I spent a bit of time looking for phone apps before worship.
One of my favorite websites over the years has been The Text This Week. It has always been a great resource for lectionary preachers, but after 18 years online, it has become a resource for anyone studying the Bible and looking for notes and commentary on the scriptures. It has mobile editions for Androids and iPhones, but this afternoon I am writing about the web version from my Chromebook.
I have followed the work of Jenee Woodward since the site became public. A seminary grad with great research capability, and the habits of a librarian, Woodward has never failed to find the latest and the best in commentaries, sermons, art and more.
For the past couple of decades she has scoured the Internet for resources on the texts for the Sundays ahead in the Revised Common Lectionary. She has carved out her own cottage industry from her home in Michigan and has provided a valuable resource for all who study and teach the Bible.
It could easily be made a Chromebook app if that was her desire. It easy enough to bookmark it in Chrome and come back to it frequently.
In the hey-day of lectionary preaching, this was a common resource for many of my peers. In the Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopal denominations, this is still the norm. Among younger clergy in other mainline congregations, it is less likely that a congregation will be using the lectionary in worship.
Even if a church does not use the lectionary every Sunday, I recommend it to those who lead in education and formation to use it as a resource. I have not experienced another resource that systematically reads large portions of the Bible, follows the liturgical year, and can be used by persons across the age spectrum at the same time.
Easy to find commentaries and resources for each of the four weekly passages is made simple by The Text This Week. Rather than just a resource for preachers and worship leaders, it can become a tool for the entire church.
As I continue to explore the Chromebook as a tool in Christian formation, I will offer some concrete ways to use this website and others in the systematic study of the faith.
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