Look Inside: Feasting on the Word Commentary

When most people hear the term “lectionary,” their mind often goes to the Roman Catholic church. But they are not the only church that uses a lectionary. It is also popular among Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and some Presbyterians. What exactly is a lectionary? A lectionary is a collection of Scriptures readings that are appointed for a given day or occasion of worship. One of the more common lectionaries today is the Revised Common Lectionary, released in 1994. It’s so popular there is a commentary series based on the lectionary: Feasting on the Word Commentary Series.

What is Feasting on the Word?

Most commentaries today don’t have much that set them apart from the rest. So, when a commentary set like this one comes on the scene, it is sure to turn some heads. Feasting on the Word is a 12-volume commentary set. There are four volumes for each of the three years of the Revised Common Lectionary. It covers all Sundays in the lectionary cycle, along with movable occasions, such as Christmas Day, Epiphany, and Holy Week.

Instead of displaying information in canonical order, these commentaries are in order of the lectionary.

Another unique trait is all the content that is in each section. For each lectionary text you will find four brief essays. Each one covers the theological, pastoral, exegetical, and homiletical challenges of the text.

If you didnt know already, the RCL provides:

• an Old Testament reading
• a Psalm reading
• a Gospel reading
• an Epistle reading

This combination gives you sixteen different approaches for preaching.

In the print edition of Feasting on the Word, the Bible passage is given and the commentary is placed in four columns. This way, preference isn’t given to one of the texts. For ease of use, our digital version has removed the columns and each essay is followed one after another.

How to Use It

Like many resources in our app, there are several ways to make use of them. Let me show you the many ways you can use Feasting on the Word in your studies or sermon prep.

Table of Contents

If you’re familiar with the lectionary calendar, the easiest way to navigate Feasting on the Word is through the table of contents. To access the table of contents, tap the verse chooser. Then tap the gear and select “List Layout”. Now you can quickly navigate to the current week and drill down to your passage of choice. If you know what week it is in the lectionary calendar, this is the fastest way to navigate.

Please note that each lectionary year is its own volume, so you will need to know which year you’re currently in (A, B, or C).

Verse Chooser

If you already know your passage for the week, you can use the verse chooser in grid view to get to your passage. This method is useful for those who would like to use this commentary, but are not lectionary preachers.

Scripture Index

Each volume of Feasting on the Word includes a full scripture index. It allows you to see where a passage falls in the lectionary calendar. You can access this index via the table of contents. Then, navigate to your passage in the canonically ordered list. Once you find your passage, you can then tap on the reference to be taken to its location in the commentary. Again, this method is useful for those using this resource in a non-lectionary manner.

Resource Guide

The last way to make use of Feasting on the Word is through the Resource Guide.

If you have the Bible open, look in commentaries section and find Feasting on the Word. We’ll take you to the volume that contains your passage.

Or, if you have Feasting on the Word open in the main window, you can use the Study Center to open other resources. Use it to check other translations, compare commentary text, or open maps.

A Commentary for Everyone

With all the different ways you can utilize Feasting on the Word, it is a versatile tool in your Bible study library. This commentary is not just for those who preach through a lectionary calendar. It is a solid commentary that helps you look at the text in four different ways. No matter who you are, this commentary has something for you.