Ever since I heard it, I have loved the United Church of Christ motto, God is still speaking. It reminds us that the Spirit of Christ did not end almost 2000 years ago. This gives us a great opportunity to do something that we are not always collectively good at doing: listening!
The Holy Spirit is still speaking in our midst, offering divine wisdom as we navigate the turbulent and often chaotic and uncertain days of life. And the beauty of this promise and conviction that God is still speaking is that the Bible remains our first and best source for accessing the wisdom and call of God, even today.
Bible interpretation remains vital to this promise of God. And since God is still speaking to us, the Bible truly offers us a living, breathing Word of God. Are we willing to listen to the work of the Spirit in our midst? Are we willing to listen to how God may be doing a "new thing" in our midst? Are we willing to be taken out of our comfort zone and embrace a new teaching that may seem outside of our personal belief?
This is why biblical interpretation is best undertaken in community. Denominations, congregations, and small groups make it a priority to interpret scripture together, listening to how God is speaking to each of us, in the midst of our particular context of living. This opens the scriptures to us in a powerful way.
How does scripture speak to the marginalized, to women, to people of color, to people who live outside of the United States? As we open ourselves to these new "contexts" that may not be our own, we will see that the work of the Spirit is indeed alive and well, informing and engaging us anew with the power and love of Jesus.
Beautiful Spirit, open our hearts, our eyes, and our lives to your Word. Amen.
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