Sunday Evening Week 1
Welcome to our Spring reading plan and to the Gospel of Luke!!!
For Spring 2026, we have a couple of goals and dreams for Canterbury. Our first big lofty dream is that we become people who look and act like Jesus more and more each day. We want to be people who ENCOUNTER God daily, and learn how to love our neighbors just as Jesus would do. To that end, we have created this reading plan. We believe that reading scripture daily will train us all learn to look for God. Each day we will look at a passage of scripture (10-20 verses at a time), we will offer a devotional thought, questions to share, and something to practice. Our hope is that through our reading, practice, and discussion, that we as a Church learn to ENCOUNTER God in our every day life and interactions. It is not a small dream, but it is one that can transform our lives and the lives of our community!
From now until Easter, our reading plan will take us through the Gospel of Luke. If we want to be a church that learns to ENCOUNTER Jesus, then let’s start our Bible reading plan with Jesus himself. The Gospel of Luke has everything. It has miracles, parables, sermons, the story of Jesus’ birth, and it will teach us the very heart of Jesus. (If you want more context on the Gospel of Luke see the Bible Project’s video –
https://bibleproject.com/videos/luke-1-9/)
Imagine what it will be like for a church of 4,000+ people to be devoted to reading the gospel each day. Imagine if 4,000+ Canterburians were ENCOUNTERING God daily. What kind of impact can we make on our lives, families, and communities?
Here is what you can expect each week:
Weekly Format:
Monday – weekly word: Our focus on Mondays will be a word or phrase that can guide our weeks.
Tuesday – Staff Story: We will highlight a different staff member to share a devotional and story of their lives.
Wednesday – Wesley Wednesday: We wouldn’t be good methodists if we didn’t dedicate a day to telling some John Wesley stories! Each Wednesday we will provide something unique about methodism.
Thursday – Refresh Thursday: Every Thursday we want to offer up different ways to encounter God through scripture. This could be song, travel, special readings, etc.
Friday – Faith Inspiration Friday: Every Friday the same staff member from Tuesday will highlight a person who has inspired them to be more like Jesus.
Saturday – Rest
Sunday – Public Word: On Sunday, we gather for worship where we will hear scripture read aloud.
– Matthew and Natalie
A look at the Week Ahead:
January 5–9 — Matthew and Natalie
- Mon, Jan 5: Luke 1:1–25 — Introduction & John’s Birth Foretold
– Matthew - Tue, Jan 6: Luke 1:26–45 — The Annunciation & Mary Visits Elizabeth
– Natalie - Wed, Jan 7: Luke 1:46–56 — Mary’s Song (The Magnificat)
– Matthew - Thu, Jan 8: Luke 1:57–80 — The Birth of John the Baptist
– Natalie - Fri, Jan 9: Luke 2:1–20 — The Birth of Jesus
– Matthew