I hope my series of prayers for the class of 2020 was meaningful to you. This week we are moving in an exciting direction, one that has had my heart for a long time. Starting this Friday, I’ll offer and overview and commentary on this week’s lesson in the Lectionary!

Hang on. This is way better than that sounded. 

The Lectionary is a three-year schedule of Bible readings which are arranged to follow the liturgical year. In three years, you cover the major teachings and events in Jesus’ life in each of the four Gospels, the major points of history in the Old Testament, and New Testament readings and Psalms which point you to the Gospel readings. Many churches use the Lectionary readings during worship to connect the service to the liturgical year. My post back on Good Friday is a good example of what I’ll be doing going forward.

If your church uses the Lectionary, my hope is that by reading these lessons ahead of worship your time at worship will be enhanced. (And if you have to miss a week, you’ll keep the narrative thread of what is going on in the readings.)

If your church doesn’t use the Lectionary, this is a good way to stay connected to the liturgical calendar and supplement your Bible study.

If you are unfamiliar with the Bible and find reading through the whole thing daunting, this is an ideal place to start.

I am not a theologian or a pastor, and I’ve never been to seminary. I’m merely an interested layperson who loves the Bible and wants to help others understand it better, too. I pray what you find here is helpful and points you to Jesus.

I won’t link and cite references exhaustively in my lectionary posts, but know that common sources for me to use are:

The Revised Common Lectionary as published by Vanderbilt School of Theology

Various study Bibles (this one is my favorite)

Bible commentaries I have on my bookshelf

Luther’s Concordia

Assorted websites, most often Working Preacher

Thank you in advance for reading my thoughts. Comments are welcome, and please, if you find a factual error, let me know! But I am not interested in debating points of theology or the mere existence of God. As such, I’ll be moderating comments. Thank you for understanding.