Task 1: Begin Repeated Panoramic Reading
Essence of the Task
The essence of this assignment is to begin your preparation for an entire series with massive, repeated reading of the biblical book in question and then transition that reading into a habit of reading the book in its entirety many times throughout the series. It is perhaps one of the best ways to absorb the context, stay connected with the message of the book as a whole, and subsequently avoid saying things that do not relate correctly to the rest of the book.
Detailed Description
There is possibly no better way to prepare for a teaching series on a biblical book than to read it over and over again. In fact, I think this advice appears in every book I have read on Bible study.
It is a task that is both introductory and ongoing. At this point, you have not yet begun to prepare a particular lesson or sermon. You are laying a foundation. It is time to listen. It is time to grasp the overarching themes and arguments of the book. Keep in mind that in the Bible «whole messages» usually come to us in the form of canonical books. The entire message is communicated at the level of books. Not words. Not phrases. Not sentences. Not even at the level of verses, pericopes or chapters. The whole message is the property of the whole book. What John left was his Gospel, not chapter 3 on its own. What Paul sent to Colossae was the whole epistle, not verses 8-15 of chapter 2.
Of course, there are smaller logical units of thought – the pericope being the most important of these (for homiletical use) – but to understand the full message of a book, one must study the whole book. So this first task comes in handy.
Later, when the time comes to get down to work and start preparing concrete lessons or sermons, each one will be better because we will be «in shape» with the book as a whole. We know it – and well! – as a whole. For example.
- We know that if this chapter emphasizes one teaching, the next one balances the issue with another complementary emphasis, and so on.
- We know how to nuance the third point of the fourth sermon in the series, because we know that in chapters 5 and 6 the apostle sheds additional light on that point.
So, prepare yourself to begin your massive reading of the biblical book on which your series will be based. And then, get reading!
To Do
How will you do your repeated panoramic reading? What plan will you follow?
There are two parts to this task: (1) Develop a reading plan and (2) Put it into action. You may find some of these suggestions helpful:
- Start your plan with a panoramic reading of the entire book. As a minimum, try to read the ENTIRE book in one sitting. If you can, do this more than once. (Obviously, with some long books, this may prove difficult).
- Plan to read several different versions.
- Make both a preparatory reading plan for the series and an overview reading plan that you will do throughout the series. Both are important.
- Try reading the book at least 10 times before you start the series.
- Then try reading one chapter each day during the series until you complete the book. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Things to Keep in Mind
If the book you are studying is long, you may need considerable time to do your initial panoramic reading. It might help to set aside a Saturday morning.
Then there is the tension you will feel during the series. What could you do to adequately combine the careful study of each particular pericope with an adequate, steady dose of panoramic reading of the book?