Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton
Week 3: Chapter 2 — Scripture: Encountering God in the Word
Read Chapter 2 of Sacred Rhythms. Key Scripture: Psalm 119:105; Luke 24:13-35.
Previewing Week 3 of Sacred Rhythms
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 9-week guide when you’re ready.
Barton invites us to move beyond studying Scripture as information and into meeting God as a person within the text. These questions ask you to examine not just how much you read the Bible, but how.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Barton draws a distinction between reading Scripture for information — to gain knowledge, prepare a lesson, or win an argument — and reading Scripture for formation — to be transformed by an encounter with the living God. How would you characterize your own primary mode of engaging the Bible? Be specific.
2.She introduces the ancient practice of lectio divina (sacred reading), with its four movements: lectio (read), meditatio (meditate), oratio (pray), and contemplatio (rest/contemplate). Which of these four movements is most unfamiliar or uncomfortable for you, and why?
3.Barton uses the image of the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) — where two disciples walk with the risen Jesus without recognizing him until he opens the Scriptures — as a picture of what formational reading makes possible. What does this story suggest about the relationship between Scripture, presence, and recognition of Christ?
a.Have you ever had a moment while reading Scripture when a text seemed to 'break open' in a personal, almost conversational way? What was that like?
b.What conditions were you in — emotional, circumstantial, relational — when that happened?