It takes a village to read the Bible

Reading the Bible is like looking through a family photo album. It reminds us of who we are and where we come from. This is the image that Pastor Phil Kniss began his sermon with. Sometimes, when looking at old pictures we need help to understand what the picture is about. As we read the Bible we also need help in interpreting and understanding what it is that we are reading. Pastor Phil highlighted this as an essential task of the church, to read and understand and apply  what is in the Bible. The best Biblical interpretation occurs where brothers and sisters come together to wrestle with understanding Scripture and referencing their interpretation with interpretations of the larger church. The two Scripture passages used in our service today, Nehemiah 8:1-12, and Luke 4:14-21, deal with this idea of God's people hearing, understanding, and then applying God's word.