CLERGY LETTER FOR

FEBRUARY 2011

The Rev. Derek Hinge writes...

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a world without the printed word either on paper or on a screen. Such was the world of the midfourteenth century at which time printing was invented, opening the way for the mass production of books. In 2011, we mark the 400th anniversary of the King James or Authorised version of the Bible, the first English Bible to be available to ordinary people.

On page 3 of this month's magazine, there is an article about the unique opportunities this celebration provides in schools to revisit the impact of the Bible on life in the UK; and about available ways to deepen our understanding of the Bible by reading it regularly and prayerfully using Bible reading notes. But now, still with your eyes closed, try to imagine first opening the pages of the scriptures whose stories you had heard previously only from the lips of your parish priest. Now you can read the stories for yourself, over and over again.

Now you choose your favourite stories and work out why they are your favourites. Now you have the opportunity to see God at work from creation to the end of time, and, at the heart of it all the story of Jesus. Now you can experience a direct encounter with the living God as his word, his breath, his life becomes a living reality in your life, far more so than it had been before. Now you can talk to others about the scriptures, share experiences, learn texts, encourage one another in holy living.

Open your eyes now and realise how much we take these things for granted; so much so that today, the initial passion that surely existed when people first had an English Bible in their hands, has got lost to such an extent that, as someone once said, although the Bible is the world‘s best seller, it is perhaps the least read!‘ So let us all take seriously the opportunity that this 400th celebration affords.

Some will celebrate the beauty of Elizabethan English literature, the language of Shakespeare and the Book of Common Prayer (1662). Others will reflect on the sacrifices made by those whose scholarship and courage have produced an English Bible.

Others will be thankful just for the fact that the most precious book in the world is available in English. Still others will celebrate the explosion, in recent times, of the scholarly study of the ancient texts that has led to many more accurate translations into English of the second Elizabethan era.

Organisations, like the Bible Society, will surely continue their efforts to publish the Bible in the languages of the world‘s peoples. Others will be thankful for the opportunity every day of meeting God and listening to his word and will through its pages. So how should we read it?

The basic reason for reading the Bible is that it is, to use the words of the Prayer Book, =God‘s Word Written‘; that is through its sixty-six books - written over a period of 1500 years, originally in several different languages and using different literary devices, history, poetry, prophecy, letters, from over fifty different human authors - God reveals to his creation what he is like, how we relate to his-story of salvation and redemption, and how we can live fulfilling lives.

There are many ways of reading the Bible and I want to end this letter by encouraging you to try one or more of the following by way of your celebration of this 400th anniversary:

*read a short passage of scripture each day, perhaps with the help of Bible reading notes (see page 3 of this month's magazine)

* follow an Ignatian pattern by reading a story from Old or New Testament and try to enter imaginatively into the story and see how it affects you; maybe jot down a few notes like a diary

* follow a Benedictine pattern by reading a story, or letter, or a Psalm; then re read it more slowly and notice what words or phrases speak to you as you are today; again make a note.

* Use Lectio Divina, meaning holy reading, which extends the Benedictine way by giving more time for meditation on the text, and applying your thoughts to prayer and contemplation

* read a whole book, gospel, letter to get a feel for the overall theme, message, thought and what is being revealed of God and his ways.

The object of all these ways of reading the Bible is not just to deepen our understanding of God and his ways, but, more importantly, to deepen our relationship with God, and to equip ourselves with the resources we need to live as Christians in today‘s world.

An old chorus I learnt as a boy began, 'the best book to read is the Bible . . . if you read it every day it will help you on your way . . . . . .!‘

It is still true and worth celebrating! With love and prayers Derek

Derek Hinge