Discovery

I was a latecomer to Ken Burns’ The American Revolution on PBS. It debuted during a busy time of year, and between my family’s plethora of autumn birthdays, the Fall Presbytery Meeting, the Mid Council Financial Conference, and the holiday season, I did not get to sit down and enjoy it until much later. When I did, I was fascinated by what I saw and heard. I was so inspired that I downloaded the companion audiobook, The American Revolution: An Intimate History, to dive even deeper into the history of our country's founding. 

My curiosity was piqued because this was history I thought I knew, but clearly did not. Every child in America is taught about the American Revolution. We celebrate July 4th and learn about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and others. High school students learn even more in American History and Civic classes. And yet, as I watched the six episodes of the documentary and listened to the nearly twenty-three hours of the audiobook, again and again, I was confronted with history, perspectives, and nuances that I did not know and had never heard before. This was especially impactful because I assumed I had a fairly good knowledge of this material. It was eye-opening and convicting. 

We may be tempted to operate from a similar space with the bible. In our study or preaching, we may assume that we know the material. How many times have we read those verses? How often have we heard a sermon about that lectionary text? How frequently has the Sunday School teacher returned to that topic? We suppose that since “The grass withers; the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8 NRSVUE), our knowledge of all those scriptures endures as well. 

One of the things I enjoy the most about preaching and leading bible studies is those moments of discovery. While I have not been in the church as long as many of you and I have not reached my twentieth ordination anniversary, I still regularly find something I did not know about scripture, faith, or Jesus Christ: a footnote in a study bible will introduce me to some kernel of knowledge I did not previously possess, a Greek or Hebrew word will open up a new line of thinking I had not considered, or some piece of history will reshape the context of the passage. While I assumed I knew our early American history, perhaps the greatest asset of my spiritual life is that I rarely make that assumption about the breadth of the Christian scripture, tradition, or faith. It is a journey of discovery.  

What have you learned recently? What is something new that you have encountered?

Rev. Tim Blodgett

General Presbyter

Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery