Today’s date – 14th February – has become one we all instantly recognise for the hearts and flowers of St Valentine’s Day. However, it is also home to the rather less well-known Book Giving Day.
I wonder whether you can remember the last time you received a book as a present. Were you excited by it, or did you let out a silent groan of disappointment that it wasn’t something more obviously ‘all singing, all dancing’? I can clearly remember the joy of receiving annuals for Christmas as a child or, once, the Guinness Book of Records; turning the pages and marvelling at the extraordinary humans within, like the world’s tallest man or the woman who had given birth to 69 children!
I was given a different book last year, at my ordination: a copy of the New Testament with my name inscribed in the front. A symbol of ministry and vocation, not just a book at all, and it is precious to me.
The Bible, of course, can never be described as ‘just a book’. The words it contains are life changing, bringing healing, comfort, challenge and leading us towards salvation. Jesus himself emphasised the importance of God’s Word by saying that we can’t live on bread alone, but on every word from God (Matthew 4:4). We need this food to nourish our spirits, to keep our souls alive.
We are very lucky in this country that most of us have access to a Bible written in a language or form we can understand, but there are still millions of Christians across the world who do not have that privilege. In 1988, a couple called Bob and Ada Hiley had a vision to provide Bibles and Christian literature to people who struggled to find access to such resources, starting with donated books being piled in the back of Bob’s car. Since then, their charity, now known as Book Aid, has worked with global partners in 17 countries across Africa, Asia and Central America, helping people deepen their relationship with Christ, grow Christian communities and stock libraries in ministry training colleges. All through the gift of a book. The Book.
So, on Book Giving Day I invite you to pray for Book Aid and the many other organisations who provide Bibles for those without, and those who are involved in translating the text to ensure everyone can access the Word of God. Perhaps consider whether you would like to support them in other ways, or whether there might be someone you know in your life who would welcome a Bible as a gift or help to study it. Or maybe gift yourself a new Bible in a version that really works for you. May God’s Word always be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).