.jpg)
… I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. BCP p. 265
We are called to read scripture more diligently during the season of Lent. What keeps you/us from accepting this invitation?
I’m too busy; I don’t have time.
I’ve tried and I always get stuck.
I’ve tried but it doesn’t make sense.
I hate to be crass, but what do I get out of it? Why is it important or valuable?
I find it boring.
I find the language hard. The names are unpronounceable. And don’t me started on the begats!
I can read the words but my brain just goes blank.
I get tired of failing; I feel guilty.
Some thoughts on making changes
Find a translation you like, trust, and can understand. NRSV is the benchmark, but what are some of your favorites? (NIV, NASB, TLB, Jerusalem Bible, etc.)
Decide what and how much you want to read in a sitting.
A book (e.g. Gospel, Psalm, Proverbs, etc.)
A topic (e.g. Shepherd, Light, Door, Water, etc.)
Random passages
Lectionary (Daily or weekly)
Etc.
Find a day/time to carve out as “Me and God” time. If not daily, every other day, or weekly. Schedule it. Block it out. Outside of "lights & siren" emergencies, keep your appointment.
Find a friend (or enemy?) with whom you can share what you’ve been reading and what you’ve found helpful, confounding, or irritating. Being accountable to another person helps.
Read your passage silently. Think about it, praying as you think. Then read it aloud (or ask your partner to read it to you). Think about it prayerfully once again. Ask: What did I hear aloud that I missed while reading silently?
Look up words you’re unfamiliar with. Follow center column references to see where they take you. Read the footnotes and when they show other options for words or phrases, ask how the passage might change if you went with the alternative.
Keep a notepad or journal by your side and note questions or observations that arise from what you’re reading.
What’s a good process for reading or studying a passage? Three Keys:
OBSERVATION: What do you see?
INTERPRETATION: What does it mean?
APPLICATION: How does it work?
Let’s Practice #1
Psalm 23:1
Adonai is my shepherd; I lack nothing. (Complete Jewish Bible)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (NRSVUE)
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (NIV)
God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. (The Message)
OBSERVATION: What do you see? Bombard the passage with questions.
INTERPRETATION: What does it mean?
APPLICATION: How does it work for me? For my church? This is a place to brainstorm (alone or with others). Does this challenge what you've always thought, done, or assumed?
Note: Adonai = Lord (when referring to God). LORD (all caps) = YHWH (God’s Name). Jewish translations, by custom, avoid using the LORD’s Name, substituting it with Adonai.
Let’s Practice #2
John 9:1-5
As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” NRSV
9 1-2 Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” 3-5 Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.” The Message
9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” NIV
9 As he was walking along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 “Master,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?” 3 “Neither,” Jesus answered. “But to demonstrate the power of God. 4 All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, for there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end. 5 But while I am still here in the world, I give it my light.” TLB
OBSERVATION: What do you see? Bombard the passage with questions.
INTERPRETATION: What does it mean?
APPLICATION: How does it work for me? For my church?
Proper 28 The Sunday closest to November 16 Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP p. 236)
RESOURCES FOR STUDY
Resources the Book of Common Prayer provides:
Sundays (Revised Common Lectionary) and Holy Days (BCP p. 888ff)
Three Year Cycle (A (Matthew), B (Mark), C (Luke). The Gospel of John is scattered across all three years.
Each Cycle begins in Advent
Daily Lectionary (BCP p. 934ff)
Two Year Cycle (One and Two)
Each Cycle begins in Advent, with each Year beginning in Advent where most of the year is either even or odd (e.g. 2026 is Year 2 (starting in Advent, 2025), and Year 1 will begin in Advent, 2026 where the majority of Year 1 will be odd (2027)).
The Book of Common Prayer is available online: https://www.bcponline.org
Sunday Lectionary Readings available online: https://www.lectionarypage.net/
Daily Office Readings available online: https://www.dailyoffice2019.com/
The benefit of following a lectionary is that it provides the reader with an orderly means of working through the Bible. On the other hand, it provides so much material at one sitting (or two if divided for use during Morning and Evening Prayer) that it can be difficult to find one passage upon which to meditate.
Another wrinkle you can add to your study is to compare one or more translations of what you’re reading side by side to see. Sometimes another translation will shed fresh light or meaning to a passage, or clarify one that might be confusing.
Note: Not all translations are alike or equal in scholarship or readability. “Translation” generally implies a reading that is closer to word-for-word from the ancient texts to English, while “Paraphrase” generally implies more of a thought-for-thought rendering of a text from one language into English.
E.g. 1 Corinthians 16:20
Translation (NIV): "Greet one another with a holy kiss".
Paraphrase (The Message): "Pass the greetings around with holy embraces!".
Paraphrase (The Living Bible): "Give each other a loving handshake when you meet".
Difference: The translations keep the historical "kiss," while paraphrases adapt the gesture to modern cultural norms (hugs/handshakes).
Study Bibles utilizing the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV – the one mostly used and read in mainline churches on Sundays):
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (Oxford), 1991
The SBL Study Bible – NRSV Updated (Harper One), 2023
Study Bible for use with groups (Conservative/Evangelical flavor):
Serendipity New Testament for Groups (New International Version (1990), Updated versions/revisions available)
Paraphrase Bible: The Message, Eugene H. Peterson (Navpress, 2002)
Other Bible Resources:
Holy Bible from the Ancient Eastern Text (Translated into English by George M. Lamsa from the Aramaic of the Peshitta (Syriac), which is, itself, a translation of the original Greek texts back into Aramaic).
TANAKH – The Holy Scriptures (Jewish Publication Society, 1985), an English translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), AKA Torah, Nevi’im, and Kethuvim.
Online Bible resources:
https://www.biblegateway.com/ (Searchable, multiple languages and translations, including a variety of European languages)
https://biblehub.com/ (Similar to Biblegateway)