New Women’s Bible Study

Funnily enough, St. John’s has not had a Bible study for a long time! Now we are starting a women’s Bible study. We will have an organizational meeting on Sept. 21 after church in the downstairs sitting room to decide what day, what time, and whether we will study a particular book or follow the Sunday lectionary.

The Bible truly came alive for me when I stopped trying to find "the one meaning" in a passage of Scripture. I was encouraged to use many different ways of reading Scripture, such as finding a word or phrase that particularly moved me; putting myself in the place of one of the characters in a story; meditating on a thought that was a "wow" for me or one that puzzled me. Often I came across multiple meanings—sort of like peeling an infinite onion! When I found out the Eye of the Needle was an actual narrow gate in Jerusalem, the story suddenly took life! I became the loaded-up camel with too much baggage and got stuck in the Eye. The baggage, of course, was all the ego stuff that I couldn’t let go of! And that led me to some serious meditation.

When we use these methods, we aren’t so likely to get blocked in literal truth. As one child pointed out, "The stories are not necessarily true on the outside, but they are true on the inside!" When we approach a Scripture passage, we will look first at the historical and cultural background. Then we will pick a way of reading that fits the passage.

There will be a sign-up list on a table at the Ministry Fair, or you can contact Olive Meyer through the church office. No homework!