Bible 101: Taking a Breath

-Rev Melissa Fain-

I think we've come to the point in this series where I need to explain myself some. The past four weeks are a beast to take in. You might be wondering what is my endgame? What do I have to gain from doing this? Wasn't everything peaches and cream before I had to drop these bombs exploding everything into pieces?

No. No it wasn't. The Bible is a tool. It's a tool to understand where God was, is and will be. It's a tool that shares the Love of God in the world. Any tool can and has been weaponized. The Bible is no exception. Proof texting, or pulling individual scriptures without context is the result of believing the Bible can be taken piecemeal.  Yes, I know where you are if this information is new. I was there. I took your beautiful image and tore it up. A group of people did the same thing to me. There are people out there who use this information just to destroy. They like to blow up for the sake of blowing up. Not all these people are meaning to hurt others, but their joy in exploding the Bible has left many a soul bruised and deeply wounded. 

I refuse to leave you with remnants. Like a doctor re-breaks an old break to reset and heal correctly, I will not leave you until we've pieced this back together. This is the difference between getting this information from an armchair theologian and a minister. I'm called to point to God. Where is God? God is in the pieces. God is always present, even in the darkness and confusion. God is in this moment. 

We have five weeks until Ash Wednesday. That's when we begin our journey to the cross. It is a necessary journey that takes us through death to new life. Any new life requires the death of something. Stick with me. There is a resurrection in this story.