Rethinking the Lectionary: Reflection After a Year of Use

 

Today I am commenting on my experience over the past year with following a lectionary.

A year ago, I took on the task of using the Revised Standard Lectionary to create a year’s worth of devotions and messages. My thesis was that the lectionary was an over-looked resource for Evangelical ministers.  I wanted to test that theory and I am glad that I did. It produced some interesting results!

Lots of Options:

First, the lectionary offers a surprising number of Biblical passages which span the entire canon of Scripture. For each Sunday of the year, and for special holidays and holy days as well, the lectionary designates passages from at least one Psalm, one other Old Testament Passage, one Epistle, and one Gospel. On some days, the lectionary offers more than one passage in each category. Thus, the lectionary provides a cornucopia of Scriptures for worship, equal to well over two-hundred selections each year and over six-hundred passages across the three years of the lectionary.

Baptists consider themselves “people of the Book,” but few Baptist churches include more than one Bible reading on Sunday worship services, and that is one usually read by the pastor as a prelude to the sermon. In contrast to that, main line Protestant and Catholic churches will almost always feature the reading of multiple Bible passages, including several presented by lay readers. This exposes those who regularly attend worship a large variety of Scripture passages. I believe this is commendable and a practice Evangelicals should seriously consider.

The Whole Counsel of the Word of God:

Second, I was surprised how many times that the lectionary included a Scripture passage on which I had already preached a sermon. For example, over several weeks the lectionary included passages from Romans that closely matched a series of sermons I had preached on that book several years ago. And that is just one example. This same thing occurred on several occasions, and I think this points to a couple of points to consider.

After some reflection, I think the great advantage offered by the lectionary is that it helps prevent a minister developing a limited canon. While the lectionary includes many well-known and oft-preached passages of Scripture, it also includes a broad selection of lesser-known and even arcane passages as well. This would not prevent a minister from focusing on a favorite passage for that week’s sermon, but at least the lectionary reminds all who may reference it that the Bible includes a broad variety of passages and all of them, let me say that again, all of them, are God’s Inspired Word to us.

Another point to ponder is that the lectionary seems solid theologically sound. Just because it is used by main-line denominations whose doctrine differs in several respects from Evangelicals in general, and Baptists in particular, that does not make it deficient or defective. After all, ministers of all persuasions are free to exegete and exposit these passages of Scripture as led by the Holy Spirit. In that way, the selection of Scriptures for each week is pragmatic more than anything else, which leads me to my last finding.

Free Church and Free Choice (Led by the Spirit, that is):

Finally, while the lectionary is a great resource, I am glad that I am not mandated by my denomination to use it exclusively for worship. On a number of occasions I decided to use a different passage which covered the same subject as the one designated by the lectionary, or I added verses to the message which came before or after the passage in the lectionary. To paraphrase what Jesus said about the sabbath, if we take the attitude that the lectionary was made for the preacher, and the the preacher was not made for the lectionary, I think we will find the right balance.

As an example of what I mean, when we served in England, I was once invited to preach at a joint community service. I reviewed the three passages of Scripture which were scheduled to be read on that occasion. I felt led to preach from the Epistle, which was from one of Paul’s letters and I asked the committee which was organizing the service if we could read this passage last, since I would preach immediately following the reading of the three passages and I wanted the Epistle read just before I preached which was, of course, the practice I was familiar with. The committee agreed, but I later discovered that I had caused something of a controversy, because the Church of England and the Catholic Church always read the Gospel selection last regardless of the passage which is preached upon. Apparently, several members of the clergy who in attendance were scandalized, although lay people of all denominations didn’t seem to notice at all. Knowing what I know now I would not have asked for such a change but coming from what the British call a “free church” tradition I am more flexible in my approach to worship planning. It would be easier for me to adapt to their needs than vice versa.

Conclusions:

In short, I have found the lectionary to be a good servant, but I would never want it to be my master, and in fact this is my conclusion about my experience with the lectionary. I can see value using the lectionary in several different ways in a Baptist church.

First, I think the lectionary would be a good tool for planning Sunday evening sermons or Wednesday devotions. It can be hard to develop a sermon series for both Sunday morning and Sunday evening and a series of Bible studies for Wednesday prayer meeting. A pastor could use the lectionary for one of those services, which would make selection of a passage somewhat easier, even though the work of exegeting the passage and writing a sermon would still be necessary.

Second, a place where the lectionary could be especially useful is during holidays and holy days. I have known the struggle that many pastors have faced of preaching during the Christmas and Easter seasons and the struggle to find passages that have not been plowed over many times. Each week during these seasons the lectionary will present a number of options for sermons which may not otherwise come to mind. This can be very handy.

Finally, as I mentioned above, using the lectionary can prevent a pastor developing a restricted canon. God’s people need to be exposed to the Whole Counsel of God, and not just a pastor’s favorite books of the Bible or what selection of passages may be fashionable at the time. The lectionary is a great tool for this purpose.

Am I glad I explored the lectionary? Yes, yes, I am. It has been an enriching and reward experience!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt