Delving Into Lectionaries: The Intersection of Tradition and Modernity

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Exploring the significance of lectionaries in the context of church readings and services, this narrative reflects on the balance between holding onto tradition and embracing modern interpretations of the Word of God. Through personal reflections and insights, the journey of reconnection with Christianity in the Anglican Church is revealed, emphasizing the importance of scripture in contemporary spiritual practices.

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LECTIONARIES IN OUR CHURCH: THE WORD OF GOD SPOKEN AND PREACHED

BACKGROUND ASSUMPTIONS WHEN WE LOOK AT ANY QUESTION OF OLD VERSUS NEW

MY BACKGROUND GREW UP IN THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA - VERY LIBERAL SPENT TIME OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH ALTOGETHER STUDYING EASTERN RELIGIONS WAS RECONVERTED TO CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF RENOVATING A FARMHOUSE TO BE A RETREAT CENTRE FOR A BUDDHIST SECT BECAME A PRIVATE CHRISTIAN READING THE BIBLE & PRAYING BUT NOT PART OF ANY CHURCH BELIEVE I WAS CALLED BY GOD TO GET BACK INTO THE CHURCH WHICH CHURCH? CHOSE THE ANGLICAN CHURCH BECAUSE OF ITS DEEPER CONNECTION TO TRADITION, ITS INCORPORATION OF REFORMATION PRINCIPLES, ITS BREADTH OF CHURCHMANSHIP, AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MODERN WORLD

Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. Jesus

Old and New Am I holding on to what is old just because it is old and not new? Am I changing to what is new just because it is new and it is not what is old? Can we look at this objectively?

WHAT IS A LECTIONARY? A PATTERN OF READINGS TO BE READ IN THE CHURCH THERE ARE DIFFERENT LECTIONARIES FOR DAILY OFFICES OF MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER FOR SERVICES OF HOLY COMMUNION THE EUCHARISTIC LECTIONARY DURING THE WEEK ON SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAYS A SERIES OF OLD TESTAMENT, PSALM, EPISTLE, AND GOSPEL READINGS

WHY HAVE A LECTIONARY AT ALL? CHOICES MUST BE MADE: THE BIBLE IS A LENGTHY BOOK NEED TOO LONG A CYCLE OR TOO LONG READINGS TO HAVE IT ALL PEOPLE WOULD HEAR THE MOST IMPORTANT PASSAGES RARELY. NOT ALL PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE ARE AS IMPORTANT (E.G. JOHN 1:1-14) AVOID BLINDSPOTS: SO THE PREACHER S BLIND SPOTS DON T BECOME THE BLIND SPOTS OF THE LAITY IT IS BETTER FOR THE CHURCH TO DECIDE (BUT WHO?) GUIDE A WAY OF READING SCRIPTURE: BY THE SELECTION OF A PARTICULAR READING AND BY ITS COMBINATION OF READINGS. (E.G. SPIRITUAL OR ALLEGORICAL READING)

TONIGHT WE ARE SPEAKING ABOUT THE SUNDAY EUCHARISTIC LECTIONARY THE READINGS USED ON SUNDAYS (AND HOLY DAYS) FOR THE HOLY COMMUNION SERVICES

THE TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY WHAT ARE ITS ORIGINS? THE COMES OF ST JEROME FROM THE 5THCENTURY THE COLLECTS MAY BE A LATER ADDITION (GREGORIAN SACRAMENTARY) HOW WIDELY WAS IT USED? IT WAS USED WIDELY IN THE WESTERN CHRISTIAN CHURCH (WESTERN EUROPE) FROM THE 5TH TO 20THCENTURY USE IN THE ANGLICAN TRADITION? REFORMERS (ANGLICAN / LUTHERAN) TOOK IT UP WHOLEHEARTEDLY AT THE REFORMATION MADE VERY MINOR CHANGES LENGTHENING A FEW READINGS, CHANGING A COUPLE COLLECTS USED IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION WORLDWIDE UNTIL THE 1980S WHEN OTHER LITURGICAL CHANGES WERE ALSO BEING INTRODUCED

LOGIC OF THE TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY A ONE YEAR CYCLE 1ST HALF OF CHURCH YEAR ADVENT TO PENTECOST WE GO THROUGH THE TEACHINGS OF THE CREED THE FAITH BY WHICH WE ARE JUSTIFIED 2ND HALF OF CHURCH YEAR TRINITY SEASON WE GO THROUGH THE TEACHINGS OF OUR GROWTH IN CHRIST THE FAITH BY WHICH WE ARE SANCTIFIED

LOGIC OF THE TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY 1ST HALF OF CHURCH YEAR ADVENT TO PENTECOST THE TEACHINGS OF CREED OUR JUSTIFICATION (life, death, resurrection, ascension of Jesus) ADVENT PREPARATION FOR THE BIRTH OF JESUS (THREEFOLD COMING OF CHRIST) CHRISTMAS THE BIRTH OF JESUS (INCARNATION) EPIPHANY PROGRESSIVE REVEALING OF WHO JESUS IS & THAT EPIPHANY IN US PRE-LENT PREPARATION FOR LENT (CREATION & NEW LIFE - GARDEN) LENT PILGRIMAGE TO JERUSALEM THROUGH THE WILDERNESS TO THE CROSS EASTER RESURRECTION OF JESUS ASCENSION JESUS ASCENDED PENTECOST POURING OUT OF THE SPIRIT BIRTH OF THE CHURCH

LOGIC OF THE TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY 2ND HALF OF CHURCH YEAR TRINITY SEASON GROWTH IN CHRIST OUR SANCTIFICATION (breadth, depth, height & length of our growth) TRINITY TO TRINITY 2 INTRODUCTION TO THE SEASON TRINITY 3 - 9 PURGATION THE EXPERIENCE OF SUFFERING TRINITY 10-16 ILLUMINATION BEING INFILLED WITH THE SPIRIT TRINITY 17-23 UNION THINKING, WILLING AND BEING LIKE GOD TRINITY 24+SUNDAY BEFORE ADVENT COMPLETION & LOOKING AHEAD

PURGATION / ILLUMINATION / UNION TRINITY 3 TO 9 - PURGATION EVERY SUNDAY REFERS TO SUFFERING NO OTHER READINGS IN TRINITY SEASON REFER TO SUFFERING TRINITY 10 TO 16 ILLUMINATION REFERENCES TO THE SPIRIT IN THE READINGS T3 TO T9 5 T10 TO T16 23 T17 TO T23 6 TRINITY 17 TO 23 - UNION TWO GOSPELS WITH THE MARRIAGE METAPHOR PERFECTING OF THE IMAGE OF GOD IN THE SOUL; ENTERING INTO GOD S REST; WAITING FOR THE APPEARANCE OF JESUS CHRIST

THE TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY THE COLLECTS COLLECT OR SUMMARIZE THE TEACHING OF THE READINGS COME FROM THE SAME TIME OR A LITTLE LATER (GREGORIAN LECTIONARY) THEY ARE A KEY TO OPENING UP THE TEACHING IN THE READINGS WE LIFT UP BACK TO GOD OUR HOPE FROM THE SCRIPTURES

LOGIC OF THE TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY A UNITY IN THE THEME OF ALL READINGS EPISTLE AN EXAMPLE OF GOSPEL TEACHING OR VICE VERSA THE COLLECT GATHERS UP TEACHING OF BOTH C OF E ADDED OLD TESTAMENT READINGS TO CORRESPOND WITH THE GOSPEL IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN 2000 C OF E ADDED READINGS FOR 2NDAND 3RDSERVICES ON SUNDAY AND SOME MIDWEEK SERVICES IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN 2000

THE TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF SCRIPTURE? DAILY READINGS OF THE REST OF THE BIBLE DURING THE YEAR WHOLE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT EVERY YEAR WHOLE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TWICE EVERY YEAR SUNDAY READINGS FOR MORNING AND EVENING PRAYER KEY OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES ARE WE SERIOUS ABOUT LEARNING THE BIBLE?

WHAT PROMPTED A CHANGE? A DESIRE TO HAVE MORE OF THE BIBLE READ ON SUNDAYS A DESIRE FOR MORE OPTIONS INCLUDING OLD TESTAMENT READINGS WRONG ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE LOGIC OF THE TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH S REVISION FOLLOWING VATICAN II ONCE ROME CHANGED, THERE WAS AN ECUMENICAL DESIRE TO UNITE WITH OTHER CHURCHES IN THEIR READING OF THE BIBLE

EXAMPLE OF MISUNDERSTANDING THE LOGIC OF THE TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY The early Roman system of reckoning the Sundays of [Trinity] season was to group them about certain fixed feasts. Medieval sacramentaries and missals developed other schemes of numeration, some dating the Sundays after Pentecost, and others after Trinity. The result was a dislocation of many of the propers [set readings] originally belonging together. The Prayer Book of 1549 made further alterations, so that there is seldom a unity of theme in the propers for these Sundays. In most cases we have no way of knowing the reason for the selections in the first place, except that the Epistles preserve relics of a course reading. The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary (1950) by Massey Shepherd

THIS IS NOT TRUE. THERE IS GREAT CONTINUITY IN THE TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY WITH THAT FROM 5TH CENTURY THE ANGLICAN REFORMERS MADE VERY MINOR CHANGES EPIPHANY SEASON: THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH (USA) ADDED A GOSPEL AT THE BEGINNING OF EPHIPHANY SEASON IN ITS 1979 REVISION AND SO SHIFTED ALL THE GOSPELS FOR EPIPHANY SEASON ONE AWAY FROM THE APPOINTED EPISTLE READING TRINITY SEASON: IN THE 11THCENTURY THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH ADDED A GOSPEL AT THE BEGINNING OF TRINITY SEASON AND SO SHIFTED ALL THE GOSPELS ONE SUNDAY AWAY FROM THE ORIGINALLY APPOINTED EPISTLE BUT NOT SO IN WESTERN CHURCHES NORTH OF THE ALPS. THAT LECTIONARY REMAINED UNCHANGED IN THE SALISBURY MISSAL (THE SARUM RITE) AND WAS INCORPORATED UNCHANGED INTO THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER AND LUTHERAN CHURCHES AT THE REFORMATION

THE COMMON WORSHIP LECTIONARY SOME MINOR CHANGES HAPPENING AROUND THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION ROMAN CATHOLIC REFORM - ROMAN LECTIONARY 1969 (3 YEAR CYCLE) THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND ALTERNATIVE SERVICES BOOK 1980 TWO YEAR CYCLE TRYOUT BASED ON THEMES DESIRE TO COME CLOSER TO ROMAN CATHOLIC LECTIONARY FOR ECUMENICAL REASONS AS OTHER CHURCHES ADOPTED SOME FORM OF IT 1983 TESTED FOR 9 YEARS REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY 1992 DEVELOPED ECUMENICALLY BASED ON ROMAN COMMON WORSHIP LECTIONARY 2000 (BASED CLOSELY ON THE REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY BUT WITH ANGLICAN CHANGES)

THE COMMON WORSHIP LECTIONARY CHURCH OF ENGLAND CHANGES FROM REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY CHANGE IN THE NAMING OF SEASONS (NOT 9 SUNDAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS) ADDITION OF MORE OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION ADDITION OF GENESIS 1 STORIES 2 SUNDAYS BEFORE LENT (AS IN TRADITIONAL LECTIONARY) PROVISION OF ALTERNATE OLD TESTAMENT READINGS IN EASTER (FROM EASTER VIGIL) INSTEAD OF APPOINTED ACTS READINGS CHANGES TO 1ST PART OF EPIPHANY SEASON TO FEB 2 TO MAINTAIN EPIPHANY FEEL ADDITION OF SOME KEY STORIES AS ALTERNATIVES DIFFERENT NAMING OF SUNDAYS AFTER TRINITY SEASON

LOGIC OF THE COMMON WORSHIP LECTIONARY 1. A THREE YEAR CYCLE 2. READINGS ORDERED AROUND KEY CHURCH SEASONS ADVENT TO PRESENTATION OF CHRIST (FEB 2) ASH WEDNESDAY TO PENTECOST 3. READINGS ORDERED AROUND ORDINARY TIME CONSECUTIVE READING OF THE BIBLE GOSPEL AND EPISTLE ARE NOT CONNECTED OLD TESTAMENT 2 TRACKS PRIEST TO CHOSE EITHER CONSECUTIVE READING OF OLD TESTAMENT CONNECTION OF OT READING TO MATCH WITH GOSPEL

LOGIC OF THE COMMON WORSHIP LECTIONARY 1. THE THREE YEAR CYCLE YEAR A - MATTHEW YEAR B MARK/JOHN YEAR C LUKE IN EACH YEAR JOHN S GOSPEL FIGURES ESPECIALLY ON FEASTS IMMERSES THE HEARERS IN THE WORLD OF THAT WRITER, GIVING A FULLER FLAVOUR OF THEIR STYLE, THEOLOGY, MESSAGE AND AGENDA YOU CAN CHOOSE TWO OR THREE READINGS FOR A SUNDAY

LOGIC OF THE COMMON WORSHIP LECTIONARY 2. READINGS ORDERED AROUND KEY CHURCH SEASONS FOUR SUNDAYS BEFORE ADVENT (CHRIST THE KING) ADVENT CHRISTMAS EPIPHANY (FOUR SUNDAYS) (ORDINARY TIME) LENT - ASH WEDNESDAY TO GOOD FRIDAY EASTER (6 SUNDAYS) PENTECOST (ORDINARY TIME)

LOGIC OF THE COMMON WORSHIP LECTIONARY 3. READINGS ORDERED AROUND ORDINARY TIME (WHAT WAS FORMERLY EPIPHANY AND TRINITY SEASONS) GOSPEL AND EPISTLE ARE SEMI-CONTINUOUS (NO CONNECTION) OLD TESTAMENT (NEVER CONNECTED WITH THE EPISTLE) TRACK 1 SEMI-CONTINUOUS READING (NO CONNECTION WITH EPISTLE/GOSPEL) TRACK 2 TYPOLOGICAL READING (IS CONNECTED WITH THE GOSPEL) OPTIONS FOLLOW ONE TRACK OR THE OTHER IN READING/PREACHING PREACHER CHOSES GOSPEL/EPISTLE/OT CONTINUOUS TRACK & THEN DECIDES ON OTHER READINGS TO MATCH OPT OUT OF THE LECTIONARY ALL TOGETHER

COMPARING THE SEASONS TRADITIONAL WESTERN LECTIONARY COMMON WORSHIP LECTIONARY SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE ADVENT 4 SUNDAYS BEFORE ADVENT ADVENT ADVENT CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS EPIPHANY EPIPHANY (FOUR SUNDAYS TO FEB 2) PRE-LENT (3 SUNDAYS TO PREPARE FOR LENT) ORDINARY TIME (FEB 3 TO LENT) LENT LENT EASTER (5 SUNDAYS) EASTER (6 SUNDAYS) ASCENSION (TEN DAYS) PENTECOST PENTECOST ORDINARY TIME (TRINITY) TRINITY SEASON

ADVANTAGES OF EACH LECTIONARY COMMON WORSHIP LECTIONARY TRADITIONAL WESTERN LECTIONARY A COHERENCE BETWEEN THE READINGS MORE SCRIPTURE IS HEARD ON SUNDAYS QUALITY NOT QUANTITY FOCUS ON DIFFERENT EVANGELISTS DOCTRINALLY ORIENTED & FROM THE EARLY CHURCH (+ A WAY OF READING BIBLE) WIDELY USED IN CHURCH OF ENGLAND ECUMENICALLY USED (CLOSE TO RCL) BETTER FOR REMEMBERING - REINFORCING THE COLLECTS CONNECT TO THE READINGS MANY MORE OPTIONS SERMON SERIES ALWAYS POSSIBLE CONTINUOUS READING FOR OVER HALF THE SIMPLER SYSTEM YEAR AND OPTIONS FOR OLD TESTAMENT FOR HOLY TRINITY UTRECHT FOCUS OF PRIEST S STUDY FOR 24 YEARS 1 SERMON FOR BOTH CONGREGATIONS

DISADVANTAGES OF EACH LECTIONARY COMMON WORSHIP LECTIONARY TRADITIONAL WESTERN LECTIONARY CONTINUOUS READING OPTIONS MAKE OTHER SCRIPTURE UNCONNECTED FEWER READINGS ON SUNDAYS FEW CHURCHES USE THIS LECTIONARY IS MORE SCRIPTURE BETTER? TEACHING IS BASED ON THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS SELECTION (IS THIS A NEGATIVE?) HOW ECUMENICAL IS IT? MANY OPTIONS MEANS IT IS NOT SO ECUMENICAL COLLECTS DON T MATCH READINGS NO CONTINUOUS BIBLE READING MANY PEOPLE DON T COME WEEKLY TO BENEFIT FROM CONTINUOUS READING PEOPLE BORED WITH KNOWN STORIES

CRITIQUE BY A ROMAN CATHOLIC REVISER The choice and the ordering of the readings provided by the Lectionary for Sunday Mass constitute a remarkable treasure and give rich nourishment. Nevertheless, it is necessary in every individual case to ask if the quantity, and sometimes the choice, of the texts offered actually correspond to the ability of the listeners to assimilate them. Too many texts read out, but not understood and not explained, can overwhelm and engender fatigue and disinterest. Joseph Gelineau, Liturgical Song, Liturgical Assembly (Pastoral Press/OCP, 2002)