I remember hearing the story of The Three Little Pigs when I was a child. It would be a mistake to read it as a historical account of three animals miraculously gaining the ability to speak. Instead, it is a story meant to teach a lesson about preparation and wisdom, how today’s faithfulness bears fruit when trouble comes huffing and puffing, trying to blow your house down. In a similar way, reading Scripture forms and prepares us for what may come, whether seasons of joy or seasons of struggle.

We may hold one bound book and call it our Bible, but within that single binding are many kinds of writing: stories, songs, prayers, commands, promises, wisdom literature, letters, and more. Each was written according to its own genre, and each was meant to be heard within that context. When we read God’s commands as parables, God’s promises as commands, or poetry as history, we risk missing what the text is actually saying. To read Scripture faithfully, we must read it in context, and a key part of that context is understanding genre.

This study is not about technical scholarship. It is about learning to listen well, so that Scripture may speak faithfully into our present-day lives. We trust God’s Word to do the work, and we ask the Holy Spirit to guide our wrestling with the text, so that we may see Christ clearly, for us.

Each week, we will explore a different biblical genre and consider why that genre calls us to read in a particular way. Together, we will read a passage from that genre, wrestle with it, and begin the work of faithful interpretation and application. The Christian life is lived in ordinary, everyday moments, and Scripture speaks directly into that lived experience.

And like the third little pig, may we also be ready to welcome others, offering the safety and strength of a congregation built on Christ alone and walking faithfully in the light of Christ. – Pastor Rod