First Presbyterian Church

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Promised Sermons: Can I Get a Witness? - 11/14/10 Chosen as First Fruits - 11/07/10 Growing Tall by Grace - 10/31/10 Why Your Attitude Makes THE Difference 10/24 The Church Proficient and Equipped - 10/17/10 Get Over It - 10/10/10

EXPLORING THE BOOK OF BOOKS
About this time every year since 1970 I begin to look around for a new Bible to read. Why? That year I resolved to read through a different English translation of the Bible to get a feel for how different versions translated the Hebrew and Greek texts. If you will recall, the 1970s began a flood of new translations which went well beyond the King James Version (my original Bible) and the Revised Standard Version which had become the standard English translation for church and college by that time. To date I have read over thirty different English translations of the Bible. Each reading has been very fruitful for deepening my understanding of the sacred text and some of the theological axes various religious groups have wanted to grind in their version. Every three years I return to reading the King James Version just because I love that language.
In 2011 I will be reading through the Catholic Study Bible which was a gift my cousin and I decided to share this year as we set out to read the text in tandemhe is a devout Roman Catholic and I remain a reasonably devout Protestant Calvinist. The truth is, we come from faith communities which read and interpret Gods Word from different perspectives although we readily admit that there are many things we see in similar ways because we are modern and not ancient men. I use that last word specifically because men and women also bring differing perspectives to the text.
This all reminds me of something both Dr. Herman Waetjen and Dr. Ann Weir emphasized with us as we did our biblical exegesis in seminary. The Bible, they said, was as much a book about us (human beings) as it was about the words of God. No one can read through this monument to the human/ divine dialogue composed over many millennia and not realize this truth. Jesus, himself a good Jewish rabbi, would often ask those around him How do you read the text? Meaning, what kind of life experiences and understandings do you bring to the meaning and purpose of the text. My professors also would ask the question, How does the text read you? In other words, the Bible is a series of books about you and me and our ancient ancestors and our stumbling search for God and about Gods initiatives to reach out to us especially when we go groping through the wonders and tragedies that we call life. I read through this book every year because it is that book, more than any other, which has held my life together and allowed me to search, question, believe, doubt, love and struggle through the great mysteries of life with my eyes wide open to the eternal. It is also nice not to have to travel through life alone but to discover boon companions along the way who also share in the struggles and searching of life. That is why I love the Church even with all its imperfections and peculiarities, precisely because imperfect people like myself can gather together and wonder about lifes deepest meanings and mysteries togetherand sometimes discover profound insights and even divine illumination.
So it is that the Church is the community of people who gather round these ancient texts and have the mirrors, microscopes, telescopes, and magnifying glasses of God and humanity mutually trained upon each other. Here at First Presbyterian Church, I extend to you a warmest welcome and a profound invitation to join this imperfect people of God in the continuing pilgrimage of life and the wonderful dialogue with the Divine One. I think you will find it a life enriching and transforming experience.
Blessings - Rev. Dr. William Nottage Tacey