Reading and Studying the Text This Week

Texts:
- NRSV Lectionary readings from Vanderbilt Divinity Library.
- Roman Catholic Lectionary Readings from the New American Bible.
- The Roman Catholic Lectionary for Mass (1998 USA Edition). At Felix Just S.J.'s The Roman Catholic Lectionary For Mass - a site featuring comprehensive tables of editions of the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
- Episcopal Lectionary: BCP - RCL.
- Leccionario Dominical La Iglesia Episcopal Ministerio Latino Hispano, Año B.
- Lutheran lectionary readings, Year B, from the ELCA site.
- United Methodist lectionary readings, Year B..
- Biblical Passages for Mennonite Bulletins, Year B.
- Free Church version for Baptist, Reformed, and Congregational use Revised Common Lectionary Readings.
- ELCIC Worship Planning Calendar, lectionary citations with and without hymn suggestions, text and pdf formats.
- Lutheran RCL CEV readings - .doc files. Lutheran Bible Ministries.
- PCUSA - Daily/Weekly Lectionary Readings.
Images and Movies:
- Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Concordance, with the following themes:
- On this Passion Sunday the preacher might compare how the great filmmaker Carl Dreyer deliberately chose to name his film about Joan of Arcâ€™s trial The Passion of Joan of Arc so as to compare hers with that of Christâ€™s. Ed Mc Nulty, Visual Parables.
- Movies Linked at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance, with the following themes:
Commentary, Exegesis & Sermon Preparation (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page):
- Textweek Blog and Facebook Page: The Text This Week, lectionary discussion & suggested articles on Facebook.
- Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Preaching This Week commentaries of RCL texts at WorkingPreacher.org, Luther Seminary, 2015.
- Commentary and Spiritual Perspectives, Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, 2015. Commentary, historical background, poems and readings. Center for Liturgy, St Louis University. (EspaÃ±ol)
- Preaching Helps and Worship Resources, Rev. Dawn Chesser, Taylor Burton-Edwards, Dean McIntyre, Prayers, Lectionary Hymns, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship, 2015.
- Faith in Process, David Smith, 2018.
- "Into Jerusalem," Kathryn Matthews Huey, SAMUEL, UCC, 2015.
- "While the Church Sleeps," D Mark Davis, Left Behind and Loving It, 2015.
- Points for Preaching and Teaching, 2015. The Lectionary Lab, Palm/Passion Sunday, the Rev'ds Dr. John Fairless and Delmer Chilton (aka "Two Bubbas and a Bible"), 2012.
- Evangelectionary for March 29, 2015, Kwasi Kena, 2015.
- Starters for Sunday, 2015. Thoughts on Readings, Prayers & Hymn Suggestions. Office for Worship, Doctrine and Artistic Matters, Church of Scotland.
- Disclosing New Worlds, commentary and reflections, Lawrence Moore, 2015.
- Ministry Matters, March 29, 2015.
- The Center for Excellence in Preaching, resources from Calvin Theological Seminary: Comments & Observations, Textual Points, illustration ideas, 2015.
- Lectionary at Lunch: MP3, Windows Media, and Real Audio files of lectures by professors at Concordia Seminary, St Louis, MO (LCMS), 2015.
- "Gardens, Guards, and Guile," D Mark Davis, raw translation and exegetical notes, Left Behind and Loving It, 2012.
- Weekly Evangelectionary for Palm Sunday, April 1, 2012.
- Lectionary Notes, Palm/Passion Sunday B, Beth Quick, 2012.
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
- Girardian Reflections on the Lectionary, Palm/Passion Sunday, by Paul Nuechterlein & Friends.
- Jesus Now, Palm Sunday. Lectionary, study and worship resources from Faith Futures Jesus Then & Now.
- Rumors, for April 5, 2009, Ralph Milton, "Sermon helps for preachers with a sense of humor."
- Text Studies, D. Nelson. (Lutheran)
- Readings, Analysis of Texts and Preaching Paths, Dennis Bratcher, Christian Resource Institute. (Church of the Nazarene.)
Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
Lectionary Reflections, Discussions & Weblogs:
- Textweek Blog and Facebook Page: The Text This Week, lectionary discussion & suggested articles on Facebook.
- Sermon Brainwave, Lectionary podcast featuring Profs. Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis, and Matt Skinner, discussing the week's passages in light of current events. At Luther Seminary's WorkingPreacher.org. 2015.
- Palm/Passion Sunday: Entering the Story, David Lose, ...in the meantime, 2015.
- "Stories and Letters from Prison," Barbara Lundblad, ON Scripture, Odyssey Networks, 2015. Video: Sister Acts of Compassion.
- "No Preaching Required," Karoline Lewis, Dear Working Preacher, 2015.
- Palms v. Passion Sunday, commentary and discussion, RevGalBlogPals, 2015.
- Palm/Passion: At the Gate to Truth, Journey to Penuel, 2015.
- Palms and Passions, Eric Smith, LECTIO, 2015.
- "Stewardship Lessons from the Passion Story," Sharron R. Blezard, Stewardship of Life, 2015.
- "The Mind of Christ," Janet H. Hunt, Dancing with the Word, 2015.
- Care for Creation Commentary, Robert Saler, 2015.
- Lectionary Ruminations, John Edward Harris, Summit to Shore, 2015.
- "The Hands of the Passion," Andrew King, poetry, 2015.
- Visions from the Catacombs, March 29, 2015.
- "The Politics of Blame-Shifting," Amy Merrill Willis, Political Theology Today, 2015.
- Sermon Stories, Palm/Passion Sunday, 2015.
- Donkey Sharing, Story Divine, 2015.
- Preaching Tip of the Week, Bob Eldan, preachingtip, 2018.
- Richard Bryant, Food for Thought, 2015.
- Pray As You Can, Reflections, commentary, prayer, poems, etc., Kym Harris, Diocese of Rockhampton, 2015.
- Lectio Divina Podcast, Todd Spencer, 2015.
- "Ten Minutes on a Tuesday," a weekly resource for preachers and worship leaders, The Methodist Church of New Zealand, 2015.
- HuffPost Religion, religion news and contemporary news in religious perspective. Always worth a read...
- Unfolding Light, Daily Reflections leading toward Sunday readings, Steve Garnaas-Holmes, 2015.
- Break Open the Word, Michael T. Hiller, 2015.
- One Little Word, David J. Risendal, 2015.
- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Bible, Andy Doyle, Episcopal Diocese of Texas, 2015.
- The River of Life, Loddon Mallee UCA Presbytery Blog, 2015.
- The Hardest Question, 2015.
- Sunday's Child, Daily Lectionary and Reflections on Scripture and World, Una Malachica, 2015.
- Stillspeaking Daily Devotional, UCC.org. Daily devotional for Twitter. (Daily RCL)
- Weekly Reflections on the Christian Faith (lectionary texts), conversations between Mark Smith and David Owen, England Public School Chaplains. 2015
- Kairos CoMotion Lectionary Dialogue, Wesley White, 2015.
- Living the Lectionary, Daily RCL reflections, Pr. Phil Heinze, Fort Worth, TX, 2015.
- The Preacher's Exchange - First Impressions and Homilias Domincales / Homilias Breves. Jude Siciliano, O.P., 2015.
- SacraConversazione, discussion of the texts in terms of traditions of interpreters, from a postmodern perspective, 2015.
- COSLC Grace Notes, Pastor Dan Bollerud, Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, Anchorage, AK. Meditations & poetry, 2015.
- Lectionary Scripture Notes, Dr. Norman Beck.
- "What Jesus' Death Tells Us about Ourselves," Matthew L. Skinner, ON Scripture, 2012.
- "Downward Mobility," David Lose, Dear Working Preacher, 2012.
- The Grim Comedy of St Mark's Passion, Debra Dean Murphy, Intersections: Thoughts on Religion, Culture, and Politics, 2012.
- "The Edge of the World," guest essay by Sara Miles, The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with Jesus Foundation, 2012. 2009. 2006.
- Passiontide, Michael Coffey, 2012.
- "Of One Mind," Sharron R Blezard, Stewardship of Life, 2012.
- "Protesting Holy Week," David R. Henson, Patheos, 2012.
- Sunday Scripture Podcast. Joe Cate and friends discuss lectionary scriptures for this week, 2012.
- "Extravagant Holiness: Reflections on the The Anointing at Bethany," Alyce M. McKenzie, "Edgy Exegesis," Patheos, 2012.
- Weekly Evangelectionary for Palm Sunday, April 1, 2012.
- "Palm Sunday, Year B," Rick Morley, 2012.
- "Emptied," Jan Richardson, The Painted Prayerbook, 2012. Use of images.
- Sermon Notes for April 1, Michael Rich, In-Formatio, 2012.
- The Worship Closet, Passion Sunday, Amy Loving, 2012.
- At the Edge of the Enclosure, Suzanne Guthrie, Soulwork toward Sunday, 2012.
- Preaching Tip of the Week, Bob Eldan, preachingtip, 2012.
- "What Does Jesus' Crucifixion Solve?" Tony Jones, Patheos, 2012.
- Lectionary Ruminations, John Edward Harris, Summit to Shore, 2012.
- The Saturday Night Theologian, Exegesis of Word and World, Tod O.L. Mundo, Progressive Theology Weblog, 2009.
- Articles at The Christian Century:
  - "Judas as Patron Saint," Ronald Goetz, 1987.
- "Living the Word," at Sojourners:
  - "Liberated for Freedom," Michaela Bruzzese, "Believing What's True," 2009.
  - "The Messiah, Indeed," Robert Roth, "Secrets Uncovered," 2006.
- Desperate Preacher's Site: sermons, discussions, liturgical material and other resources.
Sermons (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page):

"God Is Dead," the Rev. Dr. Christoph Keller, III, Day 1, 2015.
Ministry Matters, March 29, 2015.
"The Truth of Stories," Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustrations.
Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors, 2015.
Nine Sermons for Palm/Passion Sunday, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Sermons from Seattle.
"Love Poured Out," the Rev. Dr. James B. Lemler, Day 1, 2006.

Group Studies & Discussion/Reflection Questions:

Honesty in Prayer, Nikki Hardemann, Faith Element, 2015.
"Stories and Letters from Prison," Barbara Lundblad, ON Scripture, Odyssey Networks, 2015. Video: Sister Acts of Compassion.
Points for Preaching and Teaching, 2015. The Lectionary Lab, Palm/Passion Sunday, the Rev'ds Dr. John Fairless and Delmer Chilton (aka "Two Bubbas and a Bible"), 2012.
"The Mind of Christ," Janet H. Hunt, Dancing with the Word, 2015.
""Into Jerusalem," Kathryn Matthews Huey, UCC Weekly Seeds, 2015.
Light on the Lessons, Lutheran Bible Ministries. .doc file leaders guide and participant guide for group study of the weekly lectionary readings. (Scroll down past chart of CEV readings.)

A list of links to on-line Bibles and general Bible study resources.
A list of links to scholarly and preaching discussion groups and their homepages.
A list of links to other lectionary-based preaching and worship resources.

OnLine Worship and Liturgy

Resources and Images on The Text This Week's Holy Week Resources page.
Complete Liturgies and General Worship Planning Resources:
- Preaching Helps and Worship Resources, Rev. Dawn Chesser, Taylor Burton-Edwards, Dean McIntyre, Prayers, Lectionary Hymns, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship, 2015.
- Gathering, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc, 2015. (Terms of Use)
- Liturgy for the Celebration of Life, Palms/Passion B, 2012. Liturgies from a Progressive/Post-Liberal Theology, Revd Rex A.E. Hunt, Uniting Church in Australia.
- Life in Liturgy, 2015.
- "Stewardship Lessons from the Passion Story," Sharron R. Blezard, Stewardship of Life, 2015.
- LCA Worship Planning Page, Palms/Passion, 2015, "Everything lay-readers need to prepare worship."
- Ministry Matters, March 29, 2015.
- Worship Resources, 2015, Rev Mindi, Rev-o-lution.
- Mustard Seeds, Palm Sunday, 2012. A lectionary-based ideas resource for leaders of contemporary worship, Ann Scull, Gippsland, Australia.
- Palm/Passion Sunday, The Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, ELCA.
- Lectionary Liturgies, Palm/Passion Sunday, 2015, Thom M. Shuman, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
- Worship and Liturgy Resources, Passion/Palm Sunday, by Rev David Beswick, Uniting Church in Australia.
- Palm Sunday service resource: Sunday of the Passion with the Liturgy of the Palms, Rev. Bosco Peters, New Zealand.
- Palm/Passion Sunday worship, procession, Eucharist. Lisa Frenz. Scroll down to Holy Week index.
- Liturgical Planning and Music Suggestions, CanticaNova Publications
Prayers, Prefaces, Litanies, etc:
- Laughing Bird Liturgical Resources, by Nathan Nettleton, South Yarra Community Baptist Church, Melbourne, Australia. Prayers, blessings, Eucharistic prefaces and scripture paraphrases.
- Resources: Based on the Revised Common Lectionary. Prayers, Collects and Litanies by Bruce Prewer, Uniting Church in Australia.
- A Prayer for Ash Wednesday (and for use in Lent) by Dr. William R.G. Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
- Lector's Notes, Passion Sunday/Palm Sunday, Gregory Warnusz, Saint Jerome Parish, Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO. Notes and commentary for those reading this week's lectionary texts to the congregation.
- Outside the Box, Passion/Palm Sunday, litanies, poems and prayers written for the local church, by Katherine Hawker.
- Sunday Prayer, mompriest, RevGalBlogPals, 2009.
- Thematic, Intercessory and Scripture Prayers for the RCL, Vanderbilt Divinity Library.
- Call to Worship, April 1, 2012, Mary Jane Konings, Timaru, New Zealand.
- Weekly Evangelectionary for Palm Sunday, April 1, 2012.
- Starters for Sunday, 2015. Thoughts on Readings, Prayers & Hymn Suggestions. Office for Worship, Doctrine and Artistic Matters, Church of Scotland.
- Prayers and Musical Ideas, 2015. Commentary, historical background, poems and readings. Center for Liturgy, St Louis University. (Español)
- Gathering, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc, 2015. .rtf file at this link. (Terms of Use)
- World in Prayer, the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, Lodi, California. Prayers. Prayers and litanies based on each week's world news.
- Worship Ways, prayers and liturgical resources. UCC. Español.
- Preaching Helps and Worship Resources, Rev. Dawn Chesser, Taylor Burton-Edwards, Dean McIntyre, Prayers, Lectionary Hymns, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship, 2015.
- Prayers of the People, Richard J. Einerson, sample prayers from Prayers of the People: Pastoral Prayers for Worship and Personal Devotion.
- The Timeless Psalms: Psalm 31:9-16, Joan Stott, prayers and meditations based on lectionary Psalms, 2015.
- Prayers of the People, Palms/Passion, Lowell Grisham, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2015.
Graphics & Multimedia:
- Holy Week and Easter Clip Art, Hermanoleon Clip Art.
- Art in the Christian Tradition, Jean and Alexander Heard, Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License.
- Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Follows Latin American Roman Catholic gospel reading, though most gospels texts/themes are found in the index. Liberation emphasis.
- Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
- Bulletin Covers, www.scholia.net. Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Emmett, Idaho. Scroll down for Year B index.
- Mustard Seeds, Palm Sunday, 2012. A lectionary-based ideas resource for leaders of contemporary worship, Ann Scull, Gippsland, Australia.
- Slides for lectionary readings, Liturgy of the Passion, Common English Bible, 2012.
- At the Edge of the Enclosure, Suzanne Guthrie, Soulwork toward Sunday, 2012.
- "Emptied," Jan Richardson, The Painted Prayerbook, 2012. Use of images.
- Visual Theology, Faithful Images, Dave Perry, reflections and images usually tied to RCL texts.
- Agnus Day, Lectionary cartoon by James Wetzstein.
- On this Passion Sunday the preacher might compare how the great filmmaker Carl Dreyer deliberately chose to name his film about Joan of Arcâ€™s trial The Passion of Joan of Arc so as to compare hers with that of Christâ€™s. Ed Mc Nulty, Visual Parables.
- Finger Pointer, Dollar Store Children's Sermon, John Stevens, 2015.
Hymns and Music:
- Original Hymns, Settings, and Songs:
  - "As Jesus Faced the Council," Text: Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. This hymn is based on Jesus being charged by the Council with his claiming to be the Messiah and Peter's denial of having known him. Tune: ST. CHRISTOPHER 7.6.8.6.8.6.8.6 ("Beneath the Cross of Jesus").
  - “Jesus Went Out to a Garden,” an original hymn by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, about Jesus’ call for nonviolence and compassion at the time of his passion (Mark 14 and John 18).Â Tune: BEACH SPRING 8.7.8.7 D (“God Whose Giving Knows No Ending”). New hymn available with music from The Presbyterian Outlook magazine for Lent 2011.
  - Hymns of the Spirit Three, Passion Sunday, Richard E. Hurst, Universalist National Memorial Church.
- Hymn/Song/Choral Piece Lists:
  - Hymn and Song Suggestions, Passion Sunday, 2015, annotated suggestions from Natalie Sims, Singing from the Lectionary.
  - You Call That Church Music? alternative music planning blog for church musicians following the RCL (with videos), Ann Strickland, 2015.
  - Preaching Helps and Worship Resources, Rev. Dawn Chesser, Taylor Burton-Edwards, Dean McIntyre, Prayers, Lectionary Hymns, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship, 2015.
  - Shepherd Sounds, Palm / Passion Sunday. Background information for hymns and choral music following the lectionary from the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Austin, Texas, by Eric Mellenbruch and David Zersen.
  - Hymn Suggestions for the Sunday Lectionary (with lyrics and sound files) from the Oremus Hymnal. (Click "Hymn Suggestions for the Sunday Lectionary.")
  - Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
  - Lectionary Hymns, Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion B, National Association of Pastoral Musicians.
  - Hymn selections (United Methodist) and more from Hymnsite.com.
  - The Billabong by Rev Jeff Shrowder, Uniting Church in Australia: Hymn suggestions and paraphrases of lectionary Psalms.
  - Choral Anthem Project, Passion (Palm) Sunday, National Association of Pastoral Musicians.
  - Sing for Joy, Sunday of the Passion - Palm Sunday, 2009. Choral reflections on this week's lectionary readings, St. Olaf College.
  - Starters for Sunday, 2015. Thoughts on Readings, Prayers & Hymn Suggestions. Office for Worship, Doctrine and Artistic Matters, Church of Scotland.
  - Prayers and Musical Ideas, 2015. Commentary, historical background, poems and readings. Center for Liturgy, St Louis University. (Español)
  - Gathering, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc, 2015. .rtf file at this link. (Terms of Use)
  - Together to Celebrate, Passion, David MacGregor, Uniting Church in Australia. Contemporary Christian Music resources.
With Children (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page):
- Worshiping with Children, Palm/Passion Sunday, 2015. Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2012.
- "Storypath Lectionary Links: Connecting Children's Literature with our Faith Story," March 29, 2015, Union Presbyterian Seminary. 2012.
- Finger Pointer, Dollar Store Children's Sermon, John Stevens, 2015.
- "Stewardship Lessons from the Passion Story," Sharron R. Blezard, Stewardship of Life, 2015.
- "Sermon of the Week," / "Mensajes para ninos," Sermons 4 Kids, Charles Kirkpatrick, Object Lessons & Children's Sermons, Coloring Pages, Puzzles. Sermons4Kids.com.
- "A Dangerous Week," Mother Anne Emry, Sacred Story, 2012. Includes activities, children's church plans.
- Ministry Matters, Palm/Passion Sunday, 2012.
- Gathering, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc, 2015. (Terms of Use)
- Story for Children's Worship and Family Activity, Passion Sunday, at word-sunday.com: A Catholic Resource for the Lectionary by Larry Broding.
Children's Bulletins (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page)
- Weekly Household Devotions, Faith Formation Journeys, 2015.
- CatholicMom.com: Coloring Page, Mass Worksheet, Crossword Puzzle, and Word Search based on weekly gospel text.
- Activity Sheets for Children, Fun for all Creatures Great & Small, UCC, 2010. (pdf)
- Coloring Pages/Puzzles. Charles Kirkpatrick, Object Lessons & Children's Sermons, Coloring Pages, Puzzles. Sermons4Kids.com. (Scroll to bottom of page.)
- Lectionary Puzzles by Reg McMillan, St.Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Peterborough, Ontario. Word search puzzles in RTF or plain text (html) formats.
Drama (see listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page)
- "The Passion Story," dramatic reading by Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Sermons from Seattle.
- A Dramatic reading of the Full Passion Narrative according to St. Mark, Greta Jensen, Kir-Shalom.
- A Dramatic Reading of the Shorter Passion Narrative according to St. Mark, John Borthwick, Kir-Shalom.
A list of links to other lectionary-based preaching and worship resources.