I read an article this morning in ‘Christian Century’ (link to the article follows at the end of this post) that talks about the absolute myriad of English language Bible translations that are available to us today, as well as the lack of Bibles available in other languages. Specifically this article mentions a mission trip to Puerto Rico taken by the author and the fact that they brought with them a Spanish language study Bible for the Pastor that was hosting them during their stay. As I read the author’s account of giving this Pastor the Bible and the tears that filled his (the Pastor) eyes because the family shared one bible that was falling apart, I was once more reminded of the excesses of our society here in America where we are so blessed. The author of this article stated it perfectly when he asked why can we not stop with all of the new English translations and instead focus on translating the Bible into other languages so that those of us who can afford to purchase Bibles can do so for those who cannot. This statement hit me hard this morning because as I sit at the desk in my study there are 14 different Bibles in view on my bookshelves, coffee table, and desk.
What are we doing wrong? What are we doing right? What can we do more of? Think about that with me as we continue to evaluate what our call to missions specifically is. There are people in our very own community without access to a Bible and yet many of us have a wealth of them at home (obviously myself included). Perhaps we could have a community Bible ‘store’ where we could donate Bible’s to those who are in need. Perhaps we could each donate money to purchase Bibles printed in other languages to send with a missionary group. The opportunities are out there and the possibilities are endless!
Peace be with you!
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