At Citizens, we are calling 2026 “The Year of Scripture and Service”. We want to give deep into God’s Word then reach wide into our city with good deeds.
As part of our emphasis on Scripture, we are inviting our entire church to read through the Bible in a Year. To help, we’ve put together three Scripture journals that will carry us through our three church seasons — January-April, May-August, and September-December. A digital copy of the journal is available below, and a limited number of print copies are available for free at the Sunday Gathering.
We also have numerous resources on this page to help you as you engage with the living and active Word of God.
HOW TO USE THE SCRIPTURE JOURNAL
Daily Reading
The reading plan we have chosen for 2026 covers the entire Bible in a year. The plan is spread out over 5 days per week, giving space on the weekend to catch up on what you may have missed that week, to do the Weekly Examen, and to revisit any passages the Holy Spirit is bringing to mind from that week. The Old Testament readings are placed as chronologically as possible (even the Psalms are read where they belong in Israel's history when feasible, and this is why some prophets - notably Jeremiah - appear to be "out of order"). The only exception is Job, probably the oldest book in the Bible, but placed at the Schedule's end because it is hard to fit elsewhere. The New Testament readings space the Gospels out throughout the year to keep the reader constantly coming back to the life and teachings of Jesus. We have also provided space each day for you to journal any thoughts, prayers, convictions, encouragements, or insights you have from that day’s reading.
Weekend Meditation
While the daily readings throughout the week might lend themselves to a more typical study of Scripture, on the weekend we have included a guided meditation through one of the passages you read that week. The goal in this is to introduce another key want to interact with God’s Word, that is slow, thoughtful, formative reflection on a particular passage or part of a passage. The Weekend Meditation can be done at any point during the weekend, although you may find it helpful to practice it as a close to the week, either on Friday night or first thing Saturday morning. To help you slow down and practice this discipline, we have included a Prayer of Listening, 10 we would recommend reading slowly and thoughtfully before entering the examen practice.
Weekly Memorization
The third way we are engaging with Scripture through this guide is weekly memory verses. The Bible calls us to “hide God’s Word in our hearts that we might not sin against Him.” The goal in memorization is to get Scripture into our heads so that it then gets into our lives. Each week, we’ve picked on verse to memorize, which we hope will become an embodied part, not just of your memory, but of your everyday life with God.
The primary Biblical translation used at Citizens Church is the English Standard Version (ESV). However, we also believe that there is much to be gained by reading a variety of Biblical translations. Some English translations follow are more “word-for-word” translation of the original Hebrew and Greek, while others follow a more “thought-for-thought” approach. The article linked below provides further context for what to expect from each Biblical translation.
