To be overly reliant on ancient scripture is a sterile activity. It parallels our desire to preserve ancient buildings in some sort of static but sterile state. Scripture can only be brought alive by allowing it to either crumble away into the dust of ages, or by allowing it to evolve. To allow it to evolve might be difficult, but we are not here to bury our talents in the ground. To cling to ancient scripture, is to run scared of the beautiful growth, the profound spiritual unfolding, that could be achieved.
The unchanging word of God
Only lives through us:
Our ever-changing selves.
Richard Dell in his soon to be reissued book Wild Windows, makes exactly this point, but in a delightful and most engaging way. This is chapter 15. Let us look at it over the next few days:
15
ONE BOOK DOES NOT
A LIBRARY MAKE
LET me take you on a little bit of eavesdropping. Terribly naughty I know, but just this once let us be naughty. So come on, let’s sneak into this café here, and take that table over there, and let’s order some tea and a bit of cake, just enough to make it look as if we have business here: when all the time we have come to listen in to the conversation that is going on at the table next to us. And please understand this: as the couple there are young, and are obviously falling in love, I promise the moment that anything personal is said, our ears will block themselves, and we will not hear a thing. But just for a few minutes, sip your tea, have a bite of that delicious looking cake, and listen.