A Word from Pastor Lisa: The Word(le) of God
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. – John 1:1-4 (NRSV)
In the beginning was the Wordle, or so it seems. The new online word puzzle is all the rage, at least in my social media circles. For those uninitiated, every day there is a new word puzzle. You have six chances to guess a five-letter word. Correct letters in the wrong position turn yellow. Correct letters in the correct position are green. When you solve the Wordle, you can brag on all of your social media feeds how many attempts you required that day.
Why is this little puzzle so popular? I’ve got a few ideas. First, there is only one a day. So you can’t waste an entire day solving word puzzles. You spend 10 minutes and then move on with your life. Next, you can share your results with others, which prompts conversation and interaction. While you may solve the Wordle on your own, there’s immediate satisfaction in letting social media know your results. Finally, it’s a wonderful distraction. It’s a great way to break from the news cycles and COVID surges to stimulate a different part of your brain in an interactive way.
As followers of Jesus, I’ve been wondering what would happen if we got as excited about the Word of God as we do about the Wordle. When I mention the Word of God, there are multiple meanings. I once sat through an hour-long seminary lecture on the Word of God, propping my eyelids open, but now it has a much richer meaning for me, including:
The Word of God found in Scripture. In our Bible 101 class, we wrestled with the idea that some people believe God’s Word is inerrant and infallible – God said it; we believe it; that settles it. We challenged ourselves to take Scripture seriously but not literally. How might you incorporate Scripture into your life on a daily basis, the same way some of you are incorporating the Wordle? In worship and in our confirmation class, we are studying the Gospel of Luke, which has 24 chapters. What if you joined our confirmands and mentors in reading two chapters a week for the next 12 weeks?
The Word of God encountered in prayer. We believe Jesus is the Living Word of God who seeks a relationship with us, individually and together, through the power of the Holy Spirit. When I watched Desmond Tutu’s funeral online, one particular detail of his life stuck out to me: He awoke every day at 4 a.m. to spend several hours in prayer before continuing with his day. All of his activism for justice, his service to the church, and his political action in South Africa was grounded in a life of prayer. What would it mean for us to take prayer so seriously? How do you carve time each day for prayer? Here are my favorite prayer apps:
· Pray as You Go (wonderful for Scriptural reflection)
· Insight Timer (great for meditation)
· Shine (good for self-care)
The Word of God experienced in service and advocacy. We’ve had a wonderful Social Justice week of serving, learning, and growing together. This congregation has a deep legacy of service to Bloomington and care for those in need. How do we build upon that for the future? How might we take steps for systemic change? How will you engage the Living Word of God we discover in our service to others?
· Common Ground this week focuses on Disability Theology
· Faithful & Inclusive class engages Scripture and LGBTQIA+ inclusion
· Our Social Justice page has tons of resources to explore
My prayer is we all will go deeper with God’s Word, living and active among us, as we seek to be loving disciples of Jesus wherever we go.