Continuing the culinary metaphors…
Preparing a Bible study is like preparing a beef casserole. When planning a meal, ingredients have to be bought and assembled. Beef cubes, potatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, courgettes, leeks, mushrooms… whatever vegetables you like can be put into a casserole. When preparing a Bible study, I go ‘shopping’ in different ways: reading different versions of the Bible to get a better understanding of the passage, reading different commentaries, digging out the meaning of words which feature, looking at Bible references outside the passage which help to understand it and so on. At this stage, my shopping may well look disorganised, a pile of ingredients that aren’t necessarily appetising. I try not to worry about the ‘messiness’ of this stage; it’s crucial to have all the ingredients, but they’re not necessarily in any kind of order.
Then I have to start work on the ingredients: peeling potatoes and carrots and onions. Dicing them. Chopping off the fat from the meat. Assembling all I will need: a glass of red wine, perhaps; a jugful of beef stock; a handful of herbs. This stage of the Bible study involves praying as I sift through all the ingredients, looking for themes, overviews, common thoughts, repeated ideas, where the emphasis really lies in this passage, trying to ‘make sense’ of the ingredients I have.
The best casseroles usually involve marinating the meat, allowing the flavours (wine, oil, herbs) to soak in and soften the meat. Time is the one ingredient in preparation which can’t be overlooked. It’s ‘extra’ time that has to be factored in. Not much looks to be happening at this point in preparation, but actually, this ‘mulling’ time, this thinking time, this time for prayer and meditation, is essential. It might appear unproductive to outsiders, but it’s crucial. During this time, you can perhaps be doing other things as well; the study is ‘on hold’ at this stage, allowing God to pull the pieces together, reminding you of things, working things out. You can’t (alas!) dictate how long this stage will take, but in my experience, the longer you have for this marinating, the better the final outcome will be.
When the meat has marinated, all the ingredients are put into a casserole dish and the meal is put into an oven. Again, the best casseroles in my opinion are cooked slowly at a low temperature so that the ingredients soften and are tender. To rush at this stage, giving short bursts of heat at higher temperatures, may well result in the meal being cooked, but the casserole lacks the tenderness and flavour of slow cooking. In the same way, the stage of actually putting the Bible study together should not be rushed. Drawing the ideas and words and themes into a flavoursome meal that will nourish souls is a huge privilege and responsibility and ought not to be rushed.
Then the meal is served. It’s difficult to gauge the ‘effect’ of a meal. A beef casserole obviously has good nutritional value (protein, carbohydrates, vitamins etc.) and therefore helps to nurture our physical health. In the same way, a Bible study needs the nutritional value of God’s Word, Scripture interpreting Scripture so that we are not led astray through contextual misunderstandings, and will, because of the ‘quality’ of the Word, do us good. But when we eat a meal there is more than nutrition going on. Atmosphere, conversation, personal tastes all colour our evaluation, enjoyment and memory of the meal. Do you like salt and pepper with your meal? What about sauces? Do you want a drink as well? All these things influence our appreciation of the meal. The Bible study, because it’s a discussion and isn’t delivered in the same didactic way as a sermon, needs the condiments of other people’s contributions and points of view. Someone else’s perspective helps us to see things differently yet again and can be the difference between something which may do us good on one level and something which has the power to change and transform us; the difference between that functional casserole gobbled down in a rush before moving on to the next job and the same casserole eaten in leisurely fashion with friends or family, chatting, laughing, debating.
This week’s Bible study will be looking at 1 Cor 10:14-11:1. Why not start your casserole shopping today and begin to ponder this passage? God wants to speak to us from His Word; we all need His shafts of light to illuminate our darkness. As we read, pray, ponder, study and prepare, may God give us a feast to savour come Thursday!