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Christmas might be all packed away, but the search for ornaments on the tree may offer some strategies for navigating scripture.
Have you ever wondered how the Bible all fits together or how to find anything in it? Like locating each ornament on the tree, I’m all about understanding where to find content in the Bible. I think one of the biggest obstacles I faced when first trying to read it was how much time it took to find anything. Then when I did open it, many times the information felt a bit random. I didn’t know how it connected to the rest of the Bible.
As I was putting away Christmas ornaments, I saw similarities to scripture navigation which could prove useful.
All you have to do is find it
Most of the ornaments on our tree don’t have specific boxes they go in. Much of packing up Christmas is about making a space to store all of the holiday decorations. But some do have a specific box they go in, and a handful of those boxes have a picture of the ornament on the front so you know what’s supposed to go inside. Truth be told, those are the easiest ornaments to put away, because a particular ornament goes into a specific box – all you have to do is find the ornament on the tree.
Search becomes a treasure hunt
With the picture on the front of the box, you know what you’re looking for. Now the fun begins as the search becomes a treasure hunt.
I’ve seen that before
Next comes, “I know I’ve seen that somewhere before,” and you try to remember where on the tree you recall having seen the ornament nestled in among the fir branches, lights, and garland.
Sometimes I’ll remember I saw it when I was sitting on the couch looking at the tree, which helps narrow the search area.
How I find it
During the search one of several things generally happens:
I find the ornament right away.
I realize when and approximately where on the tree I remembered catching a glimpse of it.
I do a grand sweep of the whole tree (which rarely unearths the sought-after object).
My husband finds it, but that’s only if I let him know what I’m searching for.
I momentarily stop looking and find a box for another ornament. Eventually the one I was looking for appears.
The process
This year while engrossed in this process, which in some ways is like a game, I noted the similarities to navigating scripture, whether looking for Jesus or another connecting point in the Bible.
Sometimes Jesus’ presence in scripture is obvious, like in the Gospels when He’s with His disciples, and all those red letters highlighting what Jesus said if your Bible references Jesus’ words in red.
Other times His appearance or what I’m looking for isn’t obvious, but I’ll remember that it’s somewhere in the vicinity of or related to another story or passage I’m familiar with.
In other instances, I think about where and when I saw a particular scripture reference last.
What else was I reading at the time?
What other aspect of a passage of scripture do I remember?
Storyline
For example, the book of 1 Samuel begins with Samuel’s mother Hannah, hoping desperately for a child. Her fervent prayers are answered in her son Samuel who grows up to be a servant of God. He anoints the people’s king, Saul and eventually God’s choice for king, David. If we remember Samuel’s role in God appointing a ruler, we have clues to place people like Saul and David in the line up to help us find their stories in the Bible.
Other times I’ll release the search, keeping the concept I’m looking for in the back of my mind, knowing the Holy Spirit will catch my attention at the right time.
Name recognition
Genesis is another great place to establish some name recognition. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are a multigenerational trio that shows up throughout the Bible. Their storylines start in Genesis, but they continue to be mentioned from Exodus into the New Testament. Remembering these three goes a long way to keep us in the know as we read and see them reappear in various places in scripture.
Also, when we see something like “city of David” we can remember that’s connected to the David mentioned in the book of Samuel.
Connecting concepts
Leviticus holds some of the biggest treasure in the Bible, but for now, we’ll just focus on the offerings. In this third book of the Bible, we read about several different types of offerings. Just remembering the reference to these offerings in Leviticus goes a long way toward connecting other concepts in scripture.
Grand sweep
The grand sweep. This works well if you have a Bible with subheadings. It’s also helpful if you’re getting your bearings. You can skim the contents of a few books of the Bible, like all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, located at the front of the New Testament. A skim of the beginning of these four books of the Bible helped me find the missing manger. I also began to notice the similarities and differences between the Gospels, noting which stories and aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry are covered in each.
A quick view of the Bible
Another way to get your bearings is with a quick overview of the entire Bible. If you’re not sure how to go about approaching the Bible, I have a handy quick view of the Bible. It’s a tri-fold brochure that doubles as a bookmark, offering a quick overview of the whole Bible.
What’s important is to simply start the process of looking. You’d be amazed at what you’ll find.
So next time you open your Bible, begin your search.
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