Faith Works 4-5-24

Faith Works 4-5-24
Jeff Gill

After Easter, a few words of advice
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With all the activity and complications of Holy Week and Easter, many preachers and parsons are needing a good long nap.

Or a series of naps.

This is not a great week to reach out to a minister or church musician with your latest great idea. In order to help give them a bit of a break, I'm opening up "Faith Works" as an advice column this week.

Are these actual questions sent in to me, or am I crafting queries to suit the answers I want to give? Yeah, I've always wondered about that, too. Moving on…

Dear Faith Works: I think my preacher is using the wrong translation of the Bible. In fact, I think most people in my church are using the wrong version. Can you help me tell them to use the right one?

My reply: Absolutely! Happy to do it. First, you should study Hebrew and Greek. Make sure not to get tangled up with modern versions of either; Biblical Hebrew is not what they're using in the cafes of Tel Aviv today, and Koine Greek isn't what the front desk is speaking in Athens or Santorini. But you can get some good modules or videos online to help you get started. Once you've gotten a basic working knowledge of those languages for the Old Testament and New, you're ready to look at editions in the original languages. For the New Testament, I have come to like "The Reader's Greek New Testament" from Zondervan; they also have "A Reader's Hebrew Bible" which I find helpful.

Faith Works column guy: Why does the praise band at my church always play the same few sets of contemporary Christian music? I hear stuff online that's newer and more interesting to me.

My reply: If you give more to your congregation's general budget, and they improve musician compensation, they will find it much easier to spend more time learning and practicing new music than working an extra shift at the cash register to cover their rent and groceries. I'm a firm believer that music teaches, and therefore that 1 Timothy 5:17-18 covers music ministry leaders as well.

Yo, religion dude in the paper: Why don't you talk more about politics? I've asked my pastor this, too, and they don't really answer my question . . . okay, they won't talk about politics is what I mean. Anyhow, what's your story?

My reply: Friend, politics is a funny thing. And like most humor, you don't want too much of it in your sermon. That's what stand up is for. Do I want the hungry fed, the naked clothed, the homeless given a place to live in peace? Yep, that's what the Boss (no, not Springsteen) tell me. I start with children, since as a friend recently said to me: "every morning I have to feed the hungry and clothe the naked." As a mother, it's a hard calling to miss. Beyond our own kids and relatives and church family? That's where it gets tricky. Start with making sure all your church family is well housed and securely fed, then work out into your neighborhood. I suspect you'll all be talking politics soon enough just doing that.

Faith Works writer: love your enemies? I can barely love my neighbor. How does this Christianity thing work, anyhow?

My reply: Do you know your neighbor? For all you know, they might be an enemy, so it's good to start there. Say hello. Talk about the pollen this spring. Work on it from there. As for loving enemies, I'm still working on it myself, which is where I appreciate the whole grace thing.


Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and preacher in central Ohio; he knows all the authors of these questions. In fact: ask him more questions if you want at knapsack77@gmail.com, or follow @Knapsack77 on Threads.