In my eagerness, or stupidity — one or the other — I have chosen to translate from the Greek the passages I will be preaching on in the next two months.
This evening I sat on our sunlit porch and for an hour worked over 4 verses. The final product is somewhat simplistic — I’ll hone it during the week.
What I found unexpected was that I had fun. Not since my days of seminary (over 20 years ago) have I done such extended translation. Flashes of those days came back in an instant. The thrill of finding just the right English expression to capture the intent of the Greek. The frustration of parsing verbs — thank goodness for analytical lexicons. The joy of finding the core thoughts in a sentence.
Some people think I enjoy words. And that is true. But my real enjoyment is to find a way for words to form together in such a way that they open our eyes to a new perspective. Not necessarily a new truth. But a new way of delving into the truth!
And that brings joy!
I am sure that those who listen will find their spirits lifted, challenged, encouraged for sure.
Some may never comprehend the whys of all that extra work but we miss out on the adventure…which you have had.
Some may even be challenged to try it themselves , and they will find in you a wonderful teacher/companion
God Bless your efforts.
MaryAnne