Lucy and I did a Liberty jigsaw puzzle together over the Christmas holiday. Successfully assembling five hundred and sixty-two wooden pieces of fascinating shapes and colors is both a mental and tactile triumph. (I’m a simple man). There is something joyous about solving a puzzle – putting every piece in its intended place – and bringing order to complexity. There is a measure of genuine satisfaction in seeing the beauty of a final picture as it was created to be. Then, too quickly, it all goes back in the box.

I’m not sure why this particular two-day achievement felt so invigorating, but it probably has something to do with the fact that we actually finished it. So much of life feels incomplete; there is always more to do. Our work is never done. Or in puzzle analogy, the pieces don’t seem to fit together and there are just too many of the same color. Worse, we don’t have the picture on the box to work by!  Rarely, do we get to see how all of life is coming together into the beautiful picture the Creator intended.

But God has provided a picture for ordering the puzzle that sometimes is our life. As we begin another year it will do us well to remember that His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Being immersed in the Word of God is profitable for every mystifying complexity of life. Just as a legend on a map, the truths of the Bible are the single most helpful guide for navigating life in this fallen world. Living under the Bible’s authority helps us understand our purpose (Romans 8:29), order our priorities (Philippians 3:13, 14), and moderate our passions (2 Timothy 2:22).

Here are a few suggestions for starting 2023 with a new commitment to Biblical Authority:

1. Join us each Sunday in our study of the Gospel of Luke. Read each chapter several times before you arrive
2. Read through the four gospels two or three times this year
3. Try again at a “Read Through the Bible in a Year” plan
4. Read one chapter of Proverbs and three Psalms every day

I’m praying your 2023 will be a year of transforming study in the Word of God. Being grounded in biblical truth is the foundation for thriving as a Christian in the perplexities of this world. Someday, WE’RE all going to go “back in the box.” Until then, steady Bible intake is the key to remaining rooted and grounded in His love. Charles Spurgeon once said, “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to a person that isn’t.”

As 2022 came to a close, the congregation at Calvary gave very generously, especially to the Heart of Advent fund. More than $153,000 was given to advance church planting here and around the world. Thank you for your support of the work God is doing through Calvary. Your generosity changes the world!

With you on the journey,

Tom