Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path. (Psalm 119:105).
Our Anglican tradition holds that “The Bible contains all things necessary for Salvation.” That is, there is no “extra” set of texts, confessions, or official church legislation or pronouncements that stand above or equal to Scripture. The Book of Common Prayer includes the Psalms, and large portions of the prayers and liturgies it contains are directly taken from passages of the Bible. (There is a common saying that 85% of the BCP is composed of Scripture.) And of course, at each worship service we have extensive Bible readings assigned by the plan of the Revised Common Lectionary.
In the stories, poetry, history, and personal letters that comprise the Bible we learn of God’s character and hear the story of Salvation history. We learn that God breathed the breath of life into us, and made this beautiful creation “very good.” We learn as we read the history of ancient Israel that no matter how often we turn away, God will call us back and God’s mercy and lovingkindness know no bounds. We hear over and over again that participating in God’s Covenant means lifting up the powerless and caring for the outcast. We see that God uses broken and imperfect people–like nearly *every* Old Testament character–and like us–to be workers in the tasks of reconciliation and mending creation. We grasp the strange and wonderful fact that God works Salvation through self-sacrifice and parental love, and not through force and coercive power.
Like prayer, immersing ourselves in Scripture begins to change us, to shape us, over time. The Hebrew word for meditate means to study, but also to mutter, to talk. Reading Scripture is one of the key ways we hear God talk and encounter Jesus, the Word of God incarnate, and build a deeper relationship with Him.
Below I’ve listed my favorite Bibles appropriate for different ages. I encourage you to get them for yourself, your children, or your grandchildren, and engage more actively with the living Word.
