National Bible Week

Floor Speech

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Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman (Mr. Lamborn) for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and truly a God-given pleasure to be here tonight to speak on the 77th anniversary of National Bible Week.

When you are among colleagues like we are here, 435 of us in the House of Representatives, I feel as though I am among 434 other friends and colleagues who celebrate like we do.

When I was 12 years old and was entering confirmation, my parents presented me with my first Bible. I still have it. It is white, it had a zipper. One of the most important memories I have that I can see every day when I open it up is the original signature of both my parents, who have since passed on, as they presented it to their son who was entering confirmation.

The first thing I did, in the middle of the Bible there was a section where you could put in your family tree, because they wanted to do that, so I wrote in my own 12-year-old handwriting at that point the family tree. And, again, it is still in the Bible, so I get a chance not only to review the Word of God, but also remembering how that affected my family as they had persevered through the Great Depression and World War II.

But when we think about what our parents and grandparents did, and our founders did to create the country that we live in today, it is important to remember that they did that. And we are blessed, so blessed, that we live in a country where we can study the Word of God and gather and worship freely without the threat of persecution.

In a time where it seems that there is no ultimate truth, we can take comfort in knowing that the truth of the Bible is unchanging and eternal. These truths do not discriminate. They are for everyone everywhere, and today is a great example of this.

Today we have Members of Congress from different regions and walks of life all coming together to celebrate the Bible as the very foundation upon which our Nation was built. This is something we must not just say, but we should live out.

Micah 6:8 says: ``And what does the Lord require of you, but to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.''

I pray that this is a scripture that I honor not only as a Member of Congress, but in every day of my life.

The Bible has made an indelible mark on our Nation's history. From our founding to this very day, the Bible has helped guide, instruct, and inform those who have served in this great body.

John Adams may have said it best when he said: ``The Bible contains the most profound philosophy, the most perfect morality, and the most refined policy that ever was conceived upon Earth.''

As families in the First District of Michigan and all throughout the country gather together for the holidays, let's give thanks for our loved ones, the freedoms we have in the United States of America, and the truths of the Bible upon which our Nation was founded.

And in the finest traditions of the Lutheran religion, at this point I would just like to thank the Speaker for the time and pass the peace.

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