Reading advice

January 28, 2025

Friends,

This week, just a few suggestions for reading the Scriptures.

1) Read big chunks, all in one sitting, aloud if you can. 2) Summarize what you’ve read. 3) Ask yourself questions.

Here, in a little more detail:

1) The Bible was written to be read aloud, and it was written to be read not primarily in small chunks. We tend to read it in little chunks. In church language, we call those little chunks pericopes (cuttings or snippets). There’s a lot of good that comes from that.

But just as there is a big difference between knowing someone only through soundbites vs. knowing someone in ongoing conversation, there’s a big difference between reading only pericopes and reading large chunks of Scripture.

So, take it a chapter or more at a time! And read it aloud, if you can. Better, read it to someone!

Last Sunday and this coming Sunday provide a great opportunity to reflect on a whole chapter of Matthew. Both Gospel lessons come from Matthew chapter 8. Take some time this week to read it aloud!

2) When you have read a chunk of Scripture, take some time next to try to summarize what you have read. This is an extraordinarily fruitful exercise! Let yourself off the hook – you don’t have to remember everything! But, recounting as much as you can to yourself or to someone else locks it in your memory in a lasting way. That leads to deeper reflection, and almost doubtlessly leads to questions, which comes next:

3) Ask yourself questions about what you read! Again, let yourself off the hook – you don’t have to answer the questions! What doesn’t make sense? What’s confusing? What’s surprising? What’s strange? What’s similar to other Bible passages? What’s different from other Bible passages?

Just going through the exercise of recounting what you’ve read and asking yourself questions helps it all to sink in and make what you’ve read more available to your memory when you need it, and that’s just what you want! It makes it so that you, like David, can meditate on God’s Word day and night, and that’s just where God wants you to be.

Give it a try!

God bless and keep you,

Pr. Buchs

COMING EVENTS: Wednesday, January 29 9:30 am – Chapel 10:00 am – Bible Study 6:00 pm – Bible Study 7:00 pm – Vespers

Friday, January 31 7:30 – 9 pm – Men’s Retreat

Saturday, February 1 7 am – 2 pm – Men’s Retreat

Sunday, February 2 9:00 am – Divine Service 10:30 am – Sunday School 11:30 am – Elders’ Meeting