Dear Friends,

This month is Bible Sunday (Foxham 14th, Derry Hill 21st, Bremhill 28th). Theologian Paula Gooder relates what happened when, having read the Bible story about the Prodigal Son, three groups of people were asked what made the prodigal son poor? “The United States audience said that he was poor because he’d just been profligate, he’d spent too much, it was his own fault. The Russian audience said he was poor because there was a famine in the land. The Tanzanian audience said he was poor because the people of the land in which he was a stranger didn’t help him.”
None of them are wrong – it is simply that their particular context and experience informs their reading, which is what happens when we read the Bible too. That is why it is good to read and discuss the Bible with others, as we each bring our own perspective, learn to listen to other voices, and deepen our understanding.
It is also good to have a space where we can ask questions and share the joys and challenges of our journey of faith. Whether you are just starting out or whether you are a seasoned traveller, journeying together helps us to discern where God is leading us as we support and encourage each other along the way. A Bible study/home group is one way of doing this and I would love to hear from you if you would be interested in joining just such a group.
In the meantime, a little quiz. Can you find 22 books of the Bible in this passage? The Bible books number sixty-six in the King James Version and form a most remarkable library. The impact of the Bible, whose ancient writings and truth still apply, has been dynamic. A hard-to-ignore fact is the quality of its teaching. Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, somewhere east of Suez, rather close to Judea. Accounts such as these are interesting, but the main job is to find the Bible book names in this paragraph. All may compete. Respond by underlining each book as you find it. It usually takes but a few minutes to judge several sentences for such names. There is the danger of seeking so hurriedly one will overlook names in going from answer to answer. This is just a fluke of eyesight. Though twenty-two books are here concealed, it is hard to say what score is normal. A child may find certain books whereas adults will overlook them. At the worst, one should find a few. As a matter of fact, some are obvious in a humorous sort of way. Linda