OK, 3-1/2 months into the One Year Bible reading, and I’m giving it up. This is a good thing… at least for me. Here’s what I realised over Lent:
I’m a Rhythm guy, (which is odd if you’ve ever seen me play guitar.) This is not the same as Routine, which the OYB does a great job of reinforcing. I’m talking Rhythm, Routine with a sense of ebb and flow. For example, I desperately wanted to connect with the Lenten season, but I found it hard. The OYB isn’t designed to do this. That’s not bad; it’s just not me.
So here’s what I’m doing. First, I’m dusting off my copy of The Divine Hours. I’ve been feeling out of sorts lately, and I attribute some of that to missing these daily touchstones.
Second, I’m wishing the other OYB folks the best. How about a prayer, from the Morning Office:
++ Know this: The LORD himself is God;* he himself has made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;* we bless you from the house of
the LORD. ++
Finally, I’ll be picking up the Lectionary readings. I still want to be reading the Bible, and the Lectionary will fulfill this while reinforcing my desire for Rhythm.
Hi Cory,
My OYB participation has been really flaky for a while, so I missed your dropping out declaration. The RCL seems a good alternative if you are looking for seasonal rhythm and alignment with the church calendar.
But one thing I have appreciated about the OYB is that it got me into areas of the OT I had not really been into before. The NT is all fairly familiar to me, but there are still great stretches of the OT where I have never been. I think the RCL does not cover everything, even if you follow the full three year cycle.
On the other hand, I find the OT does dominate the OYB. At times it seems to me some of the discussion is really stuck under the Old Covenant and seems almost unaware of the Gospel of Jesus.
Anyway, just my rambling thoughts … I still have you in my feed reader, so I will drop by occasionally.
By the way, have you come across an RCL blog comparable to Mike’s OYB Blog? If so, I might be tempted to follow you.
Greetings,
Andrew B
I’m not aware of any that are like Mike’s, with a large, active community. I do like the RCL reflections/commentary over at Dylan’s lectionary blog (http://www.sarahlaughed.net/lectionary/).