Learning by reading the word

In days when books were far more scarce, many children learned to read by starting with the Bible. It was the one book that could be found in nearly every home, and it was easier to learn to read the language and phrases that children heard whenever they were in church.

We now have access to a lot more reading material, and not every home has a Bible. One of the consequences is that we are much more illiterate and unknowing about the faith tradition that, for good or ill, has been part of the heritage of Western civilization. So occasionally pastors are asked, “I would like to read the Bible, but where do I start?”

The Bible itself is like a small library, a collection of books. Within the books of the Bible one will find poetry, parables, narratives, letters, hymns, histories, wisdom and apocalyptic literature. When beginning with Genesis and reading through the Bible “in order,” a novice reader will usually get bogged down in the Old Testament laws and genealogies of Leviticus and Numbers and simply give up. Readers who want to “see how it all turns out” by reading the last book first can pretty much guarantee confusion, as the book of Revelation is heavy on symbolism and can be difficult to decode. One of my mentors told me not to tackle apocalyptic texts until I had a firm grasp of the rest of the Biblical literature. I think that was wise.

So I recommend beginning with the first four books of the New Testament. After Mark (the shortest) and Luke, Matthew should come next. These three Gospels give accounts of the life and work of Jesus from the viewpoint of people who simply wish to tell the events. John states at the end of his Gospel that he is writing “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

After these four Gospels, continue on to Acts, and then to the books (letters) written by Paul (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, Philippians, Philemon, and 1 Thessalonians) in any order.

Reading and discussing the Bible can and will do things to you, things you will most likely not even notice at first. But it is one of the promises of scripture, “My word ... will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it,” according to Isaiah 55:11.

The Rev. Lou Hesse is the pastor at Living Word Lutheran Church on West Broadway Avenue in Moses Lake, and a Grant County farmer. This column was written on behalf of the Moses Lake Christian Ministerial Association.