Telling the Story

What makes the Bible holy? I would answer, that in and of itself, the Bible is just a book. Words on a page, not unlike any other collecting dust on the shelf. But when the stories within are told they encounter us. And when, in our listening and reading, the story comes alive and resonates with present realities; when what God has done in Jesus is not just read, but declared as a story meant to include you; when the promises within those pages are not just ideas, but ring in our ears and inspire trust in the God that holy book writes about… Well then, the Bible becomes Holy. It’s holy in what it does to the listener and in it’s shaping of hearers.

This month (May), I begin a sabbatical with that as my focus of study. How have preachers told scripture’s story in such a way that it comes alive for their audiences? How does the Bible speak in such a way to illuminate a given moment or circumstance and inspire faith? I believe that these words are alive with God’s activity, so how does one wrestle with the old, old story of scripture trusting that it has something to say today.

For four months, I’ll be away from the daily ministry at St. Luke, while taking time for study and renewal. As I shared in the fall, I applied for and received a Clergy Renewal Grant from Lilly Pharmaceutical. The grant will allow my family to spend about a month in Europe this summer. And we will get to include each set of grandparents for two weeks of the trip. We will hang out in Rome and ponder the layers of history and faith that have shaped “the Holy City.” We will do a Luther/ Reformation tour through Germany and then spend a few days in Paris on the way home. All of this travel will be at a slower pace (with built in days of play and relaxing) because going with two kiddos under five necessitates it!

While I am away, there will be an interactive display in the southwest corner of the fellowship hall engaging your stories! A new question will be put out monthly for your response and reflection. Those answers can be anonymous should you like, or you can put your name on the front for others to read. Or if you’d want me to know, but not others feel free to write your name on the back for me to read later. Responses will be placed in the wooden story box, and then weekly be added to the story board. My hope is that it will be a way for us to consider our individual and communal story and what we bring to our hearing of scripture.

I am so incredibly grateful for St. Luke’s generosity and encouragement of its pastors going on sabbatical. The time and space to dig deep theologically, have time with my young family, and to be renewed for the journey ahead is an incredible gift. I look forward to returning in September to share what I’ve learned and to continue to encounter God’s living story as it intersects with our own.

Pr. Taran Denning