Jesus’ people have always taken the Bible seriously. For example, the early church described the Hebrew Scriptures as “God-breathed.” Every part, we’re told, is “useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). And in Acts 2:42, Luke tells us that the first Jesus community devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and the prayers (which would have included the Hebrew psalms).
Ever since, the Bible has played a central role in shaping the life of Jesus’ followers. As the Anabaptist Christians have put it, the Word of God in print was given to us in order to lead us to the Word of God in Person. In other words, the pages of Scripture lead us to know the Living Word, Jesus.
What’s more, reading the Bible helps us to become like Jesus, and equips us so that we might play our part in the ongoing story of God’s work of redeeming and renewing all things. In that sense, we’re like theatre performers who have parts 1, 2 and 4 of a script. If we’re to improvise part 3 in a way that’s consistent with the storyline, we’ll need to have immersed ourselves in the beginning, middle and ending of the drama.
It’s with the goals of knowing Jesus the Word, and becoming people who can act on the Word, that you are invited to interact with a short selection of Scripture in a simple exercise—to take part in some “Word Play.”