BIBLE READING PLAN

5 Chapters a week. Any year. Every year! And keep in step with Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter & Pentecost with an easy-to-use reading plan which also, as far as possible:

(1) places the books in the order they were probably written; & (2) groups together books written by the same author or school of thought.

Why this reading plan?

All other New Testament reading plans either mark Christian festivals and seasons, or go through the books methodically. This plan does both.

How this reading plan works.

This reading plan is like others that cover 5 chapters each week. Doing that in 52 weeks means that you will have read precisely all of the New Testament. But in this plan a few weeks have more than 5 chapters, which creates some flexibility. For instance space is made for the stories of Jesus’ birth and childhood to be read (again) in the year’s final 2 weeks of readings, beginning on Christmas Eve.The new year begins with the Gospel probably written first: Mark. Then comes James, which may be the first document of the New Testament to have been written. As far as possible, the rest of the books are then read in the order they were probably written, with authors and schools of thought grouped together. So the letters of Paul come next.Early in Lent comes Matthew’s Gospel, so later on the readings then keep in step with Palm Sunday, day by day through Holy Week and Easter Day. Matthew’s Gospel addresses Jewish-Christians, as do The Letters of Peter and Jude, which follow. Then Luke’s Gospel & The Acts of the Apostles (both written by Luke) are read one after the other, with Acts 2 tying in with Pentecost Sunday.After Acts, the readings pick up where they left off before Matthew’s Gospel, and continue with most of the rest of the Letters.The writings of John, his Gospel, Revelation and Letters, come last, partly because they were among the latter books of the New Testament to have been written, and also because Revelation can be read in Advent. Revelation reminds us that, regardless of how things are, God is working to bring to fulfilment Jesus’ prayer that, “[God’s] will is done on earth as in heaven”. For us to live for this, the 3 Letters of John then focus on our need to go back to the basics of love, truth, and faithfulness, as we go back to begin again with Jesus,