Happenings 23 November 2018

One of the Bible translations that has caused some difference in opinion over recent years is The Message. It was written by Eugene Peterson, a Presbyterian pastor and author. Eugene died one month ago and is now with his Lord. People have called The Message a ‘loosy-goosy’ rendering of God’s word, but this is unfair. Before becoming a pastor, Peterson earned a PhD in Semitic languages, and was very qualified in the art and science of bible translation. More important is the reason he wrote The Message. It came from a simple desire for the members of his church to understand the Book around which their life was to revolve, and to have it accessible in the every-day, street-level language of our modern world. And in fact, this was how the New Testament was first written down. It wasn’t hoity-toity; it was written not in classical Greek but the common Greek used by regular people every day. And at times its grammar is actually quite poor! (that should be a comfort to some of us!). Peterson aimed for connection, not just in The Message, but in the way he did life. He wrote this: ‘Speaking to people does not have the same personal intensity as listening to them. The question I put to myself is not “How many people have you spoken to about Christ this week?” but “How many people have you listened to in Christ this week?” The number of persons listened to must necessarily be less than the number spoken to. Listening to a story always takes more time than delivering a message, so I must discard my compulsion to count, to compile the statistics that will justify my existence.’ May we learn from this gentle listener, and be those who also seek humble connection with those around us.
  
In Him, 
Murray