Summer Devo Leader's Guide

2026 | Gospel of Matthew

Once again in 2026, 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 — those will be shipped directly to camps in attention of each session's Summer Staff Coordinators.

This summer's devo is titled Jesus, the Promised King: Learning the Gospel According to Matthew. It's the fourth in our four-year series of gospel devos, following Jesus, the Savior of the Word: Learning the Gospel According to Luke (2025), 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.

If you want to order extra copies of the devo to use in your local area or personally, you can find them here:

2026 Devo Book on Amazon

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.

2026 Content

❮

The 2026 book has 28 lessons-devos that take readers through the entire gospel of Matthew. 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:

Devo 2026 content​ (Draft – a final version will be linked on April 15.)

You'll find helpful background info on the book of Matthew 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 28 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 28 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.

Some Psalms that people have used in past summers (you'll find Psalm Reading & Reflection Practices below):

  • 1, 8, 19, 23, 43, 63, 93, 98, 121

Some short passages that people have used in past summers:

  • Romans 4:25-5:11
  • Romans 12:1-10
  • 1 Corinthians 13
  • Philippians 2:1-11
  • Colossians 1:15-23, 3:1-17
  • 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 them on cardstock and distribute with the devo book.

  • Matthew 11:28–30
  • John 1:1–5
  • John 15:5
  • Acts 3:19
  • Acts 4:12
  • Romans 5:25–5:2
  • Romans 5:3–5
  • Romans 8:11
  • Romans 12:1–2
  • Galatians 5:22–25
  • Ephesians 2:8–10
  • Ephesians 5:1–2
  • Philippians 2:1–5
  • Colossians 3:1–4
  • 1 Peter 1:13–16
  • 1 John 1:5–7
  • 1 John 2:7–8
  • 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

  • Read or listen for specific details about Jesus ​ — his actions, his words, his attitudes, his emotions, his identity, and more.
  • Notice how the different characters respond to Jesus.

After Reading

  • What is the strongest impression you have of Jesus after reading or hearing this passage? Why
  • What character made the strongest impression on you? Why?
  • What's one thing this passage is teaching you about God? About yourself? About how to live as a faithful follower of Jesus?

Extras

  • Are there any words or actions of Jesus that surprise you? Why?
  • Which conversation or interaction of Jesus do you most relate to? Why?
  • What is something new you heard or realized about Jesus from this reading?
  • What character do you most relate to or empathize with? Why?
  • Do you sense the Spirit speaking to you through this reading? In what way?

More Reading and Discussion Tools

Best Practices

❮

These are collected from Work Crew Bosses and Summer Staff Coordinators:

  • Have students read the next day's passage the night before. They can read on their own, one person in each room could read it out loud before lights out, or your could listen to an audio Bible (check out Street Lights Bible​ which is online and in the app store).
  • Be ready with extra or different questions based on how your group engages and interacts.
  • Don't worry about getting through all the devo book questions. It's more important to spend time talking about passage in meaningful ways than trying to "finish."
  • Talk about that day's scripture passage throughout the day, not just during official small group/large group gatherings.
  • Don't worry about unpacking or diving deep into the entire scripture reading for that day — there isn't time for that.

Reading & Reflection | Psalms

❮

COPY​ the psalm for yourself, paying attention to words and phrases that stand out during this slowed-down process.

PRAY​ the Psalm:

  • 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:

  • How can I love God’s Word the way I should? ​ (Psalm 1)
  • How can I be like a healthy tree? (Psalm 1)
  • What kind of fruit should a follower of Jesus display? (Psalm 1)

REWRITE​ the Psalm for your life and circumstances

  • 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? 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)

Helpful Stuff About Matthew (the book & the person)

Matthew was one of Jesus' disciples. Though he may not have personally written the gospel named after him, it's at least based in part on his eyewitness account of Jesus' life and ministry. His gospel account is unique in several ways:

  • Matthew quotes the Old Testament more than the other gospel. Its goal is to show how Jesus' new covenant completes and fulfills the old covenant.
  • Matthew is organized into five main teaching sections that mimic the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible.
  • Matthew includes several unique parables, including the parable of the weeds, the unforgiving servant, the ten virgins, the talents, and more.
  • Matthew is the only gospel that mentions the Kingdom of Heaven and church.
  • Matthew focuses on Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of David, and the King.
  • Only Matthew and Luke include Jesus' birth stories. Only Matthew tells about an angel visiting Joseph, the visit of the three magi, and the escape to Egypt.
  • Matthew includes several women in Jesus' genealogy, including Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. All were Gentiles (an interesting detail in a gospel written primarily for a Jewish audience). Tamar slept with her father-in-law, Judah. Rahab was a prostitute. Bathsheba was raped by David. These women's stories were not what most people would have highlighted. But they were all part of the story leading to Jesus, some of them became faithful to Yahweh, and Matthew honored them accordingly.

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

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