Grow Nights: Exploring Biblical Narative

How do you approach reading the Bible?

Sometimes we forget that although this wonderful collection of literature is for us, it’s not about us. It’s God’s story, a story from beginning to end about God and His great love for us. And yet, wonderfully, we have been woven into that story. As we become part of God’s family, we find ourselves reading it alongside other believers, discovering together what God is saying.

But how do we delve into it?

Do you pick up the Bible looking for an answer to a particular question– almost like a prototype reference book? A sort of ancient Encyclopaedia Britannica? Or do you read to find out more about the characters and the world they inhabited? Perhaps you read devotionally, seeking guidance and a personal word from God. Maybe you read meditatively, allowing each word to sink deeply into your mind through slow, prayerful thought. 

Another way is to appreciate the Bible as a collection of poems, stories, history and letters that together tell one unified story of God. When we read whole books, paying attention to how the original authors develop plotlines, characters and themes, we begin to see where each part fits within the bigger biblical story. We discover more about the characters, more about ourselves, but ultimately, more about God.

And this is where our next Grow Night series comes in.

Nearly half of the Bible is narrative, and this series will help us discover how to get even more from these stories. Biblical narrative rarely pauses to give us a bulleted list of moral rules. Instead, it often teaches us about God through actions, dialogue, characters, relationships and even the places where the story unfolds.

There is so much richness to discover when we learn how to read these stories well.

So come along next Tuesday, 7pm and let’s learn together how to uncover more of what God is saying through His story.

Colleen