2 Corinthians 5:20-21 – Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV)

Years ago, I preached regularly at a little church north of Toronto, Ontario, around Canada's Wonderland. At the time, farmers' fields that once surrounded the theme park were being transformed into cookie-cutter subdivisions. From Highway 400, motorists glimpsed large advertisements of this future community. The signs, complete with architects' drawings of families playing on quiet cul-de-sacs, were a stark contrast to the muddy fields beside the highway betraying how much work still had to take place in order to bring this future to life. The only other hint of the new life to come was found in the corner of the development — a model home. On my way to a church meeting one day, I pulled off the highway and went inside that show home. Taking my muddy boots off at the door, I entered a totally different reality than the fallow fields outside the temporary sales home. A company representative warmly greeted me and offered a short tour, complete with sparkling stainless steel appliances and an invitation to sit by the gas fireplace in a spacious living room. As I sank into a ridiculously plush leather couch, my eye was drawn to a nearby window and the muddy, uncultivated field beyond. As if reading my mind, the sales representative said, "It's a little hard to picture how all of this will one day be different, but hopefully, this glimpse is enough to tease your imagination."

That line was still ringing in my head a few minutes later when I pulled into the gravel church parking lot. I wondered whether our congregations might just be show homes of God's future development plans that we call the kingdom of God. Could it be that when people enter our churches, they catch just a glimpse of what God in Christ is doing to redeem the world? What if the way we treated each other as sisters and brothers in Christ were so different than the world outside that people were curious enough to want to find out more about who Jesus is for us … for them? If our show homes were patterned appropriately to give even just a glimpse of God's plan for this world and mirrored just enough of the self-giving, mutual, selfless love that we know in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, how might that change a sin-sick and cynical world?

Prayer: God our Father, we bless You for all the ways in which we come to know Your love and witness Your glory at work in the world. We praise You that, along with the power of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the risen Christ, You are building the kingdom all around us. May we partner with You in the redeeming and reconciling work of the gospel, that our common life together as worshipping communities will give a glimpse of the consummation to come. Amen.

The grease-stained pizza boxes were piled high in the corner of the upper room as youth group neared the half-way mark of the night. A delightful assortment of teens chatted away, filling that tiny space with a cacophony of giggles, shouts, and cheers as an impromptu game of Nerf football broke out, under a pencil sketch drawing of Jesus welcoming the little children. Aware of a looming deadline, I tried to call the group to order, saying above the din, "Okay, it's time to plan the youth service that's coming up at the end of the month. You'll remember last week, we went away thinking about the leadership role you'd like to take in the service. Some of you offered to play a musical instrument; others wanted to pray; and at least one of you thought about offering testimony or a mini-sermon. Before we go any further tonight, we have to settle on a Bible story to focus our common efforts on. Any ideas?" Silence. Then, one brave hand went up. "Ross, why do we have to read from the Bible in church? Why can't we just read Dr. Seuss or a poem or something? What makes the Bible so special?"

Why do we need to read from the Bible? While as professed Christians we trust in the authority of Scripture, for many of our pre-Christian neighbours, there is no longer a shared consensus on the Bible's importance. The Reformed heritage rests on the important claim of "sola scriptura" or "Scripture alone" as the prime authority for Christian life.

Ironically, it seems like we live in a time when we know both more and less about the Bible. Today, scholars offer us wonderful tools to study the Bible, and yet, the result has often been that people in the church feel better informed but further away from the Bible as a result. Like a car that once was easy to repair on our own, now we need a specialist to run fancy diagnostic tests in order to fix it. I worry that, over time, we've lost more than our biblical literacy in the church — we've lost our trust, at times, that the triune God can and does speak to us through Scripture. For example, I love the prayer for illumination that is said before reading the Bible in public worship. I love the acknowledgement that anyone can read the Bible, but to truly understand God's wisdom, we need the help of the Holy Spirit.

John 20:30-31 – Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (NIV)

The Bible was written that we might believe. As followers of Jesus, we hold onto Scripture as our guidebook through this pilgrimage of life before death and life beyond death. Why read from the Bible as a Christian community? It's not just a story; for us it's the story. From pizza-box-filled youth rooms, to stained glass sanctuaries, to shopping mall food courts, to the end-and-new-beginnings of a graveside, might we look at the Bible again with fresh eyes? This day, may we help people take steps towards faith in Jesus and learn to love the Bible again, trusting it to be a faithful witness of God's revelation to humanity? Might we have ears to hear a testimony of grace to who Jesus is for the world, yesterday, today, and forever?

Prayer: God our Father, we praise You for the inspiration of Your Word, which we know as Scripture. Thank You that in reading the Bible, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can discover Your Word to be the cradle of Your living Word: Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.