Reading & Studying the Bible 

Part 1. Focus on the Gospel according to Luke

Part 2. Learn about the Bible

Reading & Studying the Bible
Our Special Focus: The Gospel According to Luke 

We have selected a variety of excellent learning opportunities for you - all designed to guide you in learning more about the Bible and how to apply it to your life today. We have developed our Bible offerings to make it easy for you to find a program or activity or resource that best addresses how you want to learn and grow in faith. We can select from a variety of large group, small group, and on-your-own activities - some are in-person, some online formats, and some have in-person and online components.

​The learning activities are organized into four types of Bible learning experiences. 
  • For all adults in our community: The special focus in 2022 is studying the Gospel According to Luke, which is the Gospel for this year in the Lectionary. 
  • For adults who are just getting started or need a refresher: We have activities that introduce you to the Bible and how to read the Bible today. Look for the activities with introducing or developing in the title. 
  • For adults who are growing: We have activities that help you become more confident in your understanding of the Bible and how to read the Bible today. Look for activities with growing in the title.  
  • For adults who want to go deeper: We have activities that deepen your knowledge of the Bible and how it applies to our lives today. Look for activities with going deeper in the title. 

​​Gospel According to Luke

Experience #1. 
Reading the Gospel of Luke ​​(for all adults)

A 50-Day Reading Plan

​By taking just 5 minutes a day, you can read The Gospel of Luke in 50 days! ​Download the 50 Day Reading Plan and begin your daily practice. 
50 Day Reading Plan for the Gospel of Luke.pdf
File Size: 74 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Experience #2. 
Presentation Series (for all adults)
​4 Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Topics
  1. Presentation 1. An Overview of the Gospel According to Luke
  2. Presentation 2. The Teachings of Jesus in Luke
  3. Presentation 3. The Ministry of Jesus in Luke
  4. Presentation 4. The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus in Luke ​

Choose How You Want to Participate
  • Join us in-person for the 7 pm Thursday presentations in the church center
  • Watch the presentation streamed live on YouTube Live. 
  • Watch the video of each presentation on our website.
  • Join a small group after the presentation to watch the video and use the study guide questions to discuss the presentation. ​

Experience #3. Introducing the Gospel According to Luke 

Watch The Bible Project overview video on the book of Luke, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In Luke, Jesus carries the covenant story of God and Israel to its culmination and he announces the good news of God’s kingdom to the poor and the rich. ​Download the one-page "Overview of the Gospel of Luke" and use it to follow the two video presentations. 
Overview of Gospel of Luke.pdf
File Size: 4140 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Experience #4 (growing). An 8-​Week Small Group Study

With a scholar's mind and a pastor's heart, N.T. Wright walks you through Luke in this guide designed especially with everyday readers in mind. Perfect for group use or daily personal reflection, this study uses the popular inductive method combined with Wright's thoughtful insights to bring contemporary application of Scripture to life. It is designed to help you understand Scripture in fresh ways under the guidance of one of the world's leading New Testament scholars. Thoughtful questions, prayer suggestions, and useful background and cultural information all guide you or a group more deeply into God's Word.

Choose How You Want to Participate
  • Join us at church for an 8-week small group experience using the study guide: Tuesday mornings at 10 am, Friday evening at 7 pm, or Sunday afternoon at 3 pm. 
  • Join a us on Zoom 
  • Engage in the study on-your-own and join us in our Luke Facebook Group to discuss 

Experience #5 (going deeper): The Gospel of Luke - An Online Course

Participate in the Yale Bible Study - an 8-session program on the Gospel of Luke for individual study. 

The Gospel of Luke is a masterfully woven narrative filled with skillful characterizations and beautiful poetic verse. Contained within its chapters are some of the most theologically significant parables in the Christian community to this day. This gospel is the first of a two-volume work, with the Acts of the Apostles as the second volume. The author offers readers the history of humanity, particularly of Israel, culminating in the life and death of Christ, as told through a deep and richly theological lens. A clear understanding of the issues and stories within the Gospel of Luke and what follows in the Acts of the Apostles is essential to a solid and enriching engagement with Christian history and tradition. 

Sessions
  1. The Birth of the Anointed One
  2. Jesus Begins to Heal
  3. Jesus Begins to Teach
  4. Jesus Begins to Form a Community
  5. Jesus Teaches “On the Road”
  6. Lost and Found
  7. In Jerusalem
  8. The Passion & Resurrection

Learning about the Bible

Experience #1 (Introducing). How to Read the Bible 

While the Bible is one unified story, it cannot all be read in the same way. The How to Read the Bible series walks through each literary style found in the Bible to show how each uniquely contributes to the overall storyline. Each literary style lives by its own rules and structure.One story, many styles.The Bible can be broken into several categories of writing. Approximately 43% of the Bible is made up of narrative, from historical narrative to parables. Roughly 33% of the Bible is poetry, including songs, reflective poetry, and the passionate, politically resistant poetry of the prophets. The remaining 24% of the Bible is prose discourse, including laws, sermons, letters, and even one essay.
​
This four-part series should help you understand what the Bible is and the story it tells. By the end of this series, you will be familiar with every part of the Bible and see how it uses language to communicate who God is, who we are, and the big, redemptive story that we are all living.

How to Read the Bible 1.. What is the Bible? 

Episode 1 explores the origins, content, and purpose of the Bible. Here you'll be introduced to a condensed history of how the Bible came into existence, and the different forms of the Bible in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christian traditions. Download the Study Notes you as your guide to the video 
How To Read the Bible.pdf
File Size: 3836 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

How to Read the Bible 2. The Story of the Bible 

Episode 2 summarizes the overall story of the Bible as a series of crossroad decisions. All humanity, followed by the Israelites, redefine good and evil and end up in Babylon. They are followed by Jesus, who takes a different path that opens up the way to a new creation. Download the Study Notes as your guide to the video. 
The Story of the Bible.pdf
File Size: 1215 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

How to Read the Bible 3. Literary Styles in the Bible

Episode 3 shows how reading the Bible wisely requires that we learn about the ancient literary styles used by the biblical authors. These writers expressed their ideas and claims through a variety of different types of literature, and this video will explore why it's important to tell them apart so we can hear their message on their terms.

How to Read the Bible 4. Jewish Meditation Literature

Episode 4 explores the unique literary style of the Bible that is meant to draw its readers into a lifelong journey of reading and meditation. The Bible is designed as a multi-layered work, offering new levels of insight as you re-read it and allow each part to help you understand every other part. The Bible is the original meditation literature.

Experience #2 (Developing).  A Daily Bible Reading Plan

Reading the Bible is one of the best ways to learn about God and His desire to have a relationship with you. You can start now by downloading A Year with the Bible, a guide that will walk you through daily passages, help you engage with God’s word and deepen your walk of faith. When you download the guide, you will also be able to access Bible study resources, memorization apps and search tools that will help expand and deepen your Scripture journey.
A Year with Bible.pdf
File Size: 103 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Experience #3 (Growing & Going Deeper). Weekly Sunday Gospel Reflections

Take time each week to reflect on the meaning of the Sunday Gospel reading for your life.

Choose How You Want to Participate
  • Join us in-person after Sunday worship for a 30-minute reflection experience in the church center (complete with coffee and refreshments)
  • Join a small group - in person or on Zoom - and use the guide questions to discuss the Sunday Gospel reading.
  • Set aside 20 minutes during the week for personal reflection using the weekly guide. 

Reflect on the Sunday Gospel Reading

We are using ​Lectio Divina as a contemplative way of reflecting on the Gospel reading. Lectio Divina dates back to the early centuries of the Christian Church and was established as a monastic practice by Benedict in the 6th century. It is a way of praying the Scriptures that leads us deeper into God’s word. We slow down. We read a short  passage more than once. We chew it over slowly and carefully. We savor it. Scripture begins to speak to us in a new way. It speaks to us personally, and aids that union we have with God through Christ.  
  1. Read (Lectio): Read the Scripture passage slowly and purposefully. Reflect on it silently for a few minutes to pray with it and to ponder what it might be saying.  
  2. Meditate (Meditatio): Read it a second time followed by a few minutes of silence. Discover a word or two from the passage that is echoing in your heart or stands out for you in any way.  
  3. Pray (Oratio): What do you want to communicate to God? What emotions do you want to express to God?  
  4. Contemplate (Contemplatio): Reflect on how God is challenging you through this Scripture passage. What is God calling me to do? What is the next step you need to take? 

We use the Lectio Divina experience to guide you into a prayer reflection on the Sunday Gospel in the Lectionary and imagine how you will live the passage in your daily life. 

Download the Weekly Lectio Divina Guide to the Sunday Gospel


Watch the Introduction to Lectio Divina by Fr. James Martin, SJ

Experience #5 (Growing & Going Deeper). Bible Reading Practices 

Try one or more of following activities to guide you in reading the Bible. Download Reading the Bible Activities Guide with all of the activities. 
  1. ​Reading a Biblical Text
  2. A Bible Reading Method
  3. 100 Essential Bible Readings in 100 Days
  4. Studying a Bible Text 
  5. Reading the Bible with Heart 
  6. Reflective Bible Reading
  7. Praying with the Psalms 
  8. Lectio Divina
Reading the Bible Activities Guide.pdf
File Size: 1513 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Experience #5 (Growing & Going Deeper). Journey through the Bible

Enter the Bible is here to help everyday disciples and spiritual seekers engage Scripture in ways that are thoughtful, accessible, and faithful. All content on Enter the Bible is created and/or vetted by Luther Seminary professors—so you can be sure you’re getting reliable biblical learning that draws from the best insights of both the academy and the faith.​ 

Select a book from the Old Testament or New Testament and explore the people, places, culture, and theological themes in the book. Where available, watch the videos to explore more deeply the themes.

Take a self-paced course on any book of the Bible: enterthebible.org/courses. 

Experience #6 (Growing & Going Deeper). Online Bible Courses

Yale Bible Study offers courses on the Old Testament, New Testament, and specially designed Themed Studies. The Old Testament section contains studies based on the some of the books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Samuel, Psalms, Isaiah, Daniel and Wisdom Literature). The New Testament section contains the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John); the Book of Acts; and the Letters of Paul (Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Thessalonians, and Hebrews; and Revelation. The current themed studies include: Reading the Bible; Formation of the Biblical Canon; Reformation History; Women in the Bible; Easter & Passover; and Incarnation.
​
​The Bible studies vary from 2-12 weeks in length. Each Bible study contains a series of 15-30 minute video conversations between two Yale Divinity School professors, as well as a study guide, discussion questions and additional resources to support the study.

Experience #7 (growing & going deeper). Personal Bible Study Plan

The YouVersion Bible App provides you with a way have a daily rhythm of seeking intimacy with God that can transform life. YouVersion creates biblically centered, culturally relevant experiences that encourage and challenge people to seek God throughout each day.

Tens of millions of people are using the Bible App™ to make God's Word a part of their daily lives. Download the free app and access your bookmarks, notes, and reading plans from anywhere. Enjoy hundreds of versions, including audio, all on your mobile device. The App is free for your phone or tablet with over 2000 Bible versions and over 1300 languages.

Use the YouVersion App to access a Bible reading plans. For example, the Gospels reading plan will help you read through all four Gospels in thirty days: www.bible.com/reading-plans/16-the-gospels. Download the App and then search for a reading plan.