A funny thing has happened since I've become a born again church-goer. As it turns out, and only in my opinion, there is a lot of filler in the average UCC service. You've got to get the collection plates, pass'em out, and take'em back, and then get the bread and wine, pass'em out (slight difference from Episcopal services), and take'em back, and so on. To pass the time, I've started leafing through the only reading material available.
I think of the Four Gospels, I prefer Luke. He comes at the issue as a historian, and I've got a soft spot for historians. Of the remaining books, I'm still trying to figure out where they all fit and whether they all fit together (and I'm growing more and more skeptical all the time). I like Ecclesiastes pretty well (all is vanity, after all) and I've enjoyed the parts of Paul's letters I've read, even if they do sound a bit like a boss sending plaintive notes back home.
To be honest, I was surprised what an elevated post Paul has on the religious hierarchy. Second in importance to the big guy, some say.
2 comments:
Well, much as I dislike reading his convoluted prose, he was the one who spread the gospel throughout much of the known world. Without his ministry (and Irene can correct me on this) the young church might have withered on the vine. I recently read an amazing piece about his ministry, but I can't remember where; I just recall that I was amazed.
You guys give Paul a break! He was pouring his heart out in those letters. I love reading his books. His voice seems so contemporary. We just finished reading Matthew in our bible study and today we start Luke. Matthew has lots of great ties to Old Testament scripture to convince the readers that Christ was the true Messiah. They were expecting a little more flash, bang, boom, I'm afraid. Mark is our reverend's favorite book, too, Chris, for the same reason you mentioned.
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