From the editor

We come to the Bible, if we come at all, from different perspectives. But do we come with love? Do we let its perspective shape us—individually and as a church? What does shape us? What is our meditation all day long? …

Oh, how I love your law!
It is my meditation all day long.
—Psalm 119:97

We come to the Bible, if we come at all, from different perspectives. But do we come with love? Do we let its perspective shape us—individually and as a church? What does shape us? What is our meditation all day long?

The title above comes from the Year of the Bible Network, a ministry of Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA that calls people to focus on the Scriptures for a year.

I attended a launch Aug. 1-2 for this focus and came away energized, even inspired, by how important it is to let the Scriptures shape us.

All kinds of influences shape us: our genes, our families, our education, our socioeconomic level, where we live, the media we absorb. Why would we want an ancient text that includes murders, betrayals, subjection of women and inscrutable laws to shape us?

The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective says, “We believe that all Scripture is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit for instruction in salvation and training in righteousness.” As Helmut Harder writes, the Bible answers two basic questions: ”What shall we believe? and How shall we live?”

But the Bible is a complex book, really a collection of books (66 in the Protestant version). It includes narrative, poetry, genealogy, parable, letters, apocalyptic, prophecy and more. It is not a simple list of rules to follow.

Instead, the Bible helps shape our understanding of God and how God is active in our world. It shows how we may participate in God’s story.

We gradually absorb this story as we read it. And as Malinda Berry writes in the book A Faith Embracing All Creatures: ”When we read the Bible today, we have the chance to revive ancient teachings by bringing new insights to the table, namely, a renewed vision of God’s love and care for us as a community of creatures.”

As Loren Johns noted at the August event, our Anabaptist forebears emphasized studying the Bible together, something I don’t see many Mennonites doing.

This acknowledges the presence of the Spirit among us and how limited our individual perspective is.

Beyond reading and studying Scripture, said Patricia Shelly at the same event, we are to ingest and digest God’s Word. The Psalmist loves God’s “torah” (“law” is an inadequate translation), which means teaching or guidance and applies to all of life, not just so-called religious activities.

Praying the Scriptures is an ancient spiritual practice that involves entering imaginatively into a biblical story and encountering God there. Another helpful practice is “lectio divina,” which involves listening to a Scripture several times and noting which word or phrase speaks to us.

We live the Scripture by participating in God’s mission of bringing shalom (wholeness, health, reconciliation) to all of creation. We worship God the Creator, who is our ruler, and we proclaim that reign in word and deed.

As we read, study, pray and live the Bible, that magnificent, mysterious text shapes us through the Spirit into a people who reflect God’s love in and for the world.

Gordon Houser is associate editor of The Mennonite.