What is the “lectionary”?

Do you remember a class having an assigned reading list? The church has one, it’s called the lectionary.

Lectionaries pre-date Christianity. Judaism used lectionaries, or assigned readings from Scripture. These readings do have certain purposes—to help us make sense of Scripture by going through highlights of the Old Testament, the gospels, and the letters.

During the Reformation, many protestant reformers stopped using the lectionary and started preaching through books of the Bible. If you start reading sermons from the Reformation era they are long—because most people don’t realize that John Calvin and Martin Luther were preaching every day—so those sermons were usually preached over a series of days.

When you hear people talking about the church seasons—Advent, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Ordinary Time—the readings will often focus on uniquely redemptive aspects of the life of Jesus. Where’s how this works, in the Old Testament reading, there will be a promise and in the Gospel reading, Jesus will fulfill that promise. Ultimately, the readings are helping us to experience the rhythm of Jesus’ life.

At First Church of Clyattville, we’re returning to the most popular lectionary, the Revised Common Lectionary. The RCL takes us through a three-year cycle. Barbara Brown Taylor said, “The beauty of the lectionary is that it leads us places that we otherwise might not go . . . By leading us to them, the lectionary makes sure we do not read only the parts of the Bible we like and close the covers on all the rest.”

There is also a sense of connection with other churches and Christians. Many of our Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran friends will be reading and studying these verses as well.

If you are interested in seeing what the upcoming reading are, check out lectionarypage.net

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Take 1: Genesis 2 and 3

Do you ever have a conversation then immediately think, "I wish I would've said that?" I feel that way almost every Sunday. So this blog will be a place where I share things that I wish I would have said or things that were cut from the sermon because of timing or flow. *Note: I type out a sermon manuscript and I keep my word count to 1500 words. We call Genesis 3:1-8 the fall, but the word "sin" is not in the biblical text. Certainly this story influences what theologians call "original sin," but we cannot base that concept on this story alone. When I was a kid, I used to think Eden was a paradise and Adam and Eve were lounging about in hammocks and eating grapes. Eden is more like a farm. Adam's role is a servant, to serve and keep the garden. In Genesis 2, we see there's a community of people, animals, and the earth. That sounds like a farm to me. As God comes near to create Adam, this feels like foreshadowing of the Incarnation--when God ...

Take 2: Abraham and Sarah

Do you ever have a conversation then immediately think, "I wish I would've said that?" I feel that way almost every Sunday. So this blog will be a place where I share things that I wish I would have said or things that were cut from the sermon because of timing or flow or word count. In Genesis 12, the focus moves from God and the world to God and the family of Abraham. The promise God makes to Abraham--to give him a family and land--is foundational to the story of Israel. God is going to bless Abraham and his future family so that they will be a blessing to the world. But Sarah is barren. And that's the tension. How are they going to have a baby? They're old. It seems impossible. God likes to confront the impossible. Genesis 15:1-6 is a story with a sense of non-fulfillment. Abraham has been given a promise, but that promise has not happened yet. God goes to Abraham and says, "Don't be afraid. I'm your shield." Rather than praise, Abraham respo...

After Queen Vashti takes a stand and loses her throne. The king’s advisors tell him that he needs to find a new queen. Then the biblical version of The Bachelor takes place. The king sends people out into the kingdom to collect all the beautiful women. Each gets a night with the king and whoever pleases him the best becomes the new queen. Esther is the Jewish woman in this contest. Her cousin Mordecai tells her not to tell anyone she’s Jewish. To make a long story short: Esther pleases the king the most and she becomes the new queen–the new Persian queen who no one knows is Jewish. You know how when you’re reading a novel, the story is mostly about one main character, but there are other characters who have their own story? That’s called a subplot. The subplot here involves Esther’s cousin, Mordecai. He overhears some people plotting against the king. He takes a stand, speaks up, and saves the king. Esther 3:1-11 is a picture of unstable leadership. Things go ...

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