PRACTICE: Scripture

The Word of God is sacred and complex. Simultaneously polarizing and unifying. Scripture has been used to liberate and oppress. It’s been memorized, weaponized, commercialized, and internalized. Countless passages have been stripped of their cultural context and used to adorn embroidered pillows, Instagram bios, or $300 basketball sneakers. (Philippians 4:13, anyone?) The very mention of Scripture can elicit anger, fear, and joy.

On top of that, we arrive at Scripture separated from the earthly ministry of Jesus by almost 2,000 years of war, technology, and crumbled empires. Of the many cultures that exist on the earth today, 21st century Western society least resembles the values, lifestyle, and vision of the Old and New Testament.

And yet, as followers of Jesus, our faith is shaped by this enduring narrative of creation, de-creation, and re-creation.

Wherever you are in your journey with Jesus and his Word, our good Father lovingly invites you to find Good News — hope, healing, grace, and freedom — in Scripture’s truth.

The Holy Spirit awakens Scripture for seeker and sage alike, with wisdom and compassion for every step in the Christian journey.

If you have stumbled in the way of God and are hungry for redemption, you are in holy company. So did Moses, the Egyptian prince, David, the adulterant king, and Saul, the persecuting Pharisee. If you are facing an unimaginable loss or injustice, you are in holy company. So did Ruth, the widow, Job the grieving father, Joseph the innocent prisoner, and Mary the mother of Jesus.

In Scripture, we find the accounts of men who fought the collective temptations of power, lust, and pride in pursuit of righteousness. We find the stories of women who experienced infertility, oppression, abandonment, and abuse yet answered God’s invitation to shape history.

When we meaningfully and humbly engage Scripture, we enter God’s cosmic story — too beautiful for words, yet recorded meticulously over the centuries, ultimately about a person. A person named Jesus. And in the process, we enter the story and are transformed by a gospel of redemption and grace.

We were created for the Word to dwell in us richly and thus transform our hearts, thoughts, relationships, schedules, budgets, priorities, and hopes (Colossians 3:16). But this relationship with Scripture doesn’t happen on accident; it is cultivated through reading formationally, not just informationally.

When guided by the Holy Spirit and grounded in community, the Word of God shapes us into kinder neighbors. We become more compassionate and patient family members. Calm co-workers. More generous friends. More welcoming citizens. 

That’s the vision of our good God. That’s God’s kingdom come.