The hurly-burly and bustle of Christmas is upon us all and sometimes it is difficult to remember whose birthday it is that we are celebrating. It is so easy to be caught up in all of the necessary activities that we lose the deep and wonderful message of life that comes to us at this time of year. The prophet Isaiah asked the question, "Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? And you labor for that which satisfieth not?" It is the materialistic aspect of Christmas that enervates us and can extinguish the true joy that we should experience this time of year.

In this Advent Season it is important that we go back to our roots and bring again to our consciousness the powerful message of the coming of the Son of God into the world. It is through the beautiful words of scripture that Christ comes to us. He is that glorious Word that came forth from the eternal heart of God, which comes into our hearts as we read the Bible. The Bible is the treasure house of the Word of God, and it is the means whereby we are enlightened and encouraged by God's Spirit. As the psalmist said, "thy word is a lantern unto my feet, and a light unto my paths."

It is unfortunate that many times in the Church's history the teachings of the Bible have been obscured by the teachings of the world. It was in the Reformation period that the Bible was re-established as the source of all Christian truth. The Church at that time had departed from the Bible's teachings and was involved in all sorts of gross immoralities and doctrinal controversies that in no way could satisfy the needs of God's people. It was the revival of the power of the scriptures which brought, not just to individuals but to the Church and to society as well, a whole new burst of the energy and power of God's presence.

The watchword of the Reformation was "Sola Scriptura" - the Bible alone, and only the Bible, as being the source of our religious understanding.

We find today a similar situation existing, particularly in the main line churches of which we Episcopalians are considered a part. Because of modern historical and scientific developments, much of the Bible is looked upon as being irrelevant and unreliable, and conditioned by historical factors without a message of power for today. Consequently, we as individuals, as well as our church and our society, are impoverished. We are all left without that life-giving healing presence and power of God, which the scriptures bring to us.

Of course, we should not expect the world to understand fully the teachings of revelation. Isaiah went on to say, speaking of God, "My thoughts are not your thoughts." Human beings can not think the thoughts of God. We are conditioned and limited by our own finite selves. God, also through Isaiah, said, "Neither are your ways my ways." Our petty moralities, our pretensions at righteousness are nowhere near the standard which God extends to us through His Word. It is only through the scriptures that we are given the life-giving presence and power of God's Spirit.

How, then, are we to interpret the Bible? There are so many different teachings always being presented to us. The second great watchword or principle of the Reformation was the conviction that the Bible is interpreted by itself. We are not to refer to any external theological or philosophical ideas by which to interpret the Bible. The Bible itself is cohesive and coherent and provides us with the means of understanding, as well as receiving, God's message.

It was St. Paul in his second letter to Timothy who gave us the way in which we are to understand the Bible. He said, "All scripture is given by inspiration in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." All scripture from beginning to end, from the Book of Genesis through the Book of Revelation, is inspired by God. That is why it is a holy book. We should not expect to find in this book the many fields of knowledge that do not apply to the spiritual and moral dimensions of life. We should not come to the Bible in order to understand anthropology, geology, or any of the various sciences. This is not the purpose of the Bible. Nor should we use the Bible as simply a guidebook for every aspect of living. Such ways are fruitless and not profitable.

St. Paul was saying that the primary purpose of this revelation of God is to train us in the spiritual and moral dimensions of living. This is how the inspiration of God becomes profitable for us. First of all, this holy book is the doctrinal foundation for Christian truth. We should not go to some scientific treatise to find spiritual doctrine. We should not go to the sacred writings of other religions for the doctrinal truth of God. We go to the Bible.

We find, for instance, in the first chapters of the Book of Genesis the full sweep of God's will for us in metaphorical language. What the story of creation is telling us is not how long it took, or how it was done. It is telling us that God is the Creator. God created everything and everyone out of nothing. Science can not tell you this. This is a truth of revelation accepted by faith. Science can only say that either everything always was or else that it happened by accident- a big bang! The Bible teaches that everything is created by God out of nothing.

Secondly, the Bible goes on to teach us that all of God's creation is good. "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold it was very good." Again, this is a truth of revelation. To affirm the goodness of everything takes an act of faith.

Thirdly, we are taught in the story of creation that of all life created by God, mankind is chief. The doctrine of man, as well as the doctrine of God, is contained here. The highest and last form of creation was woman. The Bible does not teach the equality of the sexes. It teaches that women are far superior to men. In the Bible the last is always the first. The Virgin Mary is the highest of the saints. The risen Lord appeared first to the faithful women at the sepulcher.

Incidentally, this truth is revealed not only in the Bible, but throughout human life. Generally, women are far more moral and more spiritual than men. We look to our mothers and grandmothers, and wives and sweethearts to lead us in the direction of God and goodness.

However, the Bible also teaches that mankind is fallen. Mankind, both women and men, have rebelled against God, and have fallen away from Him. This is the doctrine of original sin. All of these great teachings are contained in the creation account found in the first chapters of Genesis.

The final doctrinal teaching contained therein is that of the coming Messiah. The Bible teaches that from a woman will come the person who will destroy evil forever and redeem mankind. This prediction of the coming Messiah, which is fulfilled in the New Testament, is the central theme of Christmas time.

In the New Testament we are taught the truth about this Messiah, the Son of God, who historically and literally was born in a miraculous way. Every moment of the life of Jesus was surrounded by miracle and mystery and majesty. Born in a miraculous way, He lived a life of mystery and burst forth on the scene healing and forgiving. He died on the Cross in a God-willed sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Then, in a mighty expression of the power of God, He rose from the dead as the King of all creation. In the writings of the New Testament, history and symbol come together completing the revelation which the Bible brings to us. No other document can speak to us in this way. It is in this sacred book that we find the full revelation of God and His teaching for us.

Secondly, the Bible is also profitable for "reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Not only spiritually, but morally, the Bible is God's word for us. Our ways are not His ways. We need to have revealed to us knowledge of His ways. Through the scriptures He teaches us that He is Love and that we cannot live a life of morality in conformance with Him unless we live by love. It is Christ who is love in action. It is love which interprets and frames the Ten Commandments. It is love which is summarized by our Lord in His sayings, that we should love Him with all our heart, mind and soul, and our neighbors as ourselves. It is love which is epitomized by His death on the Cross, which He interpreted by the saying, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." It is here through the spiritual doctrines and the stern moral teachings of the scriptures that, as St. Paul went on to say, "We are built up and made perfect in the righteousness of God."

That perfection is something that we all aspire towards. We do not have it here and now. We never will in this life, but we hope to reach it in the next. That is the goal and hope for all Christians. The Bible is the most hopeful book in the world. It brings to us the hope that we will be given the fulfillment of our faith in the life beyond this one.

The Bible is not going to do anyone good if it sits gathering dust on the bookshelf or on the table in the living room. It should be read and marked and learned and inwardly digested. We have Bible Classes here at St. John's Chapel and we invite everyone to attend. We have Bible reading aids that can be picked up in the vestibule for daily Bible reading. It is through the scriptures at Christmas time that the spiritual and moral power of God enters your life. If all that you read each day are the newspapers, you will be filling your mind and soul with the bad news. Read the Bible each day. Read the good news of your redemption through Jesus Christ. Hold fast to those blessed words of everlasting life and live by the hope that God has given you through the sacred scriptures.