The word immersion comes from the Latin word meaning, "a plunging into." I use that name for this blog because the Bible reading plan I am using allows you to plunge yourself into God’s Word and thereby be immersed with the Spirit. It’s a different type of Bible reading plan because it has the Christian in mind. Let me explain.
The full name is the “Davidic Triennial Ecclesiastical Lutheran Weekly Lectionary.” It may sound like a mouthful, but each of these elements explains what the "Immersion" plan is.
It’s Davidic because I, David, developed it. So I take full responsibility for any mistakes!
It’s Triennial because it takes 3 years to complete. This allows you to take your time and not rush through the Bible quickly as many plans do that often leaving you feeling bad for falling behind.
It’s Ecclesiastical because it follows the traditional Western Church Year (which is similar in many ways to the Eastern Orthodox "feasts"), which for one "half" follows the entire life of Jesus Christ according to the Gospels, and then the teachings of Jesus Christ during the other "half". This way what you’re celebrating in church has to do with what you're reading in the Bible (provided your church follows the traditional church calendar, obviously).
It’s Lutheran because it’s inspired by one of the three "solas" of Martin Luther's Reformation sola scriptura (which means, by scripture alone). And it's also Lutheran because it follows the Lutheran Church Year with the inclusion of the season of End Times.
It’s Weekly because it’s not divided into days, but rather weeks. Maybe you’ve already realized this, but the week is the only part of the modern 12 month calendar that has nothing to do with astronomical observations. Our modern week is based on the 7 days of the book of Genesis' Creation, which is the basis for the 7 day Sabbath weeks of the Torah.
And what makes weeks especially important for Christians is that Jesus the Messiah rose from the dead on the "first day of the week," a Sunday. This is why since the days of the early Church, the vast majority of church bodies have traditionally chosen to worship primarily on Sundays.
It’s Triennial because it takes 3 years to complete. This allows you to take your time and not rush through the Bible quickly as many plans do that often leaving you feeling bad for falling behind.
It’s Ecclesiastical because it follows the traditional Western Church Year (which is similar in many ways to the Eastern Orthodox "feasts"), which for one "half" follows the entire life of Jesus Christ according to the Gospels, and then the teachings of Jesus Christ during the other "half". This way what you’re celebrating in church has to do with what you're reading in the Bible (provided your church follows the traditional church calendar, obviously).
It’s Lutheran because it’s inspired by one of the three "solas" of Martin Luther's Reformation sola scriptura (which means, by scripture alone). And it's also Lutheran because it follows the Lutheran Church Year with the inclusion of the season of End Times.
It’s Weekly because it’s not divided into days, but rather weeks. Maybe you’ve already realized this, but the week is the only part of the modern 12 month calendar that has nothing to do with astronomical observations. Our modern week is based on the 7 days of the book of Genesis' Creation, which is the basis for the 7 day Sabbath weeks of the Torah.
And what makes weeks especially important for Christians is that Jesus the Messiah rose from the dead on the "first day of the week," a Sunday. This is why since the days of the early Church, the vast majority of church bodies have traditionally chosen to worship primarily on Sundays.
So the plan assumes Sunday will be for reading and meditating on the Bible readings used for your Sunday worship, and Saturday will nearly always give you a good "Sabbath" rest to either catch up or take a small break to review.
And, it’s called a Lectionary, which comes from the Latin word for a “reading," which is what the plan is...
Now, following the traditional Western Church year, the plan breaks into two parts as stated above, depending on the date of Passover (Easter). In the first “festival” part of every year, you will be reading:
1) The Torah (or Pentateuch, which is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) because it forms the foundation that the rest of the Bible and the Christian worldview is based on. And you'll notice that, starting for the 2011-2012 plan, the Torah readings will follow quite well with the basic "theme" of each season!
2) The Gospels and Acts because they tell of the critical time in the world’s history when Jesus Christ, the promised Savior of the world came to this world and lived, died, and rose to redeem humanity and begin the renewal of all creation through his kingdom.
3) The Psalms because they have been the backbone of the Church’s prayer and worship life ever since they were written.
Then you enter the “non-festival” part of the year, which follows a 3-year cycle (A or B or C). So every three years the rest of the books of the Bible will be read. This will continue straight through Christ the King Sunday, which is at the “end” of the Church Year (one Sunday before Advent begins the subsequent Church year). The order of the books for the three year cycle is roughly based on an order that follows the traditional Jewish Old Testament ordering Jesus would have likely recognized (Tanakh), and the order of New Testament books that we often find in earliest Greek uncial manuscripts. And the cycle follows the general theme of “Formation, Evaluation, Restoration” (for A,B, C respectively).
Then you enter the “non-festival” part of the year, which follows a 3-year cycle (A or B or C). So every three years the rest of the books of the Bible will be read. This will continue straight through Christ the King Sunday, which is at the “end” of the Church Year (one Sunday before Advent begins the subsequent Church year). The order of the books for the three year cycle is roughly based on an order that follows the traditional Jewish Old Testament ordering Jesus would have likely recognized (Tanakh), and the order of New Testament books that we often find in earliest Greek uncial manuscripts. And the cycle follows the general theme of “Formation, Evaluation, Restoration” (for A,B, C respectively).
I should also mention that special readings are given for the high festivals in the Church, which highlight significant events in the life of the Messiah Jesus. This includes Christmas Eve, Christmas, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, and Ascension.
Any suggestions are surely welcome! May God bless your reading of his Word!
