Preaching Through The Lectionary

Preaching through a series of given passages goes back to the Jewish tradition and to the tradition of the early church. In Christianity, the readings of the lectionary are ordered by the Christian year.

Definition The word lectionary is based on the Latin word lectus, which means "read." From lectus, English speaking people have derived such words as lectern, a stand behind which one gives a lecture. A lectionary is simply an organized schedule of Scripture readings for use in Sunday worship. The Hebrews organized their readings for worship in this way, and the early Christians, following the Jews' lead, organized Scripture for Sunday readings in a similar manner. The Common Lectionary In modern times, various denominations have developed their own lectionaries. In 1983, however, a Common Lectionary, the product of a number of denominations, was created for trial use, and in 1988 the accepted Common Lectionary was released. The Revised Common Lectionary, the fruit of research and reactions to the original, was completed in 1992 and released in 1993. The structure of the Common Lectionary is very simple: (1) Scripture is organized into a three-year cycle of biblical readings (known as Years A, B, C); and (2) each set of Sunday readings has an Old Testament lesson, an Epistle, a Gospel, and a psalm. Benefits Many Protestant preachers who preach through various themes, develop series of messages, or preach through books of the Bible find lectionary preaching to be of value for the following reasons: First, the lectionary provides an opportunity to present the drama of salvation in keeping with the great festivals and seasons of the church year, namely, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost. The cycle of themes offered by the lectionary has the added benefit of providing a yearly review of the whole of the Christian faith and life, and prevents a narrow focus on a single element of the faith. Second, the lectionary provides opportunities to preach through books of Scripture, especially in the nonfestive seasons of ordinary time. Ordinary time occurs twice in the Christian calendar: first between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday and then between Pentecost and Advent. The lectionary organizes a considerable amount of biblical resources to help the pastor in developing sermon notes and themes for every Sunday. Third, lectionary preaching organizes an effective way for the ministers of music and the arts to plan ahead for worship. Finally, lectionary preaching establishes a sense of unity with the whole church. Consequently, pastors from different traditions within a particular town or area have developed weekly study groups where common preparation for sermons and worship can take place.