A closed book

Still standing on my bookshelf is a lovely pocket sized edition of the Bible (King James Version). Inside it, my grandmother had written an inscription to me on the occasion of my 21st birthday. When, all those years ago, I opened the gift, I turned to my mother with disappointment saying, ‘What do I want this for?’ I was far more interested in the jumbo folk guitar that my parents had paid for! The golden edged pages of that Bible were to remain unturned in their zipped-up, leather case for many years.

When I first came to hear about the person of Jesus and experienced the conviction that his claim upon my life could not be ignored, I needed help, advice and guidance. Initially, I turned to the Christians in the church where I had first heard the message about Jesus. I was savvy enough, however, to realise that having given my mind, heart and soul to this ‘faith in Jesus,’ then I needed something more concrete than simply what the well-meaning folk in this local church said. I soon recognised that what I wanted was the word of God himself, which is what the Bible’s pages are said to reveal. From it, I saw quite quickly how Jesus is also called the Word of God. So, we have the word of God in written form and then what it says is personalised and lived out in the man Jesus. This is summed up by the gospel writer John when he says, ‘the Word became human and lived among us’. intrigued? Open the Bible for more.

In the first instance, I don’t recommend starting at page one and working your way through the 1200 or so pages of the Bible. Perhaps the Gospel of John could be a way in for you. Here’s the thing though: don’t read in such a way as to sit in judgement of what you read but let what you read examine you! Through it, like a good physician, Jesus may make a diagnosis which isn’t to your liking but he remains a fine healer. Trusting him is what Christian faith is.

That folk guitar, my parents 21st birthday present to me, was traded in just a few years later. Grandmother’s Bible and, more especially, its message is still with me.