Let’s start with free association. What do you think when I say, “Word of God?” You might very well think of the Bible, the book many of us greatly revere. Truth is, we severely limit the “Word of God” when we identify it only with printed words on pages in a book. An old Latin expression puts it more truly, viva vox evangelii, the living voice of the Gospel. “The word of God is living and active.” (Hebrews 4:12) “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 10:63) When Johannes Gutenberg invented moveable type in the 15th century, the Word of God became increasingly identified with a printed book. The wide distribution of Bibles was a blessing, no doubt, but today we forget that the Word was originally shared orally, read and shared in public gatherings, passed from generation to generation through memory, truly a living voice.
A special project is coming to culmination at Concordia Seminary. For almost a year, five of us have been memorizing the entire Gospel of Mark. Tomorrow evening at 7:00 on campus, and again Saturday at 7:00, we are going to “perform” all 16 chapters from memory. The discipline has been an eye-opener for us. In memorizing the Gospel we have been forced to imagine what the events were like. In memorizing such long sections (I have 127 verses to memorize), we see themes and emphases that are hard to catch when simply reading the book. We better understand how people first received the Gospel, sitting, seeing and hearing someone deliver it orally. So if you’re in the St. Louis area, we invite you to call the Seminary and reserve a seat, free of charge. But wherever you are, don’t let the Word of God in your life be bound by a Gutenberg captivity.
By coincidence, today happens to be the “Day of St. Mark, Evangelist.”
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