I want to share one of the goals I’ll be mentioning in my report at today’s Annual Meeting. I am praying that we experience a growing confidence in the Bible as the primary means of encounter with God in our everyday lives.
Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). Peter teaches that we have been born again “through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). It is in hearing and believing God’s word that we come alive to God.
God’s word is available to us in the pages of the Bible. When we read the Bible, both publicly and privately, we can do so in the confident expectation that we will encounter God. He speaks to us. It’s true that some parts of the Bible can be hard to understand, but if we come with a real desire to hear God speak, the difficulties can be overcome.
The way to increase one’s confidence in anything (including the Bible) is to try it out. This, of course, is something we do each week through our Sunday gatherings, but we can also read the Bible for ourselves at home, and/or in a group setting such as KYB or my Wednesday night group.
In brief, congratulations to our bell ringers, who took out third place in the Eight Bell Striking Competition last Sunday. Many thanks to our choir, which made our Choral Evensong a beautiful experience. It was pleasing to see it so well attended.