Saga

Lenten Vespers, Week One

Deuteronomy 30

Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

2 Timothy 3
Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, and my suffering the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

Homily:

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

To the north of Scotland lie the Orkney Isles, a beautiful cluster of islands which were once the seat of a powerful Viking earldom. It wasn’t until 1468 that the King of Norway ceded the islands to Scotland in order to pay off his daughter’s wedding debt, a transfer that most Orcadians choose obstinately to ignore. “We’re nae Scottish,” they’ll insist if you ask. After all, what’s 500 years, give or take?

As proof of their independent identity they offer the Orkneyinga Saga, the medieval History of the Earls of Orkney, penned by Icelandic scribes some thousand or so years back. It has been called the secular scriptures of the isles. The Saga tells Orkneymen who they are, whence they come, and what sort of blood pulses in their veins: Viking blood, mostly, but with a fondness for Celtic beauty.

People need a story. Nothing is more central to the cohesion of a society, a community, or a family. Children who know their family story prove happier, more confident, more successful in life. It is a powerful thing, to stand amidst a great people. And that is in large part why the Bible has endured. The Scriptures of the Holy Bible are the story of one people, yes—God’s people Israel—but they are also the story of all peoples, of God’s relationship with the entirety of humankind. The Bible tells us who we are, whence we come, and in whose image we are made.

We live in an era of identity crisis. National narratives have been deconstructed. Family bonds have come undone. Even the Church can be difficult to discern, divided as she now is amidst many bickering sects and denominations. How can we discern the Body of Christ, when His people have been parceled out into so many different bodies? It’s no help at all when one group—be it Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant—asserts that their particular sect possesses Jesus to the exclusion of all others. History has shown us how this leads only to further and deeper divisions.

Yet beyond the bureaucracy we can discern the true Church, the one Church, to which all Christians of every time and place belong. Mystics and theologians alike speak of the “Marks of the Church,” the sure signs of Christ’s unifying presence, even amongst squabbling sinners such as us. And the first of these Marks is the canon of Holy Scripture we know as the Bible.

The Bible is unique within human history. Compiled by at least 50 authors over more than a thousand years, it is more a library than any single book. It contains history, mythology, poetry, prophecy, psalms, songs, and sage advice. It shows us terrible violence and scandalous mercies. Yet beyond all this, the Bible unfolds for us our own saga—the bittersweet love story of God and Man—into which all of us are invited, all of us are enfolded. Enlightened by the Holy Spirit, this book is no dead letter but a living relationship rushing ever closer to its ultimate fruition. And we each have our part to play in this drama.

The Bible is alive. It has hands and seizes us. It has feet and chases after us. It is confusing and frustrating and frightening; glorious, astonishing and true. It slays us with the Law and raises us to new life in the Gospel. More than anything, it is through this written Word of God that we encounter the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ. It is He who reveals to us the Scriptures, and only He who can make sense of them all. Jesus is the Word of God given flesh and bone, and we find Him in this Word given sheaves and a spine.

Now, I read the Bible every day, and I know for a fact that there are folks in this congregation who know the Scriptures far better than I do. I also know for a fact that there are folks in this congregation who are loyal, loving Christians, who do not own a Bible, or tend not to open the ones they have. I understand that. Believe me, I do. The Bible can be an intimidating tome. We often yearn to know it better, yet don’t know where to start. I didn’t read through the entire thing until college, when Religious Studies was my major. And every single time that I open it, I find therein so very much that I never noticed before.

In this season of Lent, when we seek to draw closer to our Savior and to put first things first in life, I encourage everyone to return to the Holy Scriptures, to read the great saga of God’s people and of our place amongst such a mighty host of sinners and saints. I would be happy to recommend reading plans, and certainly to answer questions. There will be many, I assure you. The pastor’s role is not to teach the faith on Sundays but to assist families and individuals in living out our shared faith every day of the week. Christianity is a religion of the home, not the cathedral. And in the home it is the parents who are bishop and bishoppess of the family, entrusted faithfully to read and pass on the Holy Scriptures. Even a single chapter per night, accompanied by sincere prayer, can change darkness into light.

The Bible is the written Word of God and a sure sign of His presence amidst His people the Church. Take it. Read it. Claim it. The Bible is your story. Make it your own.

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.