From the Manse: A Thought for the Week -
Sunday 4th October 2026
How Important Is the Bible in Our Lives?
Dear friends,
This week at Alpha, we were talking about something which sounds quite
simple: How do we read the Bible? It was an interesting conversation
because, while most of us probably have a Bible somewhere in the house, I wonder how many of us actually know where to start when we open it. The Bible is, of course, at the heart of the Christian faith. We hear passages from it every Sunday. We sing words taken from it. We use it in our prayers, our services and our Christian teaching. But I wonder how important the Bible really is in our everyday lives?
For some of us, the Bible is a familiar friend. We have favourite passages
that we turn to when we need comfort, encouragement or wisdom. Perhaps Psalm 23 is one of those passages: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” For others, the Bible might be something we remember from childhood – stories of Noah, David and Goliath, Daniel in the lions’ den, or the Christmas story. We may have heard the stories many times without ever thinking about sitting down and reading the Bible for ourselves. And perhaps for some people, the Bible is rather intimidating. It is a big book. It contains lots of different books, written in different times and circumstances. There are stories, poetry, history, letters, prophecy, wisdom and teachings. Some parts are wonderfully easy to understand, while other parts can leave us thinking, “What on earth does that mean?”
So where do we start?
One of the things we talked about at Alpha was that perhaps we shouldn't
think of reading the Bible as something we have to get right. Instead, we
can approach it with curiosity. When we read a passage we should do so
asking: What is this saying? What does it tell me about God? What does it
tell me about people? And is there something here that might speak into my life today? We can also pray before we read: “God, as I read these words, help me to understand them and to hear what you want to say to me.” Andthe good news is we don't need to understand everything. We don't need to read several chapters every day. Sometimes a few verses, read slowly and thoughtfully, can be enough.
If you don't know where to begin, why not try one of the Gospels? Mark's
Gospel is a good place to start because it is the shortest of the four
Gospels and takes us quickly through the life, teaching, death and
resurrection of Jesus. And perhaps that is the most important thing to
remember about the Bible. It isn't simply a collection of ancient writings. For Christians, it is part of the story of God's relationship with humanity – and at the centre of that story is Jesus.
Psalm 119 says: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” I love that image. A lamp doesn't necessarily show us the whole journey ahead. It simply gives us enough light to take the next step. Perhaps that is what the Bible can be for us. It doesn't always give us an instant answer to every question. It doesn't remove every difficulty. But it can help us see where we are, remind us that God is with us, challenge us, comfort us and give us the courage to take the next step.
Bible Society resources similarly encourage people to read Scripture not
simply for information but to notice what speaks to them and consider how
it might be lived out. So, this week, perhaps we might ask ourselves a
simple question: What place does the Bible have in my life? If it has been a long time since you opened one, perhaps today is a good day to begin
again. If you already read the Bible regularly, perhaps try reading a familiar
passage with fresh eyes. And if you are not sure where to start, don't worry. You don't have to read the whole Bible at once. Just open it. Read a few verses. Ask a few questions. And see where God might take you. Because sometimes the first step in discovering what the Bible has to say to us is simply opening its pages and giving God the opportunity to speak.
Peace and blessings
Rev Jade