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New Testament Road Trip

David Gambrell

Last week I had a long drive … about 26 hours, round trip. In thinking about how to pass the time I remembered that I had an audio version of the New Testament. I decided it would be an interesting exercise to listen to the entire New Testament in as close to one sitting as possible. So on the trip out, I heard the Gospels through Acts, and on the return trip, Romans through Revelation.

There’s a high value on lectio continua – reading or preaching from large sections of Scripture in sequence – in churches of the Reformed tradition. (Admittedly, this is taking it to the extreme.) Continuous readings of Scripture (like the two-year Daily Lectionary) or semicontinuous readings (like the Old Testament lessons in one track of the Revised Common Lectionary for the Sundays after Trinity Sunday) help us to hear and understand the words and stories of the Bible in their larger theological, historical, cultural, and literary contexts. Reading Scripture in this way is one facet of a new initiative from the Office of Theology and Worship called Invitation to the Word.

It seems to me that the practice of reading or hearing large sections of Scripture aloud has a number of benefits:

• As our website notes, “Scripture takes on a whole new dimension when you can hear its rhythms, its cadences and its poetry, features often overlooked when only read silently.”
• The oral / aural presentation of these texts is probably closer to the way their intended audiences received them, in most cases, and is the way most Christians have experienced them throughout the history of the church (especially before the fifteenth century in the West, and among people who do not read).
• There is an incarnational and sacramental (small s) quality in reading the Word aloud, as the words of Scripture “become flesh” in the voice of another person, a living, breathing member of the body of Christ.
• I think we are more accountable – and potentially more responsive – to the Word of God when we hear the Bible in a public, communal setting, within a group of “witnesses” who can testify to the power of the Word in their own lives and can help us discern what the Spirit is saying to the church today.

If you’re interested in reading all or part of the New Testament aloud in your community, I’ve prepared a chart with approximate reading times for each book (and for several combinations of books, like the four gospels). I used the play-list times on my audio version of the NT as a starting point, rounded up to the next minute, and then added one minute for every ten, to account for breaks, transitions, and slower voices. (Eventually I'll get around to doing the Old Testament too.)

I’d be especially interested to hear from readers of this blog about books (e.g., Romans), series or combinations of books (e.g. Luke and Acts), and sections of books (e.g. the Sermon on the Mount) that would make for an edifying oral presentation in the congregational setting, and why you think this would be the case. For instance, I recently heard about a conference that began with a reading of the entire book of First Corinthians; I can’t recall the nature of the event, but it seems like this would be a good way to frame a conversation on conflict in the church. 

You may also be interested in our weekly podcast, Hear the Word, which provides audio versions of the Revised Common Lectionary readings for Sundays and festivals, along with a weekly prayer from the Book of Common Worship.

• Posted at 4:35 p.m.
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Categories: Invitation to the Word, Worship