Dear Friends,
Earlier today, Stephen and I were tidying up the new library in All Saints Oakham. It’s a new resource of Christian books in the church that can be of interest and benefit to people in the community. Books are fascinating things and searching through old books can be like a treasure hunt as you sift through the layers to find the nuggets of gold. Going through the donated books for the library felt like a search for treasure. The amazing thing is that the treasure in these old books isn’t necessarily found in the quote on quote ‘best book.’ Instead, treasure can be found in the surprising and unexpected revelations of a book. I was looking through a helpful book on how a parish is run, covering everything from services to finances to PCCs and more. The book wasn’t anything special and it’s a bit outdated for today, but I was very interested in all I learnt through it. It’s amazing what you can find in an old book. They provide you with an insight into a particular time, place and way of thinking. They help us discover new things that we had never thought of before. What is amazing is how such ideas and insights carry forward through the years beyond the lifetime of the writer blessing future generations with what they had to share.
The Bible is like that too. The truths about God in the Bible are timeless, but we also remember that God brought the Bible to life through human hands. The stories in the Bible help paint a picture and give insight into how God was working in a particular time and place. Through the story of Moses, we see how God longs to bring people back to him and to bring us into a special relationship with him. Through the wisdom of the Psalms, we discover more of the rich breadth and depth of emotions found in the life of faith. These are lessons that we take into our lives of faith today. Throughout the history of the church, we have been blessed by writers and teachers who have written down their thoughts which have in turn blessed many generations. I am currently reading Augustine’s Confessions, in which he talks about his journey to faith and how he overcame his pull to the world in order to turn to God. His words show how even the most famous Christians of the church have had a hard time working through their faith. This is helpful for many to hear and helps to normalise the wrestling many experience in their faith journey. This is part of the gift of the written word. The joy today is that the written word can be consumed in many different forms from print books to ebooks and articles, and also audiobooks and podcasts. Whatever your favoured format, I hope this week that you are able to engage with the writings of others and especially those who have gone before us. There is a wealth of wisdom and encouragement for us to take for our faith and I encourage you to explore and discover what is out there. Remember, you can always start with the new All Saints church library.
Every blessing,
Shakeel
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Shakeel Nurmahi 