Frequently Asked Questions - The Lectionary
What is the Revised Common Lectionary?
Is this the Revised Common Lectionary the same as the "daily" lectionary?
Where can I find daily lectionary on the Internet?
Who compiled the Revised Common Lectionary?
Who uses the Revised Common Lectionary?
Is the Revised Common Lectionary different from the Roman Catholic lectionary?
How is the Revised Common Lectionary structured?
Why do the Propers have different numbering systems?
How do I know which year we are in?
When does the new lectionary year begin?
What are the advantages of using the Revised Common Lectionary in worship planning?
How can the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary be used in worship?
What is the background of the Logo on the Lectionary home page?
Click here to return to the Main FAQ Page.
Generally, a lectionary is a list of scriptural texts (called "lections") recommended for use in worship or study on a particular day. Christian lectionaries are usually built around the Church Year, but they are sometimes centered on the secular calendar (as with programs that guide a person through reading the Bible in a year). Christian lectionaries generally include a reading from the Hebrew Bible, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel reading.
What is the Revised Common Lectionary?
The Revised Common Lectionary is a three-year cycle of weekly lections used to varying degrees by the vast majority of mainline Protestant churches in Canada and the United States. The RCL is built around the seasons of the Church Year, and includes four lections for each Sunday, as well as additional readings for major feast days. During most of the year, the lections are: a reading from the Hebrew Bible, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel reading. During the season of Easter, the Hebrew Bible lection is usually replaced with one from the Acts of the Apostles. The lections from the Hebrew Bible are sometimes chosen from the Apocrypha.
The seasons of the Church Year reflect the life of Christ. Consequently, the gospel lections for each Sunday provide the focus for that day. The other lections for a given day generally have a thematic relationship to the gospel reading for that day, although this is not always the case. In Ordinary Time, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two sets of readings for the lessons from the Hebrew Bible. One set proceeds semicontinuouly, giving the story of the Patriarchs and the Exodus in Year A, the monarchial narratives in Year B, and readings from the Prophets in Year C. In the other set of readings for Ordinary Time (shown in italics on this site) the readings from the Hebrew Bible are thematically related to the gospel lections. Denominations or local churches generally use either the semicontinuous readings or the thematic readings during Ordinary Time. They do not typically move back and forth between the two over the course of a single season.
The gospel readings for each year come from one of the synoptic gospels according to the following pattern:
- Year A - Matthew
- Year B - Mark
- Year C - Luke
Readings from the Gospel of John can be found throughout the RCL.
Is this the Revised Common Lectionary the same as the "daily" lectionary?
The Revised Common Lectionary is a weekly lectionary, although it does have some additional readings for special feast days. There are several daily lectionaries in wide use. One of the most popular is the Daily Office of the Episcopal Church (U.S.A.). The Daily Office is a two-year cycle of daily lections with four readings for each day of the calendar year. Year 1 is used in odd-numbered years, Year 2 is used in even-numbered years.
Where can I find daily lectionary on the Internet?
An excellent online edition of the Daily Office from the Episcopal Church can be found here. Another resource supplied by the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) can be found here.
Who compiled the Revised Common Lectionary?
The Revised Common Lectionary was produced by The Consultation on Common Texts (CCT). At the time the RCL was compliled, the CCT was composed of representatives from the following denominations (taken from Consultation on Common Texts. The Revised Common Lectionary. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992) :
- The Anglican Church of Canada
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
- Christian Reformed Church in North America
- The Episcopal Church
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
- Free Methodist Church in Canada
- International Commission on English in the Liturgy
(an Agency of 26 Roman Catholic National or International Conferences of Bishops) - The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
- Polish National Catholic Church
- Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
- The Presbyterian Church in Canada
- Reformed Church in America
- Roman Catholic Church in the United States
- Roman Catholic Church in Canada
- Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship
- The United Church of Canada
- United Church of Christ
- The United Methodist Church
Who uses the Revised Common Lectionary?
The above denominations follow the RCL to various degrees in their worship. The Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran churches use variant readings on certain feast days. In addition, individual congregations from the free church tradition often adopt the RCL as an ecumenical act of fellowship. The RCL is generally used as a guide rather than as a constraint in most traditions. You can read more about the usage of the RCL at the CCT website here.
Is the Revised Common Lectionary different from the Roman Catholic lectionary?
In places, primarily on feast days that are specific to the Roman Catholic Church and in the Hebrew Bible readings for the season after Pentecost. An excellent website for the Lectionary for Mass (1998 USA) can be found here.
How is the Revised Common Lectionary structured?
The RCL offers a three-year cycle with four readings for every Sunday in the Church Year. These readings are:
- A Lesson from the Hebrew Scriptures (or Acts during the Season of Easter)
- A Psalm
- A Lesson from the Epistles or Acts
- A Lesson from the Gospels
During Ordinary Time, there are two sets of Hebrew Bible readings. One set that progresses semi-contiuously through the Patriarchal/Exodus narratives (Year A), the Monarchial narratives (Year B), and the Prophets (Year C). The other set of Hebrew Bible readings is related thematically to the gospel lections for those dates. Likewise, during Ordinary Time, there are two separate Psalm readings, one that corresponds to the semi-continuous Hebrew Bible lection and one that corresponds to the theme of the gospel lection. On the Vanderbilt Lectionary Site, the thematic Hebrew Bible lection and the thematic Psalm are in italics. The Hebrew Bible lections during the rest of the year are thematically related to the gospel lections, which are in turn connected to the seasons of the Church Year. Additional readings are provided for special feast days.
Why do the Propers have different numbering systems?
The Proper numbers within brackets represent the system used by the Roman Catholic church and The Anglican Church of Canada, based upon the historic Roman lectionary. The Proper numbers without brackets represent the system of numbering used by the rest of the participating church bodies that have adopted the Revised Common Lectionary. The differing numbers do not indicate differing readings, but rather indicate traditional practices.
The Consultation on Common Texts (the interfaith organizational body responsible for the current Revised Common Lectionary) adopted the practice of the Episcopal Church of replacing the "Sundays after Pentecost" with "Propers" keyed to the civil calendar (e.g., instead of the "Ninth Sunday after Pentecost," you now have "Proper 11, to be used on the Sunday between July 17 and 23 inclusive.") [from Alexander Ring, "The Path of Understanding: The Development of Lectionaries and Their Use in the Lutheran Church." Evangelical Lutheran Synod General Pastoral Conference, January 18, 1998 - http://www.blc.edu/comm/gargy/gargy1/AlexRing.gpc.html]
How do I know which year we are in?
One way is to check our Main Page. In addition, the lectionary years listed below begin on the first Sunday of Advent of the Gregorian years listed:
Year A - 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016
Year B - 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017
Year C - 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018
When does the new lectionary year begin?
On the first Sunday of Advent. The first Sunday of Advent is four Sundays prior to the Western feast day of Christmas (December 25).
What are the advantages of using the Revised Common Lectionary in worship planning?
Using the RCL ties worship in a local congregation to the worship of millions of Christians around the world. Drawing from a common set of texts means that Christians will be hearing and reflecting on the same scriptures and themes. Sometimes they are even singing the same hymns.
In addition, building worship around the texts of the RCL also ties local worship to that of the historic Church. Using all four readings develops the discipline of reading and hearing the scriptures that define the Christian faith. It also deepens the congregation's understanding of the Church Year (and consequently the life of Christ) while also helping to set the rhythm for that year. Since the Revised Common Lectionary is drawn from a long succession of older lectionaries, using those reading in worship echoes the earlier practice of the Church.
One final, pragmatic advantage to using the RCL is the wealth of liturgical and homiletic resources that are available around the common texts.
How can the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary be used in worship?
First and foremost all of the texts can be read aloud (although the Psalm is often sung). In addition, hymns, prayers, litanies, and other liturgical elements which reflect the themes and language of the text can be incorporated into the service. When a congregation hears, sings, prays, and listens to the words and images of common scriptures over the course of several years, their connection to those texts is deepened significantly.
When a lesser feast falls on a Sunday, why does the site still list the Revised Common Lectionary readings instead of the readings for that feast day?
In some denominations, if a lesser feast falls on a Sunday, the traditional readings for that day are used instead of the Revised Common Lectionary readings. Since the purpose of this site is to provide an ecumenical resource on the Revised Common Lectionary, only readings and feast days provided by the RCL are used here.
What is the background of the Logo on the Lectionary home page?
The beautiful Logo was scanned from an 18th century Hebrew Bible. The word is "Bereishit," or, "In the beginning," the first word of the Torah. The first letter, Bet, is formed into a border around the rest. It is a clever design, since that letter normally has a dot in the middle to distinguish it from a similar one, and the rest of the word makes up the dot. When our library was developing this home page, we wanted to use an element that underscored the connection between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. "In the beginning,” is also the first phrase of the first verse of the Gospel of John. The continuity of God's presence and the communication of it through "the word" seemed an appropriate element to highlight for the Lectionary. In addition, our library has enjoyed a long connection with the Jewish community and its tradition, exemplified by our outstanding Judaica collection. The use of the Hebrew word accentuates that bond for the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. We also were struck by the artistic beauty of the word form. (Our thanks go to patrons Mike Morris and Joseph Zeff for their insightful assistance.)
The online Revised Common Lectionary is a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, a division of the Heard Library.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.