Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105

While in Wiesbaden, we took a day trip to Mainz, a German city on the Rhine River. Mainz is known for its medieval market square, and it truly is a picturesque place.

We went to Mainz primarily to visit The Gutenberg Museum, which honors Johannes Guttenberg, inventor of the printing press. The museum’s exhibits include two of the original bibles printed on his printing press. The oldest Bible is held in a guarded vault. We needed to enter at different times so I could hold Ron’s camera because he was not even allowed entrance if holding it.

When my niece told me the Gutenberg Museum was an easy day trip from their place, I realized this was a must-see stop. I knew Gutenberg’s contribution was significant, but I didn’t realize how rich it made my life until our visit.

I love words and still remember the joy of learning to read. I started writing letters to relatives when I was in second grade, and as a young mom, I felt greater excitement over my daughters’ learning to read than when they walked.

To this day, I read voraciously even though I’m not a particularly fast reader. Above almost all else, I relish a good story and possess a great appetite for information of all sorts. In terms of my faith and life decisions, the words of Scripture have been of greatest importance. One of my favorite names for Jesus is simply the Word, which is how the Apostle John describes him in the opening verse of his Gospel,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press changed the world. Not only did it make the Bible more accessible, but it also made resources of literature, science, architecture, and music available to common folks. Finding an unoccupied corner of the vault which houses that first Bible, I bowed my head and gave thanks to God for Gutenberg’s giftedness and for his willingness to use his gift—one that keeps on giving more than 500 years later.