Before Preaching From The Lectionary
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series IV
What Is A Lectionary?
What is a lectionary? Who compiled it? How old is it? Why should one use it? The word, lectionary, comes from a Latin word meaning "to read." A lector is a reader. A lectern is the place of reading. A lection is a passage of scripture. A lectionary is a compilation of lections. It is a product of the church for use in public worship and preaching.
The Story Of Lectionaries
A lectionary pre-dates the church. It was used long before Jesus was born. The Hebrews trace their lectionary to Moses (Deuteronomy 31:10-12) and to Ezra (Nehemiah 8). In the synagogues there were weekly readings from the Law and the Prophets. The Babylonian lectionary was covered in one year while the Palestinian lectionary extended for three years.
The ancient Christian church had a lectionary. In the fourth century the Apostolic Constitutions report a lectionary with five Lessons: Law, Prophets, Epistles, Acts and Gospels.
The medieval church continued the use of a lectionary. Charlemagne introduced it through-out Europe. Alcuin revised a lectionary. In 1334 Pope John XXII inserted Trinity Sunday on the First Sunday After Pentecost.
The lectionary had a tough time during the Reformation of the 16th century. Radical reformers discarded the lectionary along with altars, crosses, organs, vestments, and the church year as being "Catholic." Conservative reformers, Luther and Cranmer, kept the lectionary with slight changes . The Council of Trent in 1570 officially adopted a Roman Catholic lectionary used until Vatican II.
The most radical change in 1,500 years was made by Vatican II in 1969. The lectionary was prepared by 30 biblical scholars. This brought several changes to the church year: (1) The pre-Lenten season of Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima Sundays was placed in the Epiphany season, making it a season of eight Sundays plus Transfiguration Sunday. (2) Passion Sunday became the Sixth Sunday In Lent rather than the Fifth. Palm Sunday was joined with Passion Sunday. (3) Easter was changed from a festival to a season so that the Sundays are now named "Sunday Of Easter" rather than "Sunday After Easter." (4) Pentecost was made both a festival and a season. Trinity season was replaced by the Pentecost season. This Roman Catholic lectionary was adopted by Lutherans and Episcopalians with minor changes.
The non-liturgical Protestant churches in 1983 adopted a Common Lectionary. Among these churches are the Presbyterian, United Methodist and the United Church of Christ. The work of preparation was done by the Consultation on Common Texts. It has been in use through 1991. The following year the same Consultation, after six years of study, representing 19 different denominations introduced the Revised Common Lectionary. The lectionary is an ecumenical adaptation of the Vatican II lectionary of 1969. It is anticipated that in the near future the Lutheran and Episcopal churches will also adopt the Revised Common Lectionary.
At the present time, therefore, the church has four lectionaries: Episcopal, Lutheran, Revised Common Lectionary and Roman Catholic. In the following pages of the workbook they will be referred to with the following symbols: C - Revised Common Lectionary, E - Episcopal, L - Lutheran and RC - Roman Catholic.
Nuts and Bolts Of A Lectionary
1. Three lessons or readings.
For each Sunday or festival, the lectionary provides three lessons: lesson 1 , lesson 2 (epistle) and gospel. The first lesson is taken from the Old Testament except for the Easter season. The second lesson comes from the New Testament letters, the book of Acts and Revelation. The gospel, the chief lesson, comes from the synoptic gospels with John interspersed among the three.
Why have three lessons? They give the full message of the Word. The first lesson provides the promise or type of that which is to come. The second lesson gives the ethical and/or theological explanation and application of the gospel. The gospel lesson contains the account of the life, teachings and ministry of Jesus according to the theological interpretation by Matthew, Mark and Luke. For a complete understanding of the Word, all three lessons are essential.
2. Too much reading?
The average length of a lesson is 10 verses. Three lessons with a total of 30 verses would, on the average, amount to a chapter. Does the reading of a chapter take too much time in the worship service? Does it reduce the time for the sermon? To keep the worship service within an hour, isn't there something other than God's Word that could be shortened or eliminated such as parish announcements, greeting of visitors, calling for prayer requests, children's sermonettes and unnecessary comments by the pastor?
3. Types of Readings.
The lessons are given in two basic ways. The one is thematic. The thematic arrangement used in the Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter seasons unites the three lessons by a theme. The other arrangement of readings is in-course or semi in-course. The in-course lessons go through a book of the Bible from beginning to end. This allows Bible book sermons. The semi in-course passages take portions of a book. This permits narrative and biographical sermons dealing with the Patriarchs, Moses, David, Solomon, the Prophets and so forth. This order of readings lends itself to series of sermons. Therefore, in-course and semi in-course readings do not necessarily harmonize with the other lessons.
4. Names of Sundays.
For the Pentecost season the various lectionaries use different names for the Sundays:
Lutheran uses "Sunday After Pentecost," Episcopal and Common use "Proper," and Roman Catholic uses "Ordinary Time."
Why Use a Lectionary
Some churches (Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal-Anglican) have always used a lectionary for the scripture lessons to be read in public worship and for preaching. Many other churches are increasingly adopting the use of a lectionary. Why? What are the purposes and values of using a lectionary? Consider the following:
A lectionary -
1. Provides scripture readings for public worship and preaching.
2. Provides appropriate passages for the Sundays and festivals of the church year.
3. Provides uniformity: the same lessons are heard in all churches using the lectionary on the same day.
4. Provides continuity from one generation to another.
5. Protects a congregation from a pastor's subjective choice of scripture readings.
6. Provides a balance of scriptural truth giving the full orb of the Word.
7. Enables people to read and study in advance the readings for the coming Sunday.
8. Permits the ecumenical preparation of sermon helps and educational literature.
9. Encourages biblical preaching on texts from the lections and long-range planning of sermons.
10. Repeatedly familiarizes the congregation over a period of three years with most of the Bible's content.
What is a lectionary? Who compiled it? How old is it? Why should one use it? The word, lectionary, comes from a Latin word meaning "to read." A lector is a reader. A lectern is the place of reading. A lection is a passage of scripture. A lectionary is a compilation of lections. It is a product of the church for use in public worship and preaching.
The Story Of Lectionaries
A lectionary pre-dates the church. It was used long before Jesus was born. The Hebrews trace their lectionary to Moses (Deuteronomy 31:10-12) and to Ezra (Nehemiah 8). In the synagogues there were weekly readings from the Law and the Prophets. The Babylonian lectionary was covered in one year while the Palestinian lectionary extended for three years.
The ancient Christian church had a lectionary. In the fourth century the Apostolic Constitutions report a lectionary with five Lessons: Law, Prophets, Epistles, Acts and Gospels.
The medieval church continued the use of a lectionary. Charlemagne introduced it through-out Europe. Alcuin revised a lectionary. In 1334 Pope John XXII inserted Trinity Sunday on the First Sunday After Pentecost.
The lectionary had a tough time during the Reformation of the 16th century. Radical reformers discarded the lectionary along with altars, crosses, organs, vestments, and the church year as being "Catholic." Conservative reformers, Luther and Cranmer, kept the lectionary with slight changes . The Council of Trent in 1570 officially adopted a Roman Catholic lectionary used until Vatican II.
The most radical change in 1,500 years was made by Vatican II in 1969. The lectionary was prepared by 30 biblical scholars. This brought several changes to the church year: (1) The pre-Lenten season of Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima Sundays was placed in the Epiphany season, making it a season of eight Sundays plus Transfiguration Sunday. (2) Passion Sunday became the Sixth Sunday In Lent rather than the Fifth. Palm Sunday was joined with Passion Sunday. (3) Easter was changed from a festival to a season so that the Sundays are now named "Sunday Of Easter" rather than "Sunday After Easter." (4) Pentecost was made both a festival and a season. Trinity season was replaced by the Pentecost season. This Roman Catholic lectionary was adopted by Lutherans and Episcopalians with minor changes.
The non-liturgical Protestant churches in 1983 adopted a Common Lectionary. Among these churches are the Presbyterian, United Methodist and the United Church of Christ. The work of preparation was done by the Consultation on Common Texts. It has been in use through 1991. The following year the same Consultation, after six years of study, representing 19 different denominations introduced the Revised Common Lectionary. The lectionary is an ecumenical adaptation of the Vatican II lectionary of 1969. It is anticipated that in the near future the Lutheran and Episcopal churches will also adopt the Revised Common Lectionary.
At the present time, therefore, the church has four lectionaries: Episcopal, Lutheran, Revised Common Lectionary and Roman Catholic. In the following pages of the workbook they will be referred to with the following symbols: C - Revised Common Lectionary, E - Episcopal, L - Lutheran and RC - Roman Catholic.
Nuts and Bolts Of A Lectionary
1. Three lessons or readings.
For each Sunday or festival, the lectionary provides three lessons: lesson 1 , lesson 2 (epistle) and gospel. The first lesson is taken from the Old Testament except for the Easter season. The second lesson comes from the New Testament letters, the book of Acts and Revelation. The gospel, the chief lesson, comes from the synoptic gospels with John interspersed among the three.
Why have three lessons? They give the full message of the Word. The first lesson provides the promise or type of that which is to come. The second lesson gives the ethical and/or theological explanation and application of the gospel. The gospel lesson contains the account of the life, teachings and ministry of Jesus according to the theological interpretation by Matthew, Mark and Luke. For a complete understanding of the Word, all three lessons are essential.
2. Too much reading?
The average length of a lesson is 10 verses. Three lessons with a total of 30 verses would, on the average, amount to a chapter. Does the reading of a chapter take too much time in the worship service? Does it reduce the time for the sermon? To keep the worship service within an hour, isn't there something other than God's Word that could be shortened or eliminated such as parish announcements, greeting of visitors, calling for prayer requests, children's sermonettes and unnecessary comments by the pastor?
3. Types of Readings.
The lessons are given in two basic ways. The one is thematic. The thematic arrangement used in the Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter seasons unites the three lessons by a theme. The other arrangement of readings is in-course or semi in-course. The in-course lessons go through a book of the Bible from beginning to end. This allows Bible book sermons. The semi in-course passages take portions of a book. This permits narrative and biographical sermons dealing with the Patriarchs, Moses, David, Solomon, the Prophets and so forth. This order of readings lends itself to series of sermons. Therefore, in-course and semi in-course readings do not necessarily harmonize with the other lessons.
4. Names of Sundays.
For the Pentecost season the various lectionaries use different names for the Sundays:
Lutheran uses "Sunday After Pentecost," Episcopal and Common use "Proper," and Roman Catholic uses "Ordinary Time."
Why Use a Lectionary
Some churches (Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal-Anglican) have always used a lectionary for the scripture lessons to be read in public worship and for preaching. Many other churches are increasingly adopting the use of a lectionary. Why? What are the purposes and values of using a lectionary? Consider the following:
A lectionary -
1. Provides scripture readings for public worship and preaching.
2. Provides appropriate passages for the Sundays and festivals of the church year.
3. Provides uniformity: the same lessons are heard in all churches using the lectionary on the same day.
4. Provides continuity from one generation to another.
5. Protects a congregation from a pastor's subjective choice of scripture readings.
6. Provides a balance of scriptural truth giving the full orb of the Word.
7. Enables people to read and study in advance the readings for the coming Sunday.
8. Permits the ecumenical preparation of sermon helps and educational literature.
9. Encourages biblical preaching on texts from the lections and long-range planning of sermons.
10. Repeatedly familiarizes the congregation over a period of three years with most of the Bible's content.
