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In his sermon on January 24th, Pastor Mel quoted Jesus reading from the O.T. , and then asked members of the Bible Study group to share their favorite verses with the congregation. Soon others joined in and it turned into a wonderful celebration of God’s Word. After the service, a friend came to me with an idea. She suggested that Grove members choose another member to call on a weekly basis with the goal of trading a favorite verse. As soon as I heard it, I knew it had to be the focus of this month’s piece.

So, what about my friend’s idea? Let’s brainstorm for variations and see what we might explore on this theme of sharing Bible verses, which is as old as The Good Book itself. With whom would you normally choose to share a verse? A friend or relative would be a good starting point and the place where you might most comfortably begin, plus it’s a wonderful way to get closer and pass on your faith. We often become shy when it comes to quoting the Bible, afraid people will think we’re preachy, boring, or a religious fanatic but, if it’s done with a smile and not in a “believe it or else” manner, it might just be welcomed.

Another idea might be to alternate calling people listed before or after your name in the Grove church directory. This way you could connect with people you wouldn’t normally think to call. It might be God’s way of opening a door to a new friendship or a way of not leaving people out of the loop. Even in church, people can get overlooked because of established groups of friends. You never know what hope or encouragement you might give by spreading God’s word.

Suppose you get an answering machine when you call?. What better message than to say your name and then add something like, “Sorry I missed you. I was hoping to trade Bible verses with you—mine for today is John 3:16. God bless you.” Maybe you could even leave a verse on your own machine. I have a long message time, so I’m considering something like, “Hi, this is Barbara—I’m sorry I missed you, but if you leave your name and number, I’ll call you back when I can. If you’d like to trade a Bible verse, mine for today is John 3:16.

Now, what about the original idea of sharing a weekly Bible verse with one particular person? This requires commitment on both parts and can be a possible step towards forming a lifelong prayer partnership–something very special. I suspect that sharing weekly verses would come about rather slowly as the bond between two people grew and strengthened. You could begin by trying it out for a couple of weeks and seeing how the other person responds—perhaps just letting things develop on their own, taking God’s time.

Almost done. Pastor Mel asked each person to explain why their verse was a favorite and, at the end of the sermon, suggested that we should all list our own favorites and study why these verses mean so much to us. What a intriguing idea! This would make an interesting exercise for Lent, as would searching the Gospels for our Savior’s favorites passages!

So, were you in Grove on the 24th? Did you feel the enthusiasm and the joy the sharing of God’s Word brought forth? Did you wonder what verse would come next and why the person would choose that particular one to share? I don’t know about you, but I had the sense the exchange could have gone on much longer and I really hope it will be repeated in the future and become a feature at Grove Church. In the meantime, I encourage you to try one of the suggestions above, or to devise your own unique way of spreading God’s Word. Whatever way you choose, won’t you share it with us?

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