牧者心聲 Pastor's Message
08/16/2009
The Bible
When I was in England with my family this past spring, we
decided to visit a beautiful old church near our relative’s place.
There were hand carved pews made of wood, shiny and ornate
fixtures and objects that I don’t know how to describe, and priests
in big flowing robes (the choir boys had robes, too). We sang songs
that I had never sung before, but they were still skillfully written
and melodic. For the most part, the setting was quite different
from what I am used to.
But there was something else I thought was strange. I
could not find a bible in the church. I mean, we brought our bibles,
but no one else did. The pews held hymnals and another prayer
book, but not a single bible. This confused me. Was that there no
need for the bible… in a church? I don’t even recall the priest
quoting from the bible at all during his sermon. There was a short
reading from the bible, read by a parishioner, but that was it. So
this made me wonder, what about OUR church on Sundays? Is
there a need for the bible? Does everyone bring their bibles to
church? Or do you have a digital version of the bible on your IPod?
And in that case, is it more of a distraction than an aid at church?
To you and to others? Speaking of which, what kind of example
does that set? This is not a plug to overemphasize or undercut the
word of God, but to ask what role does the Bible play in your life?
I remember my mom telling me about a certain practice of
Muslims. And this is that they do not put the Quran, their ‘bible,’
on the ground. Why? Because it is HOLY. Since that time, my
mom and I have not put our Bibles on the floor (unless I am also
sitting on the floor with it). This is not a competition with Muslims,
but a way to respect the world of God and show the importance of
the Bible in our lives as Christians. The Bible is holy and it should
be treated as such. The bible should be taken care of and treated as
a gift from God, given to me and you to learn from, and to better
know our heavenly Father.
What about your bible? Is it sitting near you? (Do you even
know where it is?) Take and eat from your Bible for it will give you
nourishment as you read it this week, and for the rest of your life,
till we see our Savior in heaven!
Brother Benjamin Chung
| 