Walking into Crossroads Bible Church this morning, we were greeted by banners reading:
Gaganmala baisur-dinguddaed, dutumala, baisur-dinguddamogad. Ar anmar-Bab-Dummad-Gayaburbadi, degisadegu maiguad berguosulid.
La hierba se seca y las flores se marchitan, pero la palabra de nuestro Dios permanece para siempre.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
The Bible verse in three languages (Kuna, Spanish, and English), with the first of these languages (Kuna) being one of the primary indigenous groups in Panama.
This morning, a whole chorus of Kuna people took the stage and led us in worship to the Lord of all Creation. Women of all ages, decked out in specially woven mola costume (with an embroidered Bible on them), sang with complete joy and honor to Jesus. The older women used bright red scarves to cover their heads, and you could tell the multicolored beads that wrapped around their legs had been there since these women were just young girls. The men stood proud in suits, rounding out the chorus with tenors and baritones.
A Kuna man with a wooden flute began a melody that evoked strong emotion in me: "How Great Thou Art." I watched in amazement. Here I was, living and teaching in Panama, at just the moment that my Kuna brothers and sisters in Christ were about to receive the entire Bible in their very own language!
Can you imagine? Do you remember the first Bible that was ever yours?
I sat there cradling my own copy of the Bible in English, and thought back to the dozen or more copies of the Bible we had had in our home growing up: Bible for Kids, Bible for Teens, NIV, NLT, NRSV, Devotional Bible, and the list goes on. From an early age, I read and heard Scripture, and it affected me in a powerful way. What a privilege!
As I grew, and went beyond merely memorizing parts of Scripture to earn prizes in Sunday School, I began to see that, yes, this book did have relevance to my life. My parents, as well as youth leaders and wise mentors, guided me in understanding how the Holy Spirit speaks through Scripture and helped me see the larger historical/cultural context in which God inspired these authors.
In middle school, I began to carry a pocket-sized Bible in my backpack to school. When I was discouraged, feeling overwhelmed, or lonely, I'd find a quiet corner and pull out my Bible, finding just the answer I needed and God's peace.
Later, that same year, I was talking to my grandma on the phone, and she challenged me to read through the entire Bible. I was never one to be disciplined, but, thanks to the One Year Bible plan, the accountability of my parents, and my best friend who had done it before, I was able to finish the year and reading the entire Bible at the same time. It was a perspective-shifting experience, seeing how everything pointed toward Christ and learning that God uses messy people in His Plan.
That year, at Christmas, I read the Luke passages about the birth of Christ and new meaning resonated for me. My parents always saved the best and most special Christmas gifts for last, and, as I sat there on the couch, bouncing my knees in anticipation, my parents placed a rectangular-shaped package on my lap.
"A book?" I asked eagerly, trying to predict what was beneath the shiny wrapping paper.
My dad sat down beside me, "Not just any book."
My curiosity could not be held back any longer, and I tore into the paper.
My eyes widened as I lifted out a light pink Bible with silver gilded pages. I looked for a verse, taking my time, listening as the edges shimmered by from Genesis to Matthew, and I smoothed open the crisp new pages.
Sure enough, it was as I had hoped! The words of Jesus were in red print. All important, everlasting words, true for today and tomorrow. And these words were written for us!
The best part was to come, however, because in my excitement, I had overlooked an important detail about the Bible. My mom reached over to point it out, "Notice anything else?"
I couldn't believe it! My full name was engraved on the cover: Laura Catherine Diaz. The Bible was mine! It had my name on it! I gave a grateful hug to my parents, and we carried on with lunch as a family and other normal Christmas traditions.
Since then, that light pink Bible has been marked up, highlighted, and used as a "filing cabinet" for sermon notes and youth group handouts. It has traveled to Costa Rica, Israel, and several countries in Western Europe. It made the journey with me when my family moved from Wheaton, Illinois to Chico, California and caught all my tears and the brunt of my heartache. I wrestled with it and poured through its pages looking for explanations for situations I couldn't explain, and why on earth I should trust God. I found encouragement in the stories of the people that God used "despite" their failings, and found peace and reassurance in the words of Jesus to the people the world rejected.
It is within the Bible's pages that I met God as my Abba Father, shared meals with Jesus, and felt the guidance and joy of the Holy Spirit.
Over and over again, I can testify to the Bible's transformative power in my life. My pink Bible now sits on a shelf in my old bedroom, falling apart at the seams, but full of evidence of how God made me a part of His story.
Before I left for Panama, my Dad gave me an in-depth Study Bible (with history notes and everything!). Inside the cover of the Bible, the original owner had written: "On loan, from God."
What powerful words! The fact that the God of the universe loved us so much not only did He send His Son to die in our place, but also compile this 66-book long love letter to us, sustain its translation and authenticity throughout the centuries, all in order to communicate all about His character and plan for us when we choose to follow Him.
As of today, September 21, 2014, the Kuna people group of Panama have the privilege of getting to know God's story for the first time in their language. My prayer is that the Kuna people would see their place in that Story and be delivered from fear, knowing that God did not abandon His Creation, but yet came to redeem it.
Gloria a Dios!
