Bible sharing is a method of engaging with biblical texts that originated in the base communities of Africa and Latin America. It is designed to encourage discussion of biblical texts in groups of six to eight people, and to relate them to one’s own life and experiences. It is not about a scholarly analysis of the text or a discussion of the Bible passage. Rather, it is about allowing the words of the Bible to sink in and discovering what they might mean for one’s own life.
To conduct a Bible sharing session, you should set aside time and meet together in a suitable room. One person from the group should act as a leader, guiding the individual steps and ensuring that everyone has a chance to speak and that there are no debates. To begin with, Bible passages that deal with encounters and tell stories are recommended. Later on, the daily or Sunday readings can also be used.
At first glance, the process may seem complicated, but once you get involved and give it a go, you’ll see how simple it actually is. The seven steps of Bible sharing are:
- Invite: The group begins with a short opening prayer to acknowledge that God is in their midst.
- Reading: The text is read aloud once, either by one person or taken in turns. It is then read aloud a second time.
- Reflecting: Everyone shares words, phrases or a sentence that particularly spoke to them. Anything can be mentioned more than once, and the order is not important. The words are simply left as they are and are not commented on, either by the person who said them or by others. The text is then read aloud once more.
- Silence: For a set period of time, everyone remains silent and allows God to speak to them in the stillness.
- Sharing: Now the words each person mentioned in the third step can be commented on and explained from a first-person perspective. These explanations should not be discussed, nor should they be commented on or taken up by others.
- Action: In this step, everyone formulates how the text can be brought to life in their own lives and how they wish to apply it to their lives.
- Prayer: At the end, an open prayer and/or open intercessions are offered. The Bible sharing session is then concluded with a hymn, a communal prayer or a blessing.
Oscar Cuypers
