Summer Devo Leader's Guide

2025 | Gospel of Luke

Once again in 2025, all Work Crew, Summer Staff, Assigned Team, and Camp Staff will receive their own copy of our new mission-wide devo when they arrive at camp. Capernaum friends will receive a version specially adapted for them. The will be shipped directly to camps in attention of each session's Summer Staff Coordinators.

This summer's devo is tited Jesus, the Savior of the World: Learning the Gospel According to Luke. It's the third in our four-year series of gospel devos, following Jesus, the Glorious Son of God: Learning the Gospel According to John (2024) and Jesus, The Suffering Servant: Learning the Gospel According to Mark (2023).

This guide has helpful information and best practices for those who will be leading Biblical engagement, learning, and discipleship across all Young Life camps this summer.

Summer Devo Vision

  • That everyone serving at Young Life camps​ will read and learn from the same gospel together.
  • That people on the same assignment who serve in different roles and contexts, including camp staff,​ will have touchpoints for Biblical-discipleship conversations when they interact with each other, creating more opportunities to process, learn, and be spiritually formed.
  • That​ friends who serve on different sessions or at different camps​ will be able to process and talk about the Biblical-discipleship content together when they get back home, creating more opportunities to process, learn, and be spiritually formed. ​
  • That​ field staff whose high school and college friends serve on work crew or summer staff​ will be able to access a copy of the devo and engage with it in real time, then talk about it with their friends when they get back home, creating more opportunities to process, learn, and be spiritually formed.
  • That​ others throughout the field and mission services​ will be able to access a copy of the devo and engage with it throughout the summer and be reminded to pray for everyone who is serving at camps.

As a mission, we will go deeper into God's word together, learning, reflecting, discussing, processing, and being formed (both formally and organically)​ into faithful disciples who are becoming more like Jesus.

2025 Content

The 2025 book has 26 lessons-devos that take readers through the entire gospel of Luke. Each includes a gospel reading plus scripture engagement, discussion, and reflection. The content can be used as written or can be adapted and personalized with alternate questions and practices to best fit you and your team of people.

Everyone will receive their own copy of the summer devo when they arrive at camp. To help you plan in the meantime, you can access specific content at these links:

You'll find helpful background info on the book of Luke below, including BibleProject videos.

Adapting the Schedule

Lessons-devos are not attached to specific days, so scheduling can be flexible. In past years, some teams have created a bookmark schedule for people to tuck into their Bible or devo book. ​

If your assignment is shorter than 26 days,​ you can combine two devos into one, or you can skip several devos and encourage people to complete them on their own after returning home.

If your assignment is longer than 26 days,​ you can spread several devos over more than one day, adding additional questions and engagement strategies. Or you can insert alternate content on specific days (e.g. changeover day) and focus on a Psalm or other short passage of your choice.

  1. 1, 8, 19, 23, 43, 63, 93, 98, 121
  • Some short passages that people have used in past summers:
  1. Romans 4:25-5:11
  2. Romans 12:1-10
  3. 1 Corinthians 13
  4. Philippians 2:1-11
  5. Colossians 1:15-23, 3:1-17
  6. Sections of 1 John

Adapting the Content

The primary ways to adapt or personalize the content is to 1) change or expand the discussion questions on the righthand pages or 2) add more scripture engagement practices. Use your own or pick from ones you'll find here.​

Scripture Reading & Conversation

When time and place allow, read all or part of the passage aloud with your team. One option is to have someone read the next day's passage the evening before, after everyone is in the cabin and settled in for the night.

You can find more helpful information about Communal Bible Reading (or Public Reading of Scripture) here.

Scripture Memorization

If you'd like to incorporate memorization into your discipling, here's a list of passages (some just one verse, some a paragraph) to consider. You can print off one (or more) on cardstock and distribute them with the devo book.

  1. John 1:1-5
  2. John 15:5
  3. Acts 3:19
  4. Acts 4:12
  5. Romans 5:25-5:2
  6. Romans 5:3-5
  7. Romans 8:11
  8. Romans 12:1-2
  9. Galatians 5:22-25
  10. Ephesians 2:8-10
  11. Ephesians 5:1-2
  12. Philippians 2:1-5
  13. Colossians 3:1-4
  14. 1 Peter 1:13-16
  15. 1 John 1:5-7
  16. 1 John 2:7-8
  17. 1 John 5:1-2, 3-5

Listening Prompts & Discussion

Providing prompts both before and after listening or reading helps develop awareness and thoughtfulness. Here are a few that can be used while reading the book of Luke:

  • Before reading
  1. Read or listen for specific details about Jesus ​ — his actions, his words, his attitudes, his emotions, his identity, and more.
  2. Notice how the different characters respond to Jesus.
  • After reading
  1. What is the strongest impression you have of Jesus after reading or hearing this passage? Why
  2. What character made the strongest impression on you? Why?
  3. What's one thing this passage is teaching you about God? About yourself? About how to live as a faithful follower of Jesus?
  • Extras
  1. Are there any words or actions of Jesus that surprise you? Why?
  2. Which conversation or interaction of Jesus do you most relate to? Why?
  3. What is something new you heard or realized about Jesus from this reading?
  4. What character do you most relate to or empathize with? Why?
  5. Do you sense the Spirit speaking to you through this reading? In what way?

Here are more reading and discussion tools:

Helpful Stuff About Luke

Luke was a physician and a companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys. His gospel account is unique in several ways:

  • It focuses heavily on Jesus' interactions with many people who were overlooked or disparaged, including women, tax collectors, Samaritans, and other Gentiles.
  • It groups Jesus' parables into the second half of the book, told while Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem for the final week of his life.
  • It is the only gospel to include some of our most familiar and favorite passages, including the story of the angle visiting Mary and the shepherds visiting the newborn Jesus, the parables of the good Samaritan and the lost son, and the story of Zacchaeus.
  • It is the only gospel account addressed to an individual.
  • It's part one of a two-part report. Part two is Acts, which tells the story of the Holy Spirit's arrival and the establishment of the early church.

These articles provide helpful context and background information on the book and its author:

For a big-picture framework and detailed summary of Luke, check out these two BibleProject videos:

For a more detailed summary of major sections in Luke, check out these BibleProject videos:

Reading & Reflection Practices for Psalms

  • COPY​ the psalm for yourself, paying attention to words and phrases that stand out during this slowed-down process.
  • PRAY​ the Psalm:
  1. Lord, help me to love your Word so much that I think about it often during the day and night. Help me to be like a strong tree, bearing fruit and obeying you as I grow deep roots into your love. Thank you for watching over me and guiding me. (Psalm 1)
  • LIST​ what the psalm says about God, about humanity, about God’s Word, about the world, and more.
  • ASK​ reflection questions based on the text, like this:
  1. How can I love God’s Word the way I should? ​ (Psalm 1)
  2. How can I be like a healthy tree? (Psalm 1)
  3. What kind of fruit should a follower of Jesus display? (Psalm 1)
  • REWRITE​ the Psalm for your life and circumstances
  1. Why am I so discouraged about my friendships? Why am I so sad about things happening with my family? Why do I let these things control how I feel about life and God?
  2. I am going to put my hope in God, knowing that he loves me and cares for me. I am going to praise him again, even when I don't feel like it, because I know he is my Savior and my God! (From Psalm 43)