The Connected Word

ELCA Calendar Year A 2026 Bible Readings

Lent Week 5 - Bible Study

Core Thematic Pillars

Readings and Devotions

Lent Week 4 - Bible Study

Core Thematic Pillars

From Blindness to Light

• This first half focuses on the sensory experience of “seeing” God’s work. It moves from the literal healing of a blind man to the metaphorical opening of a nation’s eyes.

• The Shepherd’s Vision: In 1 Samuel 16, God corrects Samuel’s “blindness” regarding King Saul by teaching him that while man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart to choose David.

• The Light of Christ: John 9 (The Man Born Blind) and Ephesians 5 explicitly contrast the “works of darkness” with the “children of light.”

• Restoring the Sightless: Psalm 146 serves as the anchor here, praising the Lord who “opens the eyes of the blind” and lifts up those who are bowed down.

• The Messianic Promise: The Isaiah readings (Chapters 42, 59, and 60) highlight God’s promise to guide the blind by paths they have not known and turn their darkness into light.

From Despair to Divine Revelation

• The focus moves from “eyesight” to “insight”—specifically through the words and visions of the prophets during times of exile or judgment.

• The Sweetness of the Word: In Ezekiel 1–3 and Revelation 10, both Ezekiel and John are told to “eat the scroll.” This represents the internalizing of God’s truth—even when the message is bitter, the presence of God is sweet.

• The Call to Repentance: Ezekiel 33 emphasizes that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires that they “turn and live.”

• The Hope of the Return: The week concludes with Ezekiel 36 and Luke 24, moving toward the promise of restoration. Just as the land of Israel is promised new fruit, the disciples’ “minds are opened” to understand the scriptures following the Resurrection.

Readings and Devotions

Lent Week 3 - Bible Study

Core Thematic Pillars

1. Thirst, Water, and Divine Satisfaction The week begins (March 8–11) with heavy imagery of water. From the Israelites grumbling at Massah and Meribah (Exodus 17) to Jesus meeting the woman at the well (John 4), the message is clear: humanity seeks satisfaction in “broken cisterns” (Jeremiah 2), but God provides “living water” from the Rock.

2. Obedience Over Ritual Starting March 12, the focus shifts to the cautionary tale of King Saul in 1 Samuel 15. This highlights a pivot from receiving grace to living in it. The recurring lesson here is that religious performance means nothing without a heart aligned with God.

Key Verse: “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).

3. Walking in the Light The New Testament readings (Ephesians 4-5 and John 1) bridge the gap between ancient law and Christian living. They emphasize that those who have been “quenched” by the living water must now “walk as children of light,” putting away bitterness and forgiving others just as they were forgiven.

Readings and Devotions