I love the journey books take to reach us. I have two books from my friend Nan, who received
them from her sister in-law Karla (also a Lutheran) who thought I, a Presbyterian and Lou Ann a Roman Catholic would enjoy reading them. We are
all women of faith seeking to better understand God’s will for our lives. They are written by Jane Knuth a volunteer at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her first book was Thrift Store Saints and the second is Thrift Store Graces. Knuth writes with a gentle and humble humor
and provides stories that are poignant. I
love her condensed description of the “Rule” of St. Vincent de Paul Society:
1. Pray
together.
2. Help
poor people face-to-face.
3. The
poor are our teachers. We are their students.
Then she writes that “this book[1]
is my midterm. I hope and pray that my
teachers, the poor, will grade on a curve.”
The point is that though the journey of a book to reach its
readers is interesting, but it is the content of the book that is most
important. I am interested in how the
Bible came to be compiled. Many of the
stories where first passed on in an oral tradition, as they were shared around
the evening fire or in a tent or recited as part of worship. Eventually they were gathered together and a
scribe wrote them down. The Old
Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic while the New Testament was written
in Greek. Many of the original texts were
lost and only a Latin translation called the Vulgate was available. For example the first English translation by
John Wycliffe in 1380 was solely from the Latin.[2] But what is most important about the Bible is
not how it came to be written and
translated and shared with you, but the content
of the book called the Bible. The
content that tells over and over the stories of God’s redeeming grace and
salvation and pursuit of our souls. These are the foundational messages of our
faith.
“For I know that my Redeemer
lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth.” No it is not a New Testament passage, but Job
19:25. But this message is walking with
the two disciples who encounter the Risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus when they
say, “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” Then Jesus himself opens the scriptures up
for them to understand his death and resurrection. Content is most important. So it is with friends. Nancy Forsyth was my friend. How we came to be friends is interesting but it is the content of her character that has blessed my life. Her passion for gardening and nature in general, her battle with sever health issues, love of her family and friends, her blooming faith in Christ and most of all her love of those who suffer illness, poverty, and discrimination. As a teacher, I know she touched many lives with hope and the love of learning. As a friend she taught me that risk taking is worth the effort not because of the end result but because of the journey. So perhaps the journey is just as important as the content because it informs the meaning of the content. New learning from my reflection on my friend's life. I dedicate this bog in loving memory of Nancy Forsyth. Peace be with us all.
[1]
Thrift Store Saints Loyola Press,
Chicago 2010
[2]
Check out “History of the Bible: How The Bible Came To Us”by Wesley Ringer http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/bibleorigin.html
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