The Bible in a Bar - One Couple, Two Stories

My husband, Bob, and I had recently moved to St. Paul and we were in the process of looking for a new church closer to our new home. Although neither Bob nor I grew up Episcopalian, we visited Messiah Episcopal Church. One Sunday morning, Jen Asp announced from the pulpit that a 6-week Bible study on Habakkuk was starting soon, to be held at Shamrock’s Bar. “Hmmmm,” I thought, “that sounds just like what I’m looking for!” I’d been seeking a time-limited Bible study that met in person (I was “Zoomed-out”) and in a relaxed setting. I also thought this would be a good way to get to know other members of the church, as well as to learn more about the Episcopalian faith. 

I loved the study. There was a warm, welcoming, “come as you are” tone that supported us in exploring our faith. The relaxed setting of the bar lent itself to good give-and-take discussions about the Bible and faith in general. Throughout the study I felt encouraged in my faith, perhaps similar to how Paul’s letter encouraged the Ephesians. I grew to embrace the notion that lamentation in prayer was perfectly okay. Prayer did not always have to be adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.  God can handle our questioning! In terms of the group itself, I felt genuine warmth from the other members and came to think of them as my friends, despite my husband and I being a generation older. There grew a true sense of community and Christ was there in our midst. Support for one another was offered during what was a dark time in our metro area, as well as the hope that comes with faith. In sum, this study has been a good example of Christ not just residing in a physical church. Christ meets you everywhere and anywhere, whether it’s a church, the workplace …. or even a bar.

---Ann Orchard

Imagine this scene at an Irish pub in St Paul:  A corner table topped with chardonnay and Guinness, cheese curds and fries. Bibles are open.  Surrounding the table is a gathering of explorers delving into scripture and endeavoring to understand its meaning in their lives. 

For the past several months, my wife Ann and I participated in several of Jen Asp’s Wednesday evening gatherings. We loved being in fellowship with other members of Messiah.  We would engage in sometimes lively mental exercises designed to sharpen our understanding of God’s word and what a life mature in Christ means to us. In a sense, we would wrestle with God and be blessed by it.  

One notable example these exercises is based on the concluding verses of the lament of Habakkuk 3:

17 Though the fig tree does not blossom
   and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails
   and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold
   and there is no herd in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
   I will exult in the God of my salvation.

19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
   he makes my feet like the feet of a deer
   and makes me tread upon the heights. 

Question:  Where is the Gospel in these verses?

Answer:  In plain sight!  Our God is a God of salvation, and in Him we rejoice!

---Bob Keller