Through patience: finding the comfort of the Scriptures

What does it truly mean to approach Scripture as sacred text? This reflection on Bible Sunday challenges us to reconsider our relationship with the written Word of God. We're invited to move beyond the illusion of 'plain sense' readings that promise easy comprehension, and instead embrace the patient, lifelong work of encountering God through Scripture. The message draws from Romans 15, where Paul reminds us that the Old Testament was written for our learning, but requires patience and endurance to become a source of comfort. The profound distinction here is revolutionary: unlike Islam's belief that God's Word became a book, Christianity proclaims that the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ. This means Scripture isn't an end in itself, but a means of encountering the living person of Christ. We're called to read the Bible not as a collection of propositions to master, but as an invitation to linger with a Person too vast to comprehend fully. Whether we have hours for deep study or only desperate five-minute moments between life's demands, what matters is our willingness to be bothered, challenged, and ultimately transformed by these ancient texts that point us toward the God who meets beggars with crumbs and reveals Himself in patience.