| eAdventWithMatthewDec2 - Scriptures and Swaddling Clothes |
Each name in Matthew's genealogy represents a life, the miracle of birth, loves, losses, labor, and death; on every page of his Gospel, Matthew refers to Old Testament times. He is like a librarian, walking us through the stacks, directing us to older books as he tells his story. Matthew "is a book full of holes" (Dale Allison). The Bible's story raises questions - and that is a space where I discover myself in God's story. But Matthew expects me to know the rest of the story, so I can fill in the holes!
Until recently, believers were thoroughly familiar with the Bible. The holes beg me to be a better student of Scripture. Martin Luther called the Bible "the swaddling clothes in which Jesus is laid." To get near Jesus, to think his thoughts, and love what he loves, we immerse ourselves in the Bible's stories, songs, laws and prayers.
Do we want God on the cheap without reading? Do we think we will find Jesus anywhere than in the pages of the only book he treasured? "You search the Scriptures, thinking you will find eternal life; they bear witness to me" (John 5:39).
Lord, I commit myself to becoming a more frequent, diligent, passionate reader of the Scriptures that bear witness to you, and to find my place in your story.
James
james@mpumc.org
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