The Book Is Still Open!

In recent weeks, we have begun to discuss and share the Bible's richness. There are some basics that we have wanted to commit to memory:
--Two major sections: The Hebrew Scriptures (OT) and the Christian Scriptures (NT)
--"Bible" means "little books"
--There are 66 different books in the Bible; 39 comprise the Old Testament, 27 in the New.
--The Hebrew Scriptures were originally written in Hebrew; the Christian Scriptures in koine Greek.
--Historically the Bible content covers maybe 1700 years; it's texts, however, are timeless and speak to people in every age. This is particularly true today.

When the members of our class were asked, "What is the Bible?," the answers included:
A textbook for Christians.
A book about Jesus' life.
A book including creation stories.
The stories of God and God's people.
The stories of God's saving action.
The class did well on a "Match 'Em" exercise. We're not starting from scratch!!!

What I think was new, or at least renewing, was our exploration into the remarkable depth and breadth of the literature. The Bible includes narrative, law, history (a storybook!), poetry, song, wisdom,visions, prophetic messages, gospel, the stories of Jesus, and pastoral letters. What a surprise it was when we discovered the bold, romantic poetry of love from the Song of Songs, right in the middle of the Bible! Several faces reddened as we read from it. And perhaps we didn't realize that there isn't just one creation story in the Bible, but no less than three!
Much of the Bible was first shared orally, and learned through the telling and listening.The texts were received communally. We'll be doing some of that in our time together.

How does God speak to us through the Bible? Our initial responses:
--God tells us his will and how to do it.
--God gives us commandments.
--We can read the letters as written to us.
--God speaks through Jesus. Following him shapes our lives.
--In church, we gather together around the stories: reading, sharing, listening, praying, speaking, and acting.

What else have you been learning about the Bible in recent weeks? how has your learning affected your life?