THE BIBLE IN MY LIFE March 7, 2005 Issue

TEXTS THAT EXPLODE UNEXPECTEDLY

LANCE CARDEN

WHEN THE BIBLE SPEAKS TO US on a deep level, it's like the proverbial roaring lion—we can't ignore it and we won't soon forget it. Sometimes when this happens at a public gathering, it's what Walter Brueggemann, a prominent church leader and prolific Old Testament scholar, refers to as ancient Biblical texts "exploding" unexpectedly and with fresh meaning in the ears of audiences (Theology Today, July 1997).

I've found that in such powerful group experiences, Bible texts I've read or heard a thousand times seem to say something completely new, because they apply to fresh situations. These incidents are, I think, relatively common among people in Scripture-based communities, but they can never seem routine. I experienced a powerful reminder of this just a few months ago.

After my wife, Karen, passed on last summer, several friends helped me organize a commemorative event in October. Karen truly loved music, so we developed a short program of pieces she enjoyed, hired some classical musicians to play them, and asked a friend of hers to compose something new for the occasion. This friend told me that he had decided to name the piece Awakening and to end it with an arrangement of the opening phrases of the familiar hymn, "Nearer, My God, to Thee."