Zwingli and the Word of God

Ulrich Zwingli was born in 1484.  Perhaps Zwingli is best known for being the father of the Swiss Reformation, but how did he get to that point.  The answer comes in the form of two words: God's Word.
You see, Zwingli was a priest, like every priest in those days, who followed the prescribed liturgy and weekly readings each week at church, but that would change soon.  In 1516, he borrowed a copy of Erasmus' newly published Greek New Testament.  He copied it word for word, and carried it with him wherever he went.  He treasured it and memorized it.  Before long, the Word of God began to change his life.
In 1518, he was invited to be the chief preacher in the cathedral at Zurich.  On January 1, 1519, his 36th birthday, he announced on his first Sunday there that he was ending the practice of following the liturgy and readings.  This brought quite a shock to the congregation.  He also announced that he would be preaching verse by verse through the New Testament.  He began that very day by preaching from Matthew 1.  This was a radical thing in those days, but the value of it can't be overlooked.  As Zwingli preached the Bible faithfully, the Word of God began to change people's lives in Zurich.
I remember being on a mission trip to Helen, Georgia, when I was a teenager, and sitting around one night with Jason Baird and Terry Cliett.  As Jason and Terry were deep into their conversation, I was "lost" in the Bible.  I was particularly fascinated by a certain passage at that moment.  I looked over to the guys and interrupted with, "I'm just so excited by this."  They smiled politely and resumed their conversation, but I was having a breakthrough moment.
I received a NASB Ryrie Study Bible from my parents in 1995.  I began that day with Genesis 1.  I didn't have a reading schedule or plan, but I read that Bible off and on for several years until I completed it.  I was somewhere in the middle of it when I had that moment in Helen.
From that point on, I had a greater respect for God's Word.  I already believed it was God's Word because of the faithful preaching and teaching of men like Jerry Pickard and Terry Cliett, and because of the faithful teaching of women like Janie Dunn and Angie Hartley.
Today, I'm still learning; I'm still drinking from those living waters that cannot be exhausted.  I'm still growing and changing.  I'm still excited about the Bible!
One of the thrilling things I get to witness as a pastor is how God changes lives through His Word.  The ministry of the Word does wonderful things!
Read the Bible, but beware, you shall be changed!
Tolle lege.