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THE VICAR WRITES:
Then he said to me, “Son of Man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
(Ezekiel 3:1)
It was a vital lesson for a prophet to learn – his words would not be his own, but God’s. He would not
have to make up a message – simply to tell others what God had told him.
And yet, the message had to become his own before he could present it to
others. He had to absorb it into his own personality. In that way the words of God would also be Ezekiel’s own words.
Ezekiel would always sound like Ezekiel; his mannerisms would not change; his interests and talents would not change
– what would change was that he had a message to deliver from God himself.
So what of our engagement with the Bible the word of God? We are not called simply to become more technically competent
in the way we handle the Bible; we are not called simply to learn more about the Bible – we are called to ensure that
the Bible is a part of us – to allow it to transform us into the people God wants us to be.
It is a challenge to make sure we do not stand over the Bible seeking to make sense of it, without first making sure
that we stand under it, allowing it to make sense of us, to work on us from the inside out.
It is a real challenge to live for Christ in our contemporary world. As we read the Bible (a command not an option)
then may we “eat the scroll” so that God’s word becomes part of who we are.
The Highway Code For Parenting
By Michael and Hilary Perrott, CWR publishing, £6.99
Here is a very practical guide to being a better parent. It's about love and esteem, discipline and development of character. May help anyone who is about to become a parent, or who is currently feeling overwhelmed by their children,
or who simply wants to enjoy family life more.
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All Saints’
Churchwardens, Deanery Synod representatives, Roger Hetherington (ex-officio), Fred Chatfield, Anita McKinlay, Patrick
Combes, Paul Heslop, Adrian Kilborn, Thelma Savage (Minute Secretary)
Prayers for the Very Young
By Sophie Piper, Lion Children, £5.99
Bright and jolly illustrations fill every square inch
of this book and help make the times of saying prayers feel exuberant as well as reassuring. The prayers are arranged to match key moments in a child's day so that it is easy for grown ups to
read a section with a child in any one sitting.
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How should we read the Bible?
There
are three things to bear in mind when you pick up your Bible:
First, approach it expectantly.
The Bible is not just another book – it is the Word of God, given to us by God
to help us and instruct us. The Psalmist declared, ‘Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path’ (Psalm
119:105). Therefore, as you open your Bible, pray that the Holy Spirit (who inspired the writers of the Bible) will illumine
its meaning to you. Read it carefully, not just hurrying through it as you would a novel.
Secondly, read your Bible systematically.
Aim to read about three chapters a day: begin at Genesis
and work through the Old Testament. Begin in Matthew and work through the New Testament; begin in Psalms and work through
Psalms and Proverbs. Simply continue these three cycles, and it will ensure that your diet of Bible reading each day will
be varied and include a bit of everything!
Finally, read your Bible obediently.
Be ready to obey the truth that God has for you in its pages. God gave the Bible to us ‘for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness’ (2 Timothy 3:16), and the Bible can change our live as we read it
and obey its teachings every day.
And that’s why we encourage you to meet with Christians during the week to get to
grips with God’s word. Join us at any time – you will be given a warm welcome.
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