Last week in my letter to all of you we talked about using the Narrative Lectionary starting this fall.
Another change that I wanted to highlight is that starting with the Narrative Lectionary on September 11 we will also be using a new translation of the Bible. For many years both you and I have been using the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation of the Bible in worship. It is a great translation and I really appreciate the care and attention they used in translating the original Greek and Hebrew into English.
There are other good translations that people use as well. The New International Version (NIV) is a popular one. The Message by Presbyterian Pastor Eugene Peterson is great for people who really want a modern translation with language we use every day. There’s the Christian Standard Bible, the American Standard Version and I would be remiss if I didn’t include the New King James Version.
One that has caught my attention the last 3 or so years has been the Common English Bible (CEB). It does a beautiful job of being faithful to the original languages while also making it as reader friendly as possible. The CEB is quite possibly (though I have not done the research) the most ecumenical translations of the Bible today. Scholars, pastors, and lay people from twenty-four different denominations were involved in putting this translation together. This includes people from the ELCA, the Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist Church, and the Roman Catholic Church.
All translations of the Bible do their best to be as reliable as possible and this one continues that tradition. I have referenced the CEB translation countless times over the past year during my weekly Bible study because of the way that it translates certain words or entire sentences. It has helped me, I feel that it has been a help to our Thursday Bible Study group, and any time we read the same passage with different wording it has the power to both help us understand a passage in a different way and deepen our faith through the new understanding.
I pray that you will appreciate this translation as we use it this next lectionary year and that both the new Narrative Lectionary, the Common English Bible, and the other resources we will have available for you will help each of us grow in faith both individually and as a congregation.
Blessings,
Pastor Brian