You know one thing I regret? It’s a big thing and it might make you think less of me so brace yourself.

If you didn’t know this already, I’ve lived in a few countries overseas as an adult. I lived in Kuwait, Japan, Germany, and most recently South Korea, also leading and serving in Cambodia alongside other Christians as well. I love reminiscing about all the places I’ve been able to go and all the different people I’ve been able to meet. Especially in South Korea, my most recent location, I attended two churches at the time we lived there until we moved to Texas, USA, in late 2020. I attended a church on the military installation and another church that was off the installation. Off the installation or “off-post” as the military people called it, I participated in an English-speaking Church that was a sub-church under a larger Korean Church, about a 40 minute train-ride away. That church attracted a lot of expats from other countries who were in Korea to teach English to young students. Since we lived there, I got to spend life with wonderful people from South Korea, of course, but also from South Africa, Kenya, and other parts of the United States who were all Christian. But looking back at that absolutely beautiful time (and the other times that I lived overseas), I can’t say that I’ve learned much from others about their understanding of the Bible, even though I spent some awesome time together with them, often in their own countries. I remember witnessing times of powerful prayer and worship led by my friends, which were deep and heartfelt, but I never extended invitation in my heart and mind to hear their views and understanding of the Scriptures. I didn’t even consider there was something to learn from them in that area. I’m so sad about that.

I do not know how my friends would have read the Biblical text, without my influence and methods. How would they have helped others from their own country understand what God was saying about God’s self to them? How do they ‘see’ the stories in the Bible and how did God reveal himself to them and the people they cared for? How could I have learned from them? How could we have learned from one another and it deepened our faith and enriched our ministries?

I wore my Western America (dominant) lenses at that time and pushed my “right” understanding of God to them, passing on my ways. I did my job of passing on what I knew to others but I gained nothing more for myself. My perspectives weren’t challenged or changed.

Today it’s different. I’m back in America now but post-seminary, my perspectives certainly have changed. My lens has widened. There is more room now for others and I am not threatened. I remain secure in my faith and yet I’m able to be with others as they explore or share theirs. I want to hear and learn with others their own understandings of the Bible using their own culture, their own background, their own experiences, and their own contexts as we share together, make space for others, learn and grow. I regret I wasn’t as open back then. I didn’t even realize what I was doing actually. But now, I’m very much aware of what it looks like when only one voice or only one perspective gets to speak. We all can end up stunted. We need one another to grow. I want to learn from you what I can’t learn on my own.

As I prepare sermons, my study includes reading from several different commentaries. I purposefully read from other perspectives (racially, culturally, gender, even religious beliefs sometimes, or background experiences that differ from mine) so that I don’t exclude the fruit that can come from taking in all that God has for me and for others from what I learn. It is risky to open yourself up to hearing other voices and opinions. Why? Well your views and understandings may actually end up changing or you recognize what you hold to be dear and true.

Opening up to others is a risk I willingly take because I recognize that I don’t read (or listen) to all these other voices alone. I practice using discernment by noticing the work of the Holy Spirit moving within me. I ask questions. I listen. I wait. And I consider my own understandings of God as I ponder. It takes time, even a lifetime, to know God and I’d like to lean into this even more.

I don’t know everything about the Bible, but I believe it is important. I’d like to get back into reading it with others in community together. I’d like to start with the book of Lamentations. (In America, in this season especially, we do have a lot to lament about… let’s invite God into this conversation with us in a new way.) Will you join me?

I shared the following in a note on Sejana’s Substack below:

I need more Bible and more community in my life so I shared my hope with a few others when I was out of town in Arizona. And guess what? Someone wanted to join in this vision too!

So make plans to join us in discussing Lamentations together on Friday’s 5:30pmCST / 6:30pmEST (check YOUR time zone) via Zoom (1 hour weekly) starting 8 November 2024.

Requirements?

• Email me to let me know you’re interested (or if you have any questions) at sejanashines@gmail.com .
• Pre-read Lamentations 1 that week or that day and come ready to share on 8 Nov something that stood out to you from the text. We will all share our findings together, listen to, and learn from others.
• The last few minutes, I’m hoping we can pray for one another briefly as we create online community together.

That’s it!

This is just a try a starting up a regular practice of gathering together with others from all parts of the world and backgrounds, reading the Bible in community, and talking about the text together. I’m hopeful that the Spirit of God will enliven each of us in our reading, study, and discussion and that we will all learn something new from one another.

P.S. Lamentations is only 5 chapters long. And there’s a great book/commentary I’ve started and will be reading with this too – “Prophetic Lament: A call for justice in troubled times” by Soong-Chan Rah (not required).

With hope,

Sejana