought by reading the Bible I would re-establish my relationship with him. I am realizing the limited scope of that kind of thinking. Something is emerging.
As I think about the first three verses of Genesis 1, affirms God's presence in three forms, "In the begining was God, the Spirit of God hovers over the water, and the spoken words of God." This is the atmosphere of creation. As a created being, I am made up of a component of each of those manifestations of God.
In the Gospels, I find several references to the Father, Son, and the Spirit. Once again God is a community of One. So where ever I find this oneness, I will find the reflection of the way creation was intended to be. For instance, a husband and a wife shall come together and be one. In the Gospels we hear the same "In the Begining" language, God's spoken word takes on human form expressed in Jesus. As Jesus walked this earth, he was a complete example of human oneness with God. Then scriptures go on to say things like, "in Jesus Christ (God's spoken word) we are made right (the way we were intended to be) with God."
I am begining to see layers to this Word of God. It is no longer black and white Times Roman font on parchment paper. Rather, it is a community of images, a lion, a family, a mountain, a song, a neverending story, coming together to shape a reflection of God's WORD. A reflection that has always been there, I was just looking at the surface.
May you find yourself engulfed in the vast expanse of God's Word. Speaking. Realizing. Living. 
4 comments:
My eyes instinctively roll when I hear the phrase "get into the Word". I think we agree about the common concept, sort of a legalistic reading of the black & white to help "get right" with God. But it's much bigger than that--it just has to be.
I can feel the back of my eye sockets, nice word picture. Thank goodness for breaking up the old and bringing in the new.
Michael -
This was very good. I think the idea that "getting into the Word brings us close to God" goes along with the whole intellectual church idea.
Funny thing is that when God brought us away from church, there was a pretty long period of time before I even cracked a Bible open. Perhaps that is because I had been mistaught so much from it. From time to time, God will take me to a particular scripture or bring one back to mind. I have read the entire scriptures several times, and know much of it by heart, but what God has been teaching me the past couple of years is to know the Living Word intimately. He is so very wonderful, kind and intimate. I am so very thankful that the written Word is only the beginning... I honestly wonder sometimes if Paul would have considered his letters to the churches to be "scripture". Also, the translations are often far from the original text. For example, the one that says "When the enemy comes in like a flood the Lord will lift up a standard against him." Depending on where you put the comma, it totally changes who is like a flood.
Anyway, the written Word certainly can be profitable, but time spent in it isn't necessarily time spent with God, and time spent with God doesn't necessarily involve the Bible in any way....
my 2 cents, anyway...
Jeff
Hey Jeff, I wonder if I thought about Darla's valentine card from today as just black and with words on fancy paper if it would loose its meaning? I know the "love letters from God" is an over used metaphor, but today it is real for me in the context of now.
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