It always seems like we confessional and liturgical Lutherans are behind the 8-ball for family devotional and catechetical resources, especially for homeschoolers and/or families that include the very young. Roman Catholic, Reformed, and Evangelical materials are out there and are high-quality, but we always have to modify them. Or, we have to reinvent the wheel and settle for lower quality materials for use in our families.

Pastor’s wife and homeschool mother Jessie Bell (whose husband, by the way, the Rev. Aaron Bell, is a US Navy chaplain) has changed all of that for those of you who are on the one-year lectionary (I understand that a three-year option may be in the works as well). Working with a designer friend to assure the highest-quality and most user-friendly layout, she has come up with a “planner” (for lack of a better term) that not only serves the family in an unabashedly Lutheran way, making use of LSB, the ESV translation, and various other resources for family worship and study, she has created a product that is exquisitely beautiful and user friendly.

She publishes and sells this magnificent resource at her company’s website: Concordia Collective.

It is called the Concordia Collective Family Lectionary, and it is published according to the calendar year.

First of all, the design and layout are aesthetically pleasing. Those instructing the family will want to use this resource and will be drawn to it! The artwork is all original, and is drawn by Jessie (which also eliminates the ever-present copyright conundrum). Her drawings are beautiful pen-and-ink icons that also serve as powerful memory triggers for little ones. The Bells have four homeschooled children of their own, so it has been, and continues to be, run through the practical “focus group” of the Christian family.

The Family Lectionary is sturdy and top quality. And for homeschool parents, it really has to be. Nothing is more frustrating than flimsy materials that tear or become frayed. The Family Lectionary is robust and designed for actual use. The cover is thick and glossy. It is spiral bound so as to lay open flat. It is a beautiful and appealing mix of art and text, of fonts, of white space, of practical suggestions, and of a lesson plan coordinated with the church year. The Family Lectionary opens with a little introduction that personalizes this resource. The confessional Lutheran world is small, and it’s nice to know that this product was lovingly produced by one of our own.

There is a “How To Use This Planner” page that quickly introduces how it all works. There is a page of “Additional Resources” and practical hints. There is a checklist of all of the “Verses by Heart” for each week - as well as instructions for downloading cards.

Here is where the planner begins.

There is a large monthly calendar that includes the Sunday readings to prepare for them during the week. The Sundays of the church year are indicated, as well as feasts and commemorations from LSB. This calendar is - like the entire product - both beautiful and practical.

Following the monthly calendar there is a page for each day.

If the day is a feast or commemoration, there is a brief explanation under the heading “Saint and Sinner.” There is a memory verse, a hymn verse, a suggested Arch Book, and if applicable, a reference to the Rev. William Weedon’s Celebrating the Saints. During the course of the week, the lectionary readings are provided for reflection, along with a small “Think About It” reflection. There may be a “Fun Together” activity focused on the theme of the day. There are also “What to Look for in Church This Sunday” sections that explain the meaning behind various symbols that one sees often in our churches.

For the weekend, there is a section for “Sermon Notes.”

This resource is designed the way that top-quality homeschool materials are, but it is adaptable to all families whether homeschooled or not. Jessie made the conscious decision to use the ESV and LSB texts, as these are standard in our church body. The Small Catechism is not incorporated into this resource, as there are already specific catechetical resources out there already. The Family Lectionary is meant to be centered on the Sunday liturgical readings and the church calendar, and presumes that the Small Catechism is already in the curriculum.

The website also includes supplementary materials for download, such as the aforementioned Bible memory cards, as well as coloring pages and crafts. There are also products available, such as tee shirts and mugs. But the capstone achievement, the gem, is the Family Lectionary itself. There are still just a few available for 2022. The cost is $60. I would also point out that the bulk of the cost is in the copyright permissions, and Jessie is making almost nothing per copy. For her, it is truly a labor of love, for her own children, for other Lutherans, and for our Lord and His Church!

If you want more info, or want to get in touch with Jessie to gear up for next year’s edition, you can get on her mailing list and/or email her at: admin@concordiacollective.shop.

Thank you, Jessie! This is so well done, and it will be a great blessing to many of our families and their little ones!