Friday, July 22, 2016

30 Day Writing Challenge 3 - 7/22: Favorite Bible Verses


I'll say so here, with only a slight twinge of guilt: I'm a Christian but not a daily Bible reader. I do the Sunday readings to prepare myself as a cantor, but not the daily readings. 

I was raised evangelical Protestant, so I got an overhealthy dose of Scripture growing up. Lots of memorization, and "sword drills" -- and if you know what that is, come sit by me and let's stir up enough memories to earn me a couple more therapy sessions. But really in all seriousness, such an upbringing did provide me with a fairly solid base in Scriptures. I loved the stories. The begats and begots bored me to tears, but ohhh the stories were something else. Even now, I can listen to a passage and tell you if it is Old Testament or New Testament and sometimes even where it may be found (though not down to chapter and verse). 

As an adult, I've found that in the times when I've been a more serious Scripture scholar, I don't like to consider a single, individual verse by itself. It makes it too easy to take things out of context. But passages? Now those I love. 

Isaiah... Especially anything from chapter 35 on. Such poetry and imagery of a tender caring God. How did we ever get away from that?

Psalms, so many of them, the Songbook of the Scriptures. Such beauty, such lament, and occasionally such whining! 

Luke's Gospel for its show of equality among all. Matthew's Gospel, for its stories (especially if you have ever acted in Godspell). John's Gospel for its deep theology. Mark's Gospel for its non-nonsense approach.

A lamp to my feet, a light to my path 

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