Writing about reading the scripture, Benedictine Sister, Macrina Wiederkehr said: “Read with a vulnerable heart. Expect to be blessed in the reading. Read as one awake, one waiting for the beloved. Read with reverence.” When you open the bible and begin to read, what do you expect to happen? Do you expect to be blessed by the words? Do you expect to hear God’s voice guiding you, comforting you, challenging you, loving you? As you read, are you receptive to the possibility that God can transform your life through the words of scripture? We can only answer yes to those questions if we allow ourselves to be vulnerable before God and remain receptive to God’s leading wherever it may take us.

During these four weeks before the start of Lent, we are going to explore several devotional practices. This week we’re going to look at scripture reading. The kind of reading that I am referring to is not reading for information (e.g., who wrote the book?; when was it written?; etc.) but for transformation (e.g., what is God saying to me in this passage?; how can my life be different because of this passage?; etc.)

Reading the scripture for transformation not just information begins with us laying our vulnerable hearts before God. It begins with us being open to God’s word correcting us where we fail; sending us in directions we didn’t anticipate and maybe even prefer to avoid; and challenging as well as comforting. We need to lay our defenses aside when we open the scripture so that we can be receptive to God’s voice speaking to us through its pages.

Over these weeks between now and Easter Day, join me in an adventure of daily bible reading. There are many ways to begin to read the bible. One very simple way is to select a chapter or several verses of the scripture to read daily. You could start with the Psalms, one of the gospels, a favorite book of the bible, or, like our Confirmation Class, use the lectionary.***

Once you have selected the passage to read for the day:
• Find a quiet place with minimal (or preferably no) distractions.
• Read the passage two or three times. After each reading:
o Sit quietly for a time.
o Ask yourself: what is God saying to me here?; what response does God want from me?
• Pray.
Let’s take our vulnerable hearts to God expecting blessing, deeper relationship with God, and transformed lives.

*** The lectionary is simply a list of daily bible readings. Using the lectionary is a way of addressing the frustration that many of us have as to where the best place to begin our bible reading is. An electronic version of the lection can be found here.