Bible open on the dining room table, quiet house...that's the only way to do Bible study, right? That's the way I have written papers and prepared worship services since I started seminary, so that must be the right way. Well, surprise, surprise...this winter, the study group at SMCC has found that using a dramatized version of the Bible on CDs has enriched our reading and our conversation about the Gospel of Matthew.
Last week at the Executive Board meeting, without trying to be an eavesdropper, I overheard a conversation about listening to the Bible. And that was the end of it...
The next morning, as I sat down to catch up (Do you hear a sad confession here?) on my reading, the previous night's conversation came to mind. So, I Googled "audio Bibles," and found that there were many free choices online. I chose http://www.biblegateway.com/ It was simple to choose a format (for me, dramatized KJV), and soon I had my grandmother's Bible open and my computer on to hear and read the Word. The experience was joyful and exciting; this technology works for me!
Why did I not make a connection here? Why did I not see that how we approached Bible study together at SMCC might work for me at home? That got me thinking about other connections and relationships, some tied to our reading and others tied to this blog. What a wonderful, exciting year this can be as we experiment with new ways to hear and read and share the Word of God!
Listening to the scriptures can certainly bring a different perspective and bring new life to scriptures we have read many times before! Many of our scriptures were primarily written to be read out loud but so often nowadays we do not do that - especially at home!
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