Hungering for the Word of God
GROWING BEYOND THE DOORS
By Rev. Canon Grayhame Bowcott
“WHY WAS the thief on the cross, who was crucified with Jesus, granted admission into paradise when the Jewish people believed that all those who died went to Sheol (the land of the dead)?”
A brilliant question, asked by one of the participants of a recent Book of Revelation Bible study hosted between the parishes of Meaford and The Blue Mountains. Questions like this one remind me, as a priest, of how important regular Bible Study is, among all members of our Anglican congregations, in order to shape followers of Jesus who are Biblically literate, willing to ask questions about their faith, and, perhaps most importantly, longing to come together with others to learn more.
Sometimes, for busy clergy balancing our routines of administration, pastoral care and liturgical preparation, it can be pretty easy to neglect the time it takes to host regular Bible study sessions in our congregations. In addition to this trend, the culture of many congregations is such that Sunday is the primary gathering day for their parishioners, and sometimes it is difficult (or next to impossible) to encourage members to attend mid-week events, such as Bible studies. Yet, an important question needs to be asked of every congregational context: where are the opportunities for our members to read the Bible within community, and to have a safe place to ask questions that are imperative to our faith among others who are equipped to be able to answer these questions through our Anglican hermeneutics (lenses) of scripture, tradition and reason?
There is a hunger among the members in our pews, and among the wider public who may not even attend church regularly, to engage with the story of God and humanity that is told throughout the pages of the Bible. There is a strong desire to have a place to ask our questions, to voice our doubts, and, God willing, to even encounter the person of Jesus who is preached from our pulpits each Sunday.
Over the last several weeks, Fr. Brendon Bedford and I hosted a Bible Study group focusing on the Book of Revelation. Our group, made up of parishioners from two congregations, gathered in the first session simply to read The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John of Patmos in a single session. It was, honestly, the first time I had ever read this Book, cover to cover, in one sitting. In reading this Biblical text, we shared its words among the many voices of our participants. We read it, firstly, for the purpose of hearing it spoken in its entirety – not cut up into little pieces. And, in the weeks following, we began to dig into the text, line by line, unpacking its meaning, firstly for its original audience, and then in the ways it applies to our lives today.
To draw on the Biblical scholarship of another fellow Anglican, our group utilized a study guide, Revelation for Everyone, written by Bishop N. T. Wright. The study guide provided some answers to questions we couldn’t answer on our own. It also helped our participants to grow in the appreciation that the Bible is a living document with numerous layers of interpretation, and among Biblical texts, it's rare to find one more challenging than Revelation!
Each week that our group gathered, we continued to grow in number. The reason for this was that our members kept sharing word of what they were learning with others, who then became curious enough to come out for themselves. Perhaps you’ve heard the definition of evangelism in this way: one hungry person telling another where they just received the best meal in their week? Well, that sentiment was what we experienced in this recent study: a deep hunger for the Word of God, and a willingness of our members to spread the word when they felt that they were being fed.
Among the characteristics of Anglican congregations that are growing numerically is the regular occurrence of small group Bible study sessions. Not only do these gatherings help us to grow closer in our understanding of God, as revealed through the Biblical text, but they also help us to get to know each other (as fellow Anglicans) in a setting that is often more conducive to building friendships and asking difficult questions than our corporate times of worship on Sunday mornings allow.
When’s the next Bible Study group happening in your congregation? If there isn’t one already in the calendar, feel free to reach out to your clergy or wardens and express your interest! And, when one is scheduled, don’t hesitate to check it out if you’ve never attended one before. It may just end up being the next step you take in your relationship with God and with others in your community.
Rev. Canon Dr. Grayhame Bowcott is passionate about fostering congregational relationships and sharing our Anglican vocation with others. He serves as Rector of St. George’s, The Parish of The Blue Mountains, and as Program Director for the Licentiate in Theology program at Huron University.