Pop-Up Books

My little granddaughters love pop-up books. They love how, as each page is turned, a new 3-D scene “pops up” and the story just draws them in. I have to admit, I like them too. A story gets told not only with the words on the page but with the engaging way the story “pops-up” at you.

Sometimes I wish the Bible was written like that. In fact, I’ve been encouraging my friend Don to write a “pop-up” book to go along with his study of the book of Revelation. It might be kind of scary, but we would see the story like never before. I can see it now, the bowls of wrath come pouring out into our lap and the four horseman come galloping out at eye level. Then the scenes from the abyss in chapter 9……wait a minute…..I’m scaring myself with that one. Anyway…you get the idea.

It’s really too bad that we tend to read our Bibles as though they are flat. That is, we read the words off the page and forget that they are textured and 3-dimensional when we get them contextualized and in their proper historical setting.

For example, in John 7 there is a narrative about Jesus appearing at the Feast of Tabernacles. In verse 37 Jesus proclaims that those who are thirsty can come to him and drink. A person can take a flat view of this scripture and simply come away with the idea that Jesus meets a fundamental need of mankind…like water is a basic component for human survival. But if one does a little researching of what went on at the Feast of Tabernacles she will find that lots of wonderful 3-D ideas will “pop-up”. I won’t spoil all the fun. Use your Bible references or Study Bible and see what “pops up” for you.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that sometimes we can’t benefit from just reading scripture. We don’t always have to be in study mode. Even then, once we get in tune with the idea that we are reading a word from the Lord, it won’t come off completely flat. Don’t just read the words, listen to them. Read them aloud as if you were reading a story to a child. It’s amazing at what will “pop up” by just listening as well as looking at the words.

You will also notice that things “pop-up” when you have experienced something recently and your awareness is heightened by stress, loss or pain. For instance, last December when my mother died, I read the 23rd Psalm. I had, of course, read it dozens, maybe hundreds of times before. I had even read it as a part of funerals for other people. But in this context of feeling my own loss and grief, the words “popped up” like never before. I saw, felt and experienced something like never before.

I’m guessing most of us read something out of the scriptures right after 9-11. Remember back to those days after the collapse of the towers and how for days the Scriptures took on special meaning for us. Things popped-up like they hadn’t for years. The Word didn’t just sit flatly on the page…..it reached out for us.

So, pop-up books are not kid’s stuff after all. Kinda makes you want to grab the good book right now and turn a page or two….right? Well, what are you waiting for?

Open it up.

Pop it up.

Keep it up.