Freedom in Lent - Day 14
Our Scriptures, which we call 'The Bible', are filled with metaphor, poetic expression, myths, fables, and stories. These writings are deep and broad, nuanced and packed with images, ideas, and concepts that are rooted in their time and place and at the same time offer us glimpses into eternal truths. Yet the Church, at various times, has done our Scriptures the deep disservice of seeing them as literal and/or historical documents rather than the rich and varied truth and meaning-filled expressions of faith and the search for faith which they are.
To take Scripture literally is to tie ourselves in knots trying to piece together the sometimes contradictory, confusing, metaphorical parts which make up our holy books. It makes a two-dimensional version of a multidimensional story. Literalizing Scripture is to miss when there is a poetic, non-scientific, expression of creation found in two differing accounts one after the other, each with a different point to make. Literalizing Scripture can give us a picture of a manipulative, often belligerant God who interferes constantly in human history - often with disastrous consequences. Literalizing Scripture means we can get wrapped around the axel trying to explain, prove, or explain away stories of miracles and fabulous events.
Freed from the need to explain, defend, or figure out our Sacred texts we are liberated to explore meaning, truth, beauty, and the profound and inclusive love of God which bursts out of the texts and which offers the keys to understanding the difficult, bloodthirsty, judgemental parts of these stories through the lens of the law of love, the kingdom or reign of 'shalom', and the grace of God shown to us in the person of Jesus, who we call the Christ. At root this liberation comes from the recognition that our Bibles are more words about God, than 'the Word of God' - for, as our Bibles tell us, there is only one Word, and that is Jesus.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
The Gospel of John 1.1-14
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
artwork - In the Beginning was the Word, Shiloh Sophia McCloud