Lectionary Readings

For more than a year, the congregation of which I am part has centered itself with lectionary readings. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, lectionaries consist of passages of scripture (one section from: Psalms, the rest of the Hebrew Bible, the Gospels, and the rest of the New Testament). These ensure that we do not neglect the whole of scripture for the parts that we like best and that we become, as a body of believers, biblically literate.

These have been, for me, a relief and a source of strength. I generally dread listening to preachers, but I never dread the biblical texts, even if they do occasionally frighten me with their demands or clarity. You see, preachers, even some gifted preachers, often blunder into mistakes that make me cringe. This is usually the result of an over developed sense of empathy (that same empathetic sense which causes me to cover my eyes or run from the room at certain scenes of The Office).

I intend to start posting some lectionary texts (in their original or sometimes traditional languages) on this blog. Maybe I'll post some notes or translations too, but I'll try not to get too ambitious.

We are using a variation of the Episcopalian Lectionary order, as far as I can tell, with an added section of what we have been calling "Gospel-in-a-Nutshell" Passages, which tend to concentrate on the theological hinges of scripture.