Message from the Rector
By The Rev. Dr. Vincent Joseph Kopp
Dear Good People of St. Stephen’s,
My mind has been on the Bible lately. As our prime reference book it makes sense that each of us commits (at some level) to “read, mark, and inwardly digest” the Scriptures’ contents, even if that only happens on Sundays.
For sure, there is much in the Bible that we do not and cannot comprehend. Much is history and patterns of social organization long lost to our sensibilities. There is also poetry and figures of speech that remain opaque to us. Even familiar metaphors are received dimly. How, for instance, are those of us who lack experience with livestock or planting, reaping, and sowing prepared to connect fully with such essential images?
And then there are miracles and other events for which we have no explanation that might make us squirm when we consider them. Thomas Jefferson, for one, was so committed to Enlightenment values, that he created his own version of the New Testament to present Jesus as the ultimate Teacher of ethical living, excising any mention of healings or miracles from what is known as The Jefferson Bible.
How, then, are we, who are even more removed than Jefferson from biblical times and daily circumstances, to know the Scriptures, especially when what they contained assaults our sensibilities?
Fortunately, in all of our explorations of the Scriptures, we are assisted by the Holy Spirit.
The Catechism (BCP, p. 853) puts it this way:
Q. How do we understand the meaning of the Bible?
A. We understand the meaning of the Bible by the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church in the true interpretation of the Scriptures.
In our contemporary setting we are likely to interrogate the Bible using Tradition, Reason, and Experience (TRE), forgetting that the Scriptures are God’s record of relationship with people of faith—first the Israelites, later the rest of us. Scripture cannot be replaced by TRE, the appreciations of which change over time and get adapted to contemporary needs. Scripture is timeless, though translations and interpretations may change.
Let’s commit to studying that record and living out the Scriptures’ meaning together. At a minimum, do as St. Francis is said to have said: "Preach the Gospel continually, and occasionally use words."
Let Us Pray:
Proper 28 (BCP, p. 184)
“Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them; that, by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
In Christ,
Vincent+
