The Bible Society Logo shows a Celtic cross on an open Bible. It is green because that is Ireland’s national colour.

Celtic crosses were carved in stone by the first Christians in Ireland many centuries ago. They were put up all over the country and some are still in place today. The carvings on the crosses show stories that illustrate God’s saving power, beginning with Adam and Eve, often including the story of Noah and the Ark and other old Testament heroes such as David, as well as scenes from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

For the Celts who built them, the crosses were a Christian witness to pagans. For most of the people of Ireland in those days, they were “picture Bibles” and a way in which ordinary people learnt about God and Jesus.

Both the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland can trace their origins in the Irish Celtic Church of that time.

The Christian Holy Scriptures (the Holy Bible) are a vital part of all Christian traditions, but at different times they have been used in different ways. In early worship, the Bible stories were usually read aloud by priests and monks because most ordinary people did not have the opportunity to learn to read.

As the centuries went by, more and more people were able to read. After the Reformation in the 16th century, there was a particular emphasis in Protestant churches in Ireland on reading the Bible. Protestants felt that every person should spend time each day reading the Bible and use it to guide every aspect of their lives.

Today, all Christian Churches teach that it is very important to read the Bible because in the Bible we learn about Jesus, we learn how to live our lives as God would wish, and we read about God’s plan for the world. Christians believe that the Bible is inspired by God and that God speaks to us through the words of the Bible.

Now, in Ireland in the 21st century, there are lots and lots of different kinds of Christian worship in many different kinds of church groups. Now also there are Christians from all over the world living in Ireland and worshipping in many different languages.

The National Bible Society of Ireland is here to serve all Christians. Its Logo symbolises the way in which people of many different Christian Churches work together in harmony with the Bible Society so that everyone in Ireland can easily read and understand the Christian Scriptures. People who belong to the Bible Society also work together to help bring the Scriptures to people all over the world in their own languages.

The Bible Society works with over 140 other national Bible Societies to fund work in over 200 countries. This work includes translation, publication, distribution and development of other media. The Bible is now also available on audio tape, in film, in Braille, on CD-Rom, DVD and on the Internet. Parts of the Bible are available in almost 2,400 languages and over 400 have a full Bible, but there is still a long way to go – there are over 6,500 languages in the world!!

A prayer:
Lord, we thank you for the work of Bible Society in Ireland, serving the churches for over 200 years. We thank you for your Word, which we have in our own language. Help us to help those who work to bring the Word to everyone in a format and language that is easily understood. Amen.