Articles - From the Vicar

In early July most of the clergy and lay workers in the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, Rachel and I among them, spent three days in Durham attending a Diocesan Conference. During our time there we were encouraged to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing the Church in a culture that is, in many parts of the West at least, fast becoming post-Christian. In particular we were grappling with the issue of how Christians can speak to and witness in a society that seems to be largely indifferent to the story we have to tell about Jesus Christ. The main sessions of the Conference were framed by prayer each morning and evening, and at the heart of each day was a celebration of the Eucharist.

For many of us the highlight of the Conference was a series of 'Encounters with Scripture' led by Herbert O'Driscoll, an Anglican priest who has worked for most of his life in Canada. One of the many insights that I gained from him was that it is more appropriate to talk about 'encountering' the Bible than 'studying' it: when we study something we tend to objectify it (a student studying a set text, a lawyer studying a contract) whereas to encounter is to enter into a relationship. If the Bible is indeed the living Word of God, then as Christians we need to have the kind of relationship with it that will enable us to become part of the story of God's people, not merely onlookers. Such a relationship, which can only be formed by frequent and deep encounter, will help to equip us in our work of witness and service in God's world.

When the Church of England moved to the Common Worship three year cycle of readings some years ago we took a decision at St. Edmund's to buy a set of Bibles for the church so that people would be able to follow the readings in context. However it is my sense that the use of these Church Bibles is still quite limited. If you do not already take a Bible from the sidespeople when you arrive at church perhaps you might like to consider doing so: after all, it takes two to make a relationship work.

© St Edmund's Church, Roundhay