I haven’t read the Bible cover to cover.  It’s a recommended practice for Christians, I know, but I’ve trusted that the lectionary for Sunday readings and a good church attendance habit would give me all the best bits. (In my youth I remember trying to read the Bible once, but I got bogged down in the begats.)

So you can imagine my surprise when I found myself at the lectern on Sunday, reading a passage from an epistle — a letter from Paul, not something buried in Leviticus — that I don’t recall ever reading or hearing before!   Maybe my memory is going.  Maybe it’s part of the new lectionary.  Maybe I’ve been on vacation — or daydreaming — in prior years.  Whatever the reason, there it was, Romans 14:1-12, with Paul telling us not to judge each other.

Including the vegetarians and the carnivores.

Good grief!  What else is in there that I’ve missed?  Maybe it’s time to give the Bible another go.

P.S.  If you’re not interested in reading the Bible (“been there, done that”  or “don’t touch the stuff”), I can recommend Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri.  Just finished it.  Excellent.  And also full of surprises.