Tyndale & Coverdale - and what are your words?
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Dear friends and members of St. Matt's,
Today the church celebrates the feast of William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale. Tyndale is by far the more famous of the two, credited with being one of the first translators of the Bible into English. He also was one of the first (if not the first) to translate from the Hebrew rather than the Latin that was used years later. And he did this at great cost. He so believed that each Christian had the right to read God's words for themselves, that he risked his life to do so. He spent much of his life traveling from place to place in Europe, learning as he could, seeking patrons where he could, and fleeing from those who wanted to stop him. The climate wasn't exactly welcoming in the 1500s for someone who wanted to put God's words into the hands of the people. But Tyndale was convinced, and so were many others, that God's people had a right to be nearer to God - to study the Word, and to use their own to pray.
Miles Coverdale finished the work of William Tyndale, who wasn't able to translate the entire Bible in his lifetime. So, Coverdale finished the work for him. And the two of them changed the landscape of the faith for countless people. And they, like so many other reformers, make an interesting point: our words, our language, even our struggle to find the words, is always good enough for God. People like Tyndale and Coverdale risked their lives in order to secure the right for God's people to hear, understand, and speak to God in their own language. In the common language. It was a powerful claim. And one ultimately that changed the world.
What common words can you use today to talk to God? What, in your own words and your own way, do you need to give to God today? What do you need to place into God's hands today, trusting in the mercy and love God has for you? May the memory of these saints encourage you today in your relationship with God, who is more than big enough to hold all that you're carrying. You don't need to use the fanciest, most complicated of prayers. You just need to offer up your own words, common though they may seem, and let God draw near to you.
Faithfully,
--Marissa
Almighty God, you planted in the heart of your servants William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale a consuming passion to bring the Scriptures to people in their native tongue, and endowed them with the gift of powerful and graceful expression and with strength to persevere against all obstacles: Reveal to us your saving Word, as we read and study the Scriptures, and hear them calling us to repentance and life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.