The Bishop’s Blog

"Here in the twelfth chapter of John, Jesus, facing his crucifixion, does not say, 'save me from this hour,' but says rather, 'glorify Your name.' And in that, I think it’s very important that we understand that there is something—although horrible and grisly—there is something glorious about Good Friday." 

In his Holy Week message, Bishop Alex encourages us not to turn away from the suffering of Jesus, but to notice what God is stirring within us as we commemorate his intervention into this world.

"Inwardly digesting the Scriptures has to do with helping them shape not just what we do but literally how we think—how we see the world, how we perceive things—that our understanding of the universe, our understanding of God, our understanding of ourselves, are really shaped and formed by a biblical world view... that we think like the Bible thinks." 

In this final message of Bishop Alex's Lenten series, he explores how we should approach "inwardly digesting" the Scriptures, as the Book of Common Prayer urges us to do.

"In [studying the Bible], we understand the Scriptures in their context: this passage in the context of the broader book, and that book in the broader context of the fullness of the Scriptures. It's about deeply understanding what the Scriptures are saying, learning them, and applying some effort to know them better." 

In this fifth message of his Lenten series on the Scriptures, Bishop Alex explains what we gain from more focused Bible study and a few different ways to go about it.

"To 'mark' the Scriptures is to pay careful attention to them... There's a sense that we respond to what we read and hear in the Scriptures. It's helpful to understand that we are not just reading these for interesting ideas or interesting thoughts. It's about helping us to learn how to change or alter our lives." 

"There is indeed an expectation and exhortation to us to read the Scriptures, not because it's an obligation or duty, but because it is the best way that we have of understanding and knowing the word, the mind, and the person of God." 

In this third message of his 2024 Lenten series on the Scriptures, Bishop Alex continues to delve into why and how we read the Scriptures. Catch up on the entire series here.

"One of the most important things at the time of the Reformation was the reading of the Scriptures in the church—that people could hear them on a Sunday.

"I want to invite us all this Lent to embrace afresh the great discipline and joy—ultimately—of being acquainted with the truth of God that is revealed to us in the Scriptures." During Lent, Bishop Alex is unpacking what it means to "hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Scriptures." 

In this introduction to the series, the Bishop recalls an instance in his ministry where a single Bible verse changed the course of someone's life.

"That's why Lent begins with that particular sign, a sign of our mortality. To remind ourselves, 'I am not going to live forever, and given that, is there something I need to do?' That's the great invitation of Lent—to self-examination and repentance." 

In this week's message, Bishop Alex points out the grace of the Lenten season—that it is an annual opportunity to reflect on our regrets and to reorient our lives—and invites us all to commemorate the start of Lent by joining an Ash Wednesday worship service on February 14. 

"The great, vast wash of Christians throughout the ages are not remarkable, and yet are those who wear the crown of glory in heaven. I want to encourage all of us as we live out our mundane and unremarkable Christian lives to remember that the work of pastoring, ministry, service or discipling, while it may be remarked by no one, is remarked by the Lord. And it is that thing that ultimately builds the life of the Church." 

"When I first moved to the United States about 20 years ago, I was driving down the road one day and saw this place with a big sign that said 'Redemption Center,' a place that you took your bottles or cans to be redeemed. I laughed out loud because I thought, 'Isn't the Church the Redemption Center?'" 

What characteristics do we share with discarded bottles? Find out in Bishop Alex's message, where he explains the meaning and hope within our "redemption" in Jesus.