From childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through the faithfulness which is in Christ Jesus. Every Scripture that is God-inspired is also useful for teaching, for correction, for restoration, and for training in justice, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. [2Timothy 3.15-17]
This schedule of readings is designed to take the reader through the entire New Testament once per year, and the Old Testament (including the Hebrew Bible along with Christian Deuterocanonical literature) once every two years. This is a “weekly” reading plan instead of a “daily” reading plan, because with my schedule I often have no time to read for a day or two, and then a couple of hours for reading on another day. So, a weekly quota of reading works better for me. Also, I have arranged readings by theme or topic, instead of using Biblical order (which would put all of the Gospels in the first half of the year, while also disconnecting historical literature while reading through the Old Testament).
For instance, the New Testament readings start with John's Gospel and letters, which were chosen to begin the year because John intentionally echoes the creation narratives of Genesis. Then we read Luke’s Gospel and Acts, which tells the most well researched story of the early Jesus movement. Then we read most of Paul’s letters from earliest to latest, which give us an “inside account” of some of the stories in Acts. Then we read Mark and the letters of Peter, because of Mark’s traditional connection with Peter as the one who wrote his version of the Gospel. This is followed by Matthew’s Gospel and the writings and debates of the early Jewish Christian movement. We end with the writings of Paul commissioning the second generation of Church leaders, and then the final Victory of Christ over all evil in the book of Revelation.
For the Old Testament, odd-numbered years take us through the Torah, followed by Historical Literature, ordered from the oldest events depicted in the text, to the newest events (even though some books were written decades or centuries after the events they depict). In even-numbered years we read through the Psalms, Wisdom literature, and the Hebrew Prophets (ordered roughly from oldest written to newest). The New Testament readings average about 150 verses per week (usually 4-8 chapters) which is around 15-30 minutes read time. Old Testament readings average about 250-300 verses per week (usually 8-15 chapters) which is around 30-60 minutes read time.
In addition, after the Old Testament readings, there are optional readings from the major Scriptures of the world's largest and longest lasting Religions. Although some may find this odd to add to a Biblical reading plan, the study of the great Spiritual Paths of the world has deepened my walk with Jesus immeasurably. These texts help us gain basic fluency in the ways other cultures have pursued spiritual and ethical growth, and will help us understand the ideas and ideals of the Bible better by comparison and contrast with them. And in the words of the second century Church Father, Justin Martyr, we may even find “seeds of the Word” which Christ has planted in other Spiritual Paths to draw us to him.
Odd-numbered years will take us through foundational texts for Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Even-numbered years will take us through the basic texts of Taoism, Islam, and Sikhism. These World Scripture readings are chosen to be 15-30 minutes in length. In total, for Biblical readings and World Scriptures, the weekly read time will be 1-2 hours, and may be divided up throughout the week, or read all at one time. I often will read Scripture three times per week: One day for the New Testament and Vital Verses. Another day for the Old Testament readings of the week. And a final day for World Scripture readings.
Finally, each week includes Scripture passages to meditate on and memorize which can be repeated aloud in about 30 seconds. Meditation here refers to focusing on Christ's presence in us by repeating a Divine Name, Prayer, or Scripture, over and over. These Scripture passages have been adapted to give us a focal point for meditation each week of the year. Using breathing prayer, we can use these as "arrow prayers" like the Jesus Prayer used in Orthodox Spirituality. Start by finding a meditative bodily position, whether seated or walking. Then repeat the Scriptural passage over and over as you breathe slowly. You may also use Prayer Beads or a Rosary to help you focus and keep track of your repetitions. The goal is to "treasure" these Truths, and store them deep within our self, so we become what we pray.
Regarding Scriptural Translations: I prefer Bible translations that include the entire Canon of Scripture, including the books which Jesus and Paul quoted, but Protestants have hidden away. Thus, I usually use the New Revised Standard Version [NRSV], the Common English Bible [CEB], or the New American Bible Revised Edition [NABRE]. For Hindu and Buddhist Scriptures, I am quite fond of Eknath Easwaran’s editions of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Dhammapada. In addition, if you want a readable modern compendium of the main Vedic texts, read Wendy Doniger's "Rig Veda" from Penguin Classics. Although translations abound for Chinese Scriptures, for the Confucian Analects (Lun Yu), I have found the translations by Edward Slingerland and Nicholas Tamblyn to be helpful. For the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing), I find the Penguin Classics translation helpful, and the paraphrase of Stephen Mitchell inspiring. Given how short the Tao readings are, it may be helpful to read both versions side-by-side. For the Quran, I often switch between the Oxford World Classics edition and Itani’s Quran in Modern English. And finally, for the Sikh tradition a very helpful, modern, and concise abridgment of the massive Guru Granth Sahib can be found in “Hymns of the Sikh Gurus” by Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh.
