January 24, 2023
Friends,
More and more all the time I enjoy this exercise with the kids: I’ll put a piece of Biblical artwork up on the screen in the fellowship hall. It helps to know the story that’s portrayed before you the ask the question. But the question is simple: “What do you see?”
It’s fun with the kids because as they make even very basic observations about a painting or drawing, it’s an opportunity to talk about various parts of the story. It’s a different way of telling the story than just starting at the beginning and going to the end. It’s looking at a snapshot within the story. So you can pull in the context, but then you also get to think about why this moment matters.
But then I’m always delighted as the kids notice things I’ve never seen before and ask questions I’ve never thought to consider.
It’s a great way to meditate on God’s Word, and it’s a lot of fun to boot. You ought to try it! Find a kid (or anyone who’s willing to humor you, really) and show him the painting above. Ask him what he sees. It’ll help if you know the story beforehand. So read up! You can read Matthew 17:1-21 or Mark 9:1-29 or Luke 9:28-42. Or better yet, read all three!
And then just take it in!
I once asked a friend, who is a better reader than I am, how to get through books that don’t make sense to me. I was reading a novel, and I couldn’t get a hold on what the author was trying to do. My friend said that sometimes you have to just let it happen to you instead of trying to work it all out at once. It was good advice.
It’s advice that applies to reading the Bible, though in a different way than reading 20th Century American literature. Sometimes the Bible is difficult, not because it’s unclear or because the author is kind of off his rocker, but because our minds are cloudy. And so sometimes you have to just let it happen to you instead of trying to work it all out at once. It’s like the story of Jesus healing the blind man (Mark 8:22-26), who sees at first hazily, and then clearly.
Let Jesus go to work on you through his Word, and you will see more and more clearly. Here’s a source of artwork that I often use: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Die_Bibel_in_Bildern
Take a look! What do you see?
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs
COMING EVENTS:
Christian Doctrine Class – Wednesday, February 1 @ 6pm
Family Night – Wednesday, February 8 @ 5:30pm
Elder’s & Council Meetings – Thursday, February 9 @ 6 & 7pm
Women’s & Men’s Bible Study – Wednesday, February 15 @ 6 & 8pm
Ash Wednesday – Wednesday, February 22 @ 7pm