The Rector's Ramblings, April 26th

Every so often I am awakened in the early hours of the morning by my dogs who have decided that it is time for them to get up and head outside for a few minutes.  One day last week was one of those times.  When I let them out the clock was sitting at 3 a.m.  I picked up my Bible and decided to read over Paul's two letters to Timothy.  These are words that we today would call a letter from an older priest to a younger one and should be read from time to time by all of us who are ordained.  I also think that they are powerful words for all of us in the church to read during the Great Fifty Days of Easter for they speak of how each of us should live the Christian life.

Early that particular morning, two verses among many powerful ones stood out for me.   In verse sixteen of the third chapter of Second Timothy Paul writes, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."  As I read these words I felt like I was receiving a wake up call because in the midst of the sometimes chaotic life of the priesthood, I have been guilty of letting my bible reading and reflection move to a back burner.  I have been reading all kinds of books about the church, but I have only been glancing at the Bible which is the primary book of all life in the church.  While waiting for the dogs to come back in I made a new commitment and that was to spend serious time each day in the study and reflection of God's Word.  I encourage each of you to make this commitment as well and become engaged with the Bible.  Start with Luke's Gospel account.  Make a pledge to read at least one chapter each day and use a journal to record your thoughts.  After you have finished Luke, move on to Acts and experience the life of the early Church.  If all of us are willing to do this, Good Shepherd as a community of faith will truly be grounded in Scripture.

The second verse that stood out for me was verse seven of the first chapter of Second Timothy.  This verse tells us how our lives of faith, once they are grounded in scripture can be lived out in the world.  Paul writes, "...for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline."  This is a call for us to be focused in our lives.  If we truly believe the Word of God then we must be willing to share our faith with others through our words and actions.  Another way of saying this is what we believe must be manifested in how we live.  The key words are power, love, and self-discipline.  God gives us the strength to be disciples in the face of anything that the world throws at us.  We who are loved by eternal love can share that love with others.  Being grounded in Scripture will bring a sense of self-discipline into our lives which will keep us focused upon all that we are called to do as disciples.

My brothers and sisters, I invite you to join with me in the study of Scripture during these Great Fifty Days of Easter.  Not only will we experience God's Word, we will all experience a transformation in the way that we live out our daily lives.

Faithfully, Bob