TIM'S LECTIONARY DIGEST

By Tim Isbell,  posted 9/8/2023, revised 1/1/2024 to improve speed and structure. 

The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) is the best list of scriptures I know to help intermediate-level believers grow into mature, balanced Christians. (To investigate Christian faith or refresh your understanding of it, click on my Bible Reading Strategies and begin with the Story-Line Plan.)

Tim's Lectionary Digest  works best for those already familiar with the Old Testament, gospel, and Acts narratives. If that's you, and you want to go deeper, I recommend a study based on the 3-year scripture sets in the Revised Common Lectionary. You can start it on any week in the cycle. These are the same scriptures used in at least twenty Christian traditions to frame Sunday worship. Each week includes passages from a gospel, an epistle, the Old Testament narrative, and the Old Testament wisdom or prophecy writings. 

Each of the lectionary's three years begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. Click on Gloria's Lectionary Page to map any calendar date to its lectionary scripture set.

Clicking on any of the links below brings up a website version of the document. You can select any portion and copy it to your clipboard, but probably not print it. To do that, click on the little rectangle in the upper right corner to bring up the entire Google Doc. The little rectangle sometimes takes a minute or two to appear.  Clicking it takes you to the underlying Google Doc to which you will have View access. You can print it or go to File > Download it in various formats. You can even turn it into your own Google Doc and edit it as you wish. Remember, I'm continually revising these weekly Digests. 

Here's how it works for me: I carry one of the passages around in my head and heart for a day or two and then move on to the next one. Just before going to sleep each night, I read one of the passages and ask the Spirit of Jesus to enlighten me through the night. If I'm up during the night, I usually take another look at that passage and head back to bed. By morning, the Spirit of Jesus usually enlightens me about the passage. It's surprising how often a scripture from the present or previous week helps me deal with something or some conversation. 

Blessings, Tim