Teachings of the Saints

I grew up in a church climate which nurtured Bible Study on Wednesday night instead of potluck.  Potluck was mostly offered annually on Homecoming Sunday and Bible Study was regular Wednesday night fare.  By the time I started in ministry not much had changed.  Wednesday night was for Bible Study.  In those days the resources were much more limited than today.  The last one I attended a few months ago consisted of a computer generated video progam which the presenter read off the big screen for those who had not yet learned to read.  Wiithout going into much detail, it was boring and most of the people who came to eat left before the video started.    

I remember Bible Study as being hard work.  There were Scripture lessons to be studied and studied again.  Commentaries and other Biblical resources were searched and lessons to be taught were written out in the beginning days by hand and later by computer.  The group that showed up on Wednesday night was not quite as large as the Sunday night crowd.  Some used to tell me the ones who showed up on Sunday night and Wednesday night were the ones who would find heaven's door opened wide.  I am not sure if the comment about heaven is true.  I have certainly met some folks who seemed so saintly on this side of the river that they would be naturals for the other side.  

I remember the names of some of those saints even now.  I never doubted them when they said they prayed for me and certainly never argued too much with them about what the Word was really saying when we read it on Wednesday night.  I might have had a few years of seminary, but it did not take me long to meet some folks who knew more about the Bible than I could teach them on a Wednesday night.  Actually, there were many gatherings when they became my teachers.  I remember many of them to this day with gratitude.