scattered letter tiles - image from Unsplash
January 9 is, apparently, Word Nerd Day. I love the idea of celebrating words. Words excite me–well, as much as a rather quiet, calm, boring person can be excited. And for a long time that made me think there was something wrong with me, or weird about me!
But to know now that there is actually a day to celebrate words–or, more precisely, to celebrate (with) other people who also love words–is highly gratifying. Not in an “I’m-superior-to-others-who-don’t-love-words” way, but more in a “hooray-I’m-not-the-only-one” way. Or maybe, more precisely again, in an “it's-not-about-me-but-about-the-words” way.
And that idea (“it’s not about me but about the … Word”) gets me thinking about the One it’s really all about! Because the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we have beheld His glory… and “beholding His glory” makes it so appropriate to celebrate Word Nerd Day right after Epiphany, doesn’t it?
I’ve come to realize, over a few decades of loving words, that the most exciting, life-giving, gratitude-inducing, abundance-evoking words by far are the words in the Bible. Because they are inspired –breathed!– by the Spirit of Christ, the One who dwelt among us and indwells us, Who delights us and delights in us. Yes, the words were inspired long ago, but they are also inspired right now, in the present, whenever we encounter them–because He is, somehow, in them as well as in us. And the truth that we will never fully understand this reality without His power (Eph 3: ) is humbling and exciting at the same time.
As I sat down to pray/think/write about words today, the words of an old hymn came to me. I realized that they fit the morning’s Daily Office reading from the gospel of John (link), and also that they were not my own idea. So I offer them here:
“Break now the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
as once you broke the loaves beside the sea.
Beyond the sacred page I seek you, Lord;
my spirit waits for you, O living Word. “
And more related words:
He would feed you with the finest of wheat– and satisfy you-
His word will not return to Him empty, but will accomplish His purpose-
Because it is about Him as much as it’s about us.
Let’s all go and dwell in the Word– and let Him dwell in/among us!
_____
More HUGELY EXCITING word-related resources:
The Oxford English Dictionary. As a teenage library page, I had a secret dream of owning my own paper copy. But in the digital age–!— with a paid subscription you get to explore definitions, etymologies, examples of the evolution of the (written) English language. Or you can just receive their word-of-the-day emails. Then again, I think their blog is even more fun than the word-of-the day…
The variety of translations/versions of the Bible. Obviously you could be like me and own piles of print Bibles… OR you could try a site like Bible Gateway or Bible Hub and get into Hebrew / Greek word meanings (well, again, you can also acquire the latter in print)
Not strictly “word-related” –but, because a recent episode used the word “assiduous” to describe the Puritans, and that tickled me (not least because “assiduous” contains an element of “attentive”)— enjoy this: 5 Minutes in Church History podcast