The shoot-the-fish-in-the-barrel reaction to this story about an Episcopal priest encouraging Bible reading is to make some sort of crack about Episcopalians actually reading the Bible. In point of fact, the story actually demonstrates the relative hunger that many church-goers have for Scripture. It also shows how woeful the shepherding of believers is by too many clergy (mainline and evangelical) who can think of any number of authorities to substitute for Scripture in the care and feeding of God’s flock.
Whatever this priest’s effort may say about Episcopalians, he does confirm the point about the ordinary character of God’s extraordinary (read special) revelation. Consider the food analogy he uses:
. . . each reading program varies in the amount of New Testament, Old Testament and psalms that it includes.
Zabriskie explained that he consistently encourages this triad, because it is essential to remaining interested and focused in the reading.
“If you had to eat meatloaf for 15 days in a row, it would not be a fun event,” Zabriskie said, comparing the balanced program to a well-balanced meal. “But if you had a side salad that varied everyday – that’s the psalm – and a desert that was really good everyday – that’s the New Testament – you could probably stomach having to eat meatloaf 15 days in a row.”
I’m not sure if that is the way I’d think of the New Testament. Given how Peter writes about the difficulty of Paul’s epistles, the better analogy might be the bitter herbs of the Passover Meal. And considering the reason for this season, I’m not sure if bittersweet chocolate cake has sufficient bitterness to do justice to the cross or the sweetness to live up to an empty tomb. But the program teaches that some of the most wholesome and enjoyable things in life — like comfort food — are the dullest.
Old Life 