ABOUT SARAH
LIVING FAITH: Describe your vocation in life…
SARAH CHRISTMYER*: In the classic sense of the term, I was married for 35 years and now, as a widow, I continue to live that out as a mother and grandmother. In the ministry sphere I invite people to “Come into the Word” of God to meet the Lord and be transformed by him.
LF: Readers can read your general bio here. Sarah, do you reach out to readers online via a website or social media?
SC: I blog and there’s more about me at my website, www.comeintotheword.com (social media tag @comeintotheword).
LF: Share a little about your ministry or daily work…. (A day in the life looks like…)
SC: Every weekday starts with prayerful time in the Word, a walk, and daily Mass. After that I’m either writing, teaching, speaking, or preparing for one of those things. I am at heart a writer, and most of my time is spent at my desk. But I have been teaching a class on the biblical narrative to seminarians for more than ten years now and I find that, along with the speaking I do around the country for parishes, conferences, and women’s groups, to be tremendously life-giving.
LF: How long have you been writing or when did you start?
SC: I started in grade school, keeping a journal and writing poetry and letters. In high school and college, I used essays and papers to explain ideas and persuade people of truth. I remember wanting write books to tell people about God. After graduating with a degree in English Lit, I found I could be paid to write about something else I loved—medicine—and did that for several years.
My life turned upside-down when the Lord led me into the Catholic Church. That was more than 30 years ago, and not many Catholics read the Bible. I soon began writing study materials designed to draw people into God’s Word and help them understand and reflect on it.
Over time, I earned a master’s in theology and began speaking and teaching more as I continued to write about Scripture and the Catholic faith.
LF: What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
SC: Getting started! Like the proverbial iceberg, most of my work is “underwater,” so to speak. I search Scripture, think, pray, meditate, take notes, then start the process again. For a while it’s murky, but gradually something solid emerges from all the scribble. After that the writing and rewriting may take time but it’s not as hard.
LF: How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?
SC: I’ve written or contributed to more than a dozen Bible studies as well as a number of guided journals and books on Catholic topics. Early on I co-wrote a two-volume study of Genesis, helped launch Catholic Scripture Study, then joined Jeff Cavins to develop his Bible Timeline program—writing most of the foundational study materials for the Great Adventure series. I’m proudest, though, of the Living the Word Catholic Women’s Bible, for which I served as general editor along with writing the general introduction, introductions to the New Testament and Psalms, and quite a few reflections and practical essays.
My favorite book is Becoming Women of the Word: How to Answer God’s Call with Purpose and Joy. In it, I guide the reader on a biblical journey from Eve to Mary, reflecting on the lives of women who learned to trust God — and pairing them with women who have impacted my own faith journey.
LF: Where do you live today, and is that different from where you grew up?
SC: I recently moved to New Jersey after living most of my adult life in Pennsylvania. It’s familiar territory as I lived here as a teenager, but we moved 20 times before I got to high school. Part of that time was spent in Hong Kong (after serving in the Navy as a doctor, my father helped start a mission hospital to care for refugees)—but apart from that, we were in various parts of the U.S. Establishing roots is very important to me.
LF: Three words your best friend would use to describe you….
SC: Faithful, artistic, spiritual.
LF: What is one additional thing you would want a Living Faith reader to know about you that we haven’t covered above. (A hobby, something silly or fun, an accomplishment, or an interesting fact?)
SC: I am an artist, and before writing co-opted my creative side, I designed custom greeting cards and painted murals. I haven’t drawn or painted in a while and it’s something I look forward to starting up again from my “empty nest.
ABOUT FAITH:
LF: When did you first know that God loved you?
SC: I’ve always known he loves me. But in college I had a huge “aha moment” reading God in Search of Man by Abraham Joshua Heschel. I had always loved the Old Testament, and knew the stories well. But that book put them into the context of a single cohesive narrative. I was overwhelmed by God’s mercy shown over time to people who often rejected him. Nothing ever stopped his quest for their hearts. And I realized, I’m part of that story! He’s been wooing me my whole life. And he will never stop.
LF: Describe a prayer practice that is meaningful to you….
SC: Reflecting on Scripture until it turns to a prayerful conversation with the Lord (ie. lectio divina).
LF: What’s something you’ve learn from the Bible or from Mass or the Sacraments that has always stayed with you?
SC: The value of knowing Scripture well and hiding it in your heart — because the Holy Spirit will bring it to mind when you need it. God’s Word truly is food, light, strength, comfort, encouragement, a weapon against the devil… I could not live without it.
LF: What excites you about being a Catholic?
SC: Coming as I do from Protestantism, where Christians often “agree to disagree” on many aspects of belief, I am deeply grateful for the Magisterium (the teaching authority of the Church). Without it, the truths of faith are what you make them.
What excites me today about being Catholic is the renewed sense of appreciation for beauty and mystery and reverence in the liturgy and Catholic practices. That wasn’t obvious 30 years ago, but I feel it in many places now—especially among the young. It’s a refreshing sign of new life.
ABOUT THE BIBLE:
LF: What’s your favorite Bible story, psalm, proverb, or parable and why?
SC: John 15, Jesus the true vine. And along with that, Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17:5–8. To be blessed and fruitful, we must root ourselves in the stream of God’s Word, abide in Jesus like a branch on a vine, and trust his work in us. Then we don’t need to fear times when we lie fallow, or are threatened by life events. He will bear his fruit in us in his time—and will fill us with his joy. I have seen the truth of this again and again, and the scripture is always there to re-orient me when I need it.
LF: Do you have a favorite Gospel? If so, which one? Elaborate if you wish.
SC: I love each gospel book for different reasons. As for a favorite gospel passage, maybe the Annunciation and infancy narratives from Luke. Mary is who I want to be: one who hears the Word of God, believes it and receives it into the depths of her being; allows it to take flesh inside her and gives birth to Christ in the world. God wants to be born in you and me! It’s astonishing.
LF: If you could spend a day with person (besides Jesus) mentioned in the Bible, whom would you choose?
SC: I’d like time with John, to ask about his writing. But I have burning questions for Eve, so maybe her instead. How did she find the grace to go from doubting God’s word (before the Fall), to trusting his promise that one day, the “seed of the woman” would defeat the serpent? Did she assume that referred to her child? How did she keep trusting when Cain killed Abel? How did she and Adam regroup and pass on their faith? I’m sure they did. I want to hear from her, how they did it.
ABOUT LIVING FAITH
LF: How long have you been writing for Living Faith?
SC: Not long—I’ve only written a handful of reflections so far, and the first came out in October 2025. I look forward to seeing the Senior 365 devotional, which I enjoyed writing for and which will be published for 2026.
LF: Do you ever get to meet your Living Faith readers?
SC: Not yet, but I hope to some day. I’d love to have some faces to hold in mind as I write.
LF: One thing you love about Living Faith is…
SC: The length of the reflections, short and sweet. Like seeds, they often germinate later and bear fruit in my day.
Sarah Christmyer
*The interview was edited for clarity and conformity to style. No meaning was altered in the process.
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