Across the Pastor’s Desk by Todd Walsh

 

A wise confirmation student raised his hand one day and asked, “Why is the Bible so complicated? Why couldn’t they just say what they mean?”

That was a great question, and I said so then. My answer went something like this. We like stories. We remember stories. And we like stories about people. We connect with people. And people from long ago come alive when we tell the stories about them.

There are 613 commandments in the Old Testament. Can you name them?  We as Christians cherish just ten of them. Can you name them?  In order.

Now, can you name some of the great people of the Bible?  I would imagine you can name well over ten of them. And I would imagine you can retell some of the stories about them and give a reason why you claim some of those stories as your favorites.

We like stories. We can relate to them and the people in them. The people come alive.

Consider also that one of the people who comes alive through the pages of the Bible is the one named Jesus. It is in the person and work of Jesus that we meet God in person. We hear him speak. We see him act on his words.  We see his life and love. And we can see that we are not just part of his story. We are part of his life.

Allow me to quote at length one passage from the Bible. It is Paul’s account of Jesus sharing of the bread and the wine, the Sacrament of Holy Communion. It is found in 1 Corinthians 11.23-26.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Notice how Paul introduces what he has to say. He relates the passage of the story from Jesus himself to Paul himself to the Corinthians themselves. The Corinthians are named as part of the story. And the words of Jesus are repeated. They are repeated as he said them. And they are repeated in a way that he is addressing Corinthians.

It becomes clear with the way Paul quotes Jesus that anyone who hears or reads these words can become part of the story. We can became part of what Jesus is saying and doing. That becomes all the more clear with how Paul ends his account, “you proclaim…”

The words of that passage have been and are repeated around the world every Sunday. The announcement of what Jesus has done is repeated. The story is told again and again. We are reminded that Jesus is indeed alive and among us. We become part of the story. And we are invited to share the story through our lives…”you proclaim…”

You can impress someone by reciting a few of those 613 commandments. But what is more impressive is that you can join the story of what Jesus did long ago and far from here and is still doing among us today.

Todd Walsh is the Director of Spiritual Care Services at Thorne Crest Senior Living Community.