Reflections From Sunday Evening

"Pastor Steve. We don't use page numbers with our Bibles in 3rd grade." That was my take away from the 9:30 service today when we gave our Third Graders their Bible. This is always a highlight. Student after student made their way forward as their name was called and I got to give them a Bible. It became clear that this is more than a token. They will be reading their Bible and learning the stories of faith. I always like to take a moment and challenge the students to read. This year I picked the Gospel of Luke. I asked them to find Luke in their Bible. One girl found it before I did! That's a good sign for 3rd graders - not so much for preachers. I thought it would be helpful to give them a page number so it would be easier to find. When I asked Jessica to tell me what page Luke began on - I had to ask because the print was smaller than I could read - I was told they do not use page numbers to find things in their Bible in 3rd Grade. "Pastor Steve. We don't use page numbers in 3rd Grade." That sounds good to me. This tells me our teachers are going to help the students find their way around the scriptures. They will be learning the stories of the Bible. It all begins with having the scriptures. Step two is reading the scriptures. It is good to have access but until the Word is read it will not become fruitful. We read and then we learn. We study. We listen to the lessons that accompany our Bible reading. We discuss. We discover the meaning of scripture. Over time we become people of the Book! John Wesley (the founder of the Methodist Movement) indicated that God has condescended to make himself known and show us the way to heaven. "He has written it down in a book. Oh at any price give me the Book of God." Third Grade Bible Sunday is more than a time to take a picture of the preacher giving away a Bible to a student. it is the beginning of a great adventure. Now we pray the Word of God mold lives and bear fruit for a lifetime. It begins with the Book of God. By the way, the Bible is good for "big people" too. I told our third graders that I would join them in reading the Gospel of Luke. I believe they will soon be emailing me to tell me what they learned. Any other takers? We read the Word so we may learn the Word and experience the transforming power of the Inspired Scriptures. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve