THE WORD OF GOD IN CHRISTIANS� LIFE

Let me express my gratitude to the organizers of this international gathering, the joy of being here and the privilege of participating in this panel. In this interreligious gathering and with this ecumenical panel, I must confess to you that I am challenged by the topic in front of us: �The Word of God in Christians� life.�

But let me begin with a personal note. Back at home I have an old Bible, completely worn out, with lots of loose leafs and handwritten notes throughout. This was my mother�s Bible. She always had it within her reach � on the kitchen table, in our sitting room. As children and youngsters, we watched her read and meditate, and she would share with us � not only Bible stories, but the wisdom of the Word, and more than anything her Easter joy, the joy of the resurrected and living Christ.

�In the beginning was the Word,� says St. John. For my mother the words of this Book and Christ as the living word always had primary importance, and before my sisters and I could read for ourselves, it had spoken to us and shaped our faith, lives and imagination.

So, why am I challenged? Lutherans, and I am a Lutheran, often point out that Martin Luther and the Reformation brought the Bible back into focus as the corner stone of Christian faith and life. The Reformers also caused a wave of vernacular translations so that each and every Christian should be able to drink directly from this source of life. Today, however, individual and family reading of the Bible has been weakened in our Lutheran folk-churches. In addition, historical and critical exegesis, modern hermeneutics and constant discussions of interpretation � particularly with regard to moral issues � have led many to question the actual authority of the Word of the Bible. The growth of individualism and pluralism has had the same effect.

However, this is not the full picture. There are also positive reasons why I am challenged, signs of a renewed reading and relevance of the Word of God in our churches and societies. Let me briefly point to these signs as my main contribution to this panel:

In recent years there has been a revival in telling and dramatizing the stories of the Bible � letting the biblical narratives speak directly into our lives and culture: on theatre stages, in schools and groups of children and youngsters as well as in our churches. There is a renewed sense of the Bible as foundational literature for our societies.

We have also seen growth of a renewed Christian spirituality in which reflection on the Word of God is the key element. One example of this is the introduction of the classical lectio divina among young people: reading the biblical text, followed by meditation and prayer, contemplation and action. This renewal started with inspiration from the Schola di Parola-movement in Northern Italy, initiated by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini.

In their guidelines for �The Word of God in the life and the mission of the Church� the Synod of Bishops in Rome this year also points to the significance of lectio divina in the life of the believers: �With advances in biblical catechesis, the spiritual sense of Scripture is one of the most appealing and promising aspects of the Word of God in the life of his People.� And they go on to quote the words of St. Augustin: �When you read the Bible, God speaks to you; when you pray, you speak to God.�

When I highlight this renewal in biblical story-telling and the practice of lectio divina, it is because I here see one of the most fruitful fields for ecumenical cooperation. This is also true for the reading of the Word in our liturgies. I say this as a Lutheran, with gratitude to Catholics, Orthodox and Pentecostals for challenging us back to a proper focus on the Word which was so important for Martin Luther: the diligent reading of Sacred Scripure and the authority of the Word in our lives.

Another development effecting the role of the Bible in the life of Christians in our countries, is the influx of Muslim populations and their reverence of the Koran. For my colleagues from the Middle East in this panel, this context is not new, but it is for us. The knowledge of the Koran among our Muslim countrymen challenges us. �We need more knowledge of our own Sacred Scriptures,� is a statement we often hear in schools and parishes. This situation is in many places also a starting point for conversations between Christians and Muslims.

In this new context, however, the question also arises: What is the difference between the Bible and the Koran in the lives of Muslims and Christians? In this respect we have to say that Christian faith is not a religion of the book, but of The Word of God incarnate in Jesus Christ. Together with Jews and Muslims we believe in One God, but Christian faith and life is communion with God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And we confess Christ crucified and resurrected, the focal point of our Holy Scriptures. He is �the author and perfector of our faith.�

This does not imply that we should not search for common ground in dialogue and cooperation. In this respect we treasure the letter we received 10 days ago from 138 Muslim leaders �A Common Word between Us and You�. The letter emphasizes that �the future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians�, and it describes a common ground in the double love-commandment in the Koran and the Bible � to love God with a whole heart and one�s neighbour as oneself.

This letter from Muslim leaders does not only touch upon the overall theme for this meeting: �Banishing violence from the world�. It demonstrates that encounter with others may open our eyes for riches in their tradition, but also for riches in Scriptures that we did not see in the same way before. This is also true for the encounter with our communal surroundings and the environment.

Finally, then: Young � and old - are again discovering the message of peace in the Bible, that Christ is our peace and says �Blessed are the peace-makers.� We are challenged and encouraged by the concern of Jesus and biblical tradition for the poor. In confronting the problems of global warming and climate changes, young people are reading biblical texts relating to the earth as the gift and creation of God, and they discover: The Word of God gives hope and sustains our lives as we confess faith in the Father as the Creator, in Christ as the first-born of creation and Saviour, and in the Holy Spirit as Psalm 104 sings: �Lord, you send your Spirit, life is created and you renew the face of the earth.�

Today, we live in a society and a global context which are quite different from the world of my childhood. But as new surroundings and horizons unfold for our lives as Christians, we again read and pray, we listen to God and respond in word and action: with a passion for the Word and compassion for the World.