The Word of God
The phrase "the word of God" has been a bothersome phrase to me in recent years. Now, if you want to take Paul's advice and avoid those who quibble over words, perhaps you should stop reading here, because I suppose you could say I'm quibbling. But in the end, because of the movement and growth of language, which to say that's it's a thing alive, I think it can be helpful to examine what we mean by a thing.
I'm writing about this because I have just been deeply impacted by the 10th chapter of Matthew's gospel, by my reading and study this morning. The actual content of that impacting is a different story, but how amazing "the word of God" is. Here's the deal: when I hear "the word of God" what I want to come immediately to mind is that which God says, His voice alive in the world, especially at it is given at the hand of the Christ, who scripture calls "the Word of God." The notion that keeps working on me is that the writers of the New Testament did not know they were writing scripture, and therefore were not being self-referential in their statements about "the word of God" or "scripture." For example, when the Hebrew writer wrote about the "word of God," was he knowingly writing about the work he was writing we would come to call "Hebrews"? And when Paul writes to Timothy in what we call II Timothy concerning "scripture," was he referring to that very letter, or to something else?
Of course I consider Hebrews and II Timothy scripture, whether their writers did or not, "the word of God" moving through the world as they addressed the growth of the church and discipleship in their day. It makes me wonder how the "word of God" is moving in the world today...all these web sites, all these preachers and teachers, all these denominations, all this war.
Matthew 10 has struck me with such force this morning that it makes me wonder how alive I have been to his speaking these past years, these past many years. The word of God is living and active, and I suppose I'm saying the anthology on the shelf with the word "Holy Bible" on the spine (that's what it is, you know...an anthology of writings concerning the unfolding encounter with God) is only part of the story. The meat of the movement of "the word of God" in the world is the ongoing encounter with the Holy, with the Creator of all things, and the manner and degree to which what God is saying to you and me today is landing in our hearts with any force and reception.
Are we listening? In our prayer times, in our reading, in our conversations, in our actions and events and recreations, are we listening to the wind of our thought-life, engaging creation and its Creator in the conversation, trusting enough to believe that He has a thing to say to me today?
I wrote a song several years ago for a little show I called The Little Guy. I've been singing it lately, thinking about it's meaning, and what "the word of God" might be trying to tell me through the lyric.
If folks a thousand years from now preach sermons on your life
What will they walk away with as they come against the night
If nothing really changes, and folks are all the same
The word's still being written in the lives that bear His name...
The word's still being written in the lives that bear His name...
All this to say, let's listen more closely if we can. In my house, where all things musical theatre are held up to great scrutiny, we might say something to the effect of...
Wow...can that God sing or what? What a voice...
8:31:14 AM
