Saturday, April 5, 2014

What is the Lectionary?

I often mention the "lectionary" here, meaning the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) -- a list of suggested scripture readings to use in corporate worship each Sunday (and other special days) of the year. The RCL provides four readings for each day, from different sections of the Bible: Old Testament (or Acts), Psalms, New Testament epistles (or Revelation), and the Gospels. The main text for the sermon can come from any of those passages, or the preacher can combine several of them.


The RCL was compiled in 1992, although the idea of using an organized reading schedule based on the liturgical calendar is quite old. (In my New Testament class this week we read a sermon by Saint Augustine of Hippo. He mentions that he is coming back to the book of 1 John after taking a few weeks away from it, due to Easter interrupting the cycle of Sunday readings.) Of course there is no rule that a church has to follow the RCL. I have pastor friends who prefer to set up their own passages for preaching so they can create series on various topics. (Your pastor may follow the RCL without you knowing it. Click here to check.)

On most Sundays of the year my churches will use the Lectionary. Here are some reasons why I generally follow it:
  • Many churches use the RCL, so Christians of several denominations hear the same readings. This means that members of my churches can talk about the sermon later in the week with other Methodists, as well as Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Presbyterians.
  • The cycles of the liturgical calendar are meaningful in the way they draw us to Christmas and Easter each year. The readings leading up to and following these major days create a rhythm of remembrance around the events in the life of Christ.
  • There are a lot of helps out there for planning a worship service based on the RCL readings. It makes it much easier to select songs and prayers that fit with the theme for that Sunday. 
  • The readings are usually selected so that they work together. The life of Jesus reflects and fulfills God's revelation through the Old Testament, and the four weekly texts are aligned to show these connections.
  • As a pastor, the RCL places a discipline on me to preach a wide range of topics and passages. I don't just get to use the ones I like or find easy to understand. 


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