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December 1, 2015 Lectionary Usage: The Living Word of Scripture

and are just a few celebrations of the And how from childhood you have calendar. Beginning each year at , the cal- known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through endar is divided between: faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is in- Festival Sundays—those Sundays that fall spired by God and is useful for teach- in the seasons of Advent//Epiphany ing, for reproof, for correction, and for and //; and training in righteousness, so that every- Time—(ordinary meaning “the one who belongs to God may be pro- ongoing divine providence around us”) those ficient, equipped for every good work. Sundays that fall between the seasons following —2 Timothy 3:15–17 NRSV Epiphany and Pentecost. The Sundays are num- bered and have the term , as in Ordinary What Is a Lectionary? Time (Proper 4), to facilitate the location of a par- ticular Sunday in resources used We have all heard lectures, maybe given by throughout the Christian world. someone standing behind a lectern. In the old days, a lecture was usually read. In fact, the lec- The turer was called a . And if he (it was usually a Decem “he”) read a passage of scripture, he was reading a ber ber m . Today we often call them lessons. All these ve Ja o nu N a “lect” words have the same root word as lection- r y r e ary; they all are based on the word lectus, b F o e which means “read.” A is a schedule of t lectionary b c r scripture lessons to be read in worship on specific O u

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n day—the Revised Common Lectionary (Nashville: e Abingdon Press, 1992). Based on the Christian Advent calendar, the Revised Common Lectionary is a table The season encompassing the four Sundays of scripture passages prescribed for weekly wor- before Christmas begins with the Sunday fall- ship during a three-year cycle. During the course ing on or nearest November 30. This is a time of that cycle, we remember the events and minis- of preparation and penitence before Jesus’ birth try of the life of Jesus while we hold up our own and/or the Second Coming. lives for analysis. During that cycle, all the other major themes of the are also explored. Christmas Christ’s birth is celebrated during the 12 days How It Works from December 25 through January 5. The Christian calendar is an organized list of Christian religious commemorations that en- Epiphany able us to focus on the birth, ministry, death, and January 6 is Epiphany Day. The length of resurrection of Jesus Christ within the space of a Epiphany varies, depending on the date of Eas- year. Christmas, Easter, Advent, Lent, Pentecost, ter, and ends on Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) before Ash

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Wednesday. The Epiphany theme of “appear- or C, and begins with Advent—not only with the ance” or “manifestation” usually includes the anticipation of Jesus’ birth at Christmas but with story of the wise men, the star, and the flight into the anticipation of the Second Coming—and is Egypt. Another major focus of this season is on regarded as the beginning of the Christian year. the growth, life, and teachings of Jesus. At the end of three years, the cycle repeats. Each of the three years is distinguished by Lent one of the : the book of Matthew in Year Lent begins on (40 days be- A, Mark in Year B, and Luke in Year C. John is dis- fore Easter, not including Sundays) and ends on tributed throughout the three years with a heavy Easter Eve. This is a season of personal reflection emphasis during Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and and inward soul-searching and repentance as we Easter, and in Year B because Mark is a shorter remember Christ’s sacrifice. book. During Ordinary Time, the Hebrew Scrip- Holy Week tures from the Mosaic tradition are read in Year This week includes: A, the Davidic in Year B, and the major Palm/Passion Sunday: Christ’s trium- in Year C, with selections from some phal entry into Jerusalem minor prophets. For example, in Year B the Old (The term Passion Sunday is used when no Testament readings are from the Davidic narra- other Holy Week services will be scheduled. Pas- tive because of Mark’s concern to present Jesus as sion Sunday focuses on all the events of Holy the Son of David. Week, starting with Palm Sunday and ending on It is traditional in Christian worship to have Holy Saturday.) three texts read each Lord’s Day. Most lectionar- Maundy Thursday: remembering the Last ies suggest three lessons: Supper • or Hebrew Scripture Good Friday: remembering Jesus’ suffering • —usually from an , and death Acts, or Revelation Holy Saturday: a day of fasting, reflecting • on Jesus’ rest in the tomb The text from the is often not con- sidered a “lesson.” It was originally intended to Easter follow the Old Testament reading as the congre- The Easter season begins Easter Sunday and gation’s response to that text—praising God in celebrates Christ’s resurrection for 50 days. Easter the words of the ancient prayer book and hymnal Day is always the first Sunday after the first full of God’s people. Psalms are prayers presented in moon falling on or after March 21 (falls between various ways: sung, paraphrased, chanted, and March 21 and April 25). used in other ways as part of the service. While Pentecost the other scriptures are to be heard and obeyed, Pentecost means “50 days” and is 50 days the psalm is itself our response. past Easter, including Sundays. It focuses on the There are two basic methods of scripture coming of the Holy Spirit to the early church. selection. Both are used in the Revised Common Lectionary: Ordinary Time 1. Readings selected according to the day, sea- The time from Pentecost until Advent stress- son, or occasion in the Christian year. es Jesus’ teachings and other major themes of the 2. Continuous or semicontinuous readings, us- scriptures. ing the layout of the books of scripture as Because of the movement of the holidays in the system, producing a reading of passages the calendar, the Christmas and Easter seasons in sequence. The Revised Common Lection- “float” in relation to each other; therefore, the ary has sequential readings, but they are not number of Sundays between them changes. always continuous, sometimes jumping cer- Each year of the cycle is labeled either A, B, tain passages.

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On the Sundays during the Christmas and which the church membership was being led. An Easter seasons, the readings form a set with annual theme was then supported by monthly themes related to the days or seasons. The Gospel themes and weekly themes, used as the basis for text is central with the other readings selected weekly congregational worship. In addition, the to illuminate the meaning of the Gospel pas- church also continued to develop its own special sage. During this time, the Old Testament lesson emphasis days, such as Racial Justice Day, Youth is chosen to inform the New Testament text. An Ministries Day, World Hunger Emphasis, and example of this is the use of Isaiah lessons during Heritage Day. All the hymns, readings, scriptures, Advent. and other resources were chosen for their ability During Ordinary Time, readings are semi- to speak to the theme. continuous with no necessary connection During this time, the church’s involvement among the lessons. This can often produce seem- with the global and ecumenical community in- ingly disparate scriptures to use in one service. creased as did its call for increased competency However, this is to provide the opportunity to from its priesthood. The church began to recog- experience all of the most important passages of nize that it had moved away from scripture-based scripture with the original poetry, history, and preaching. There was a need for its members to theology of the text. It is in the sum of all the be knowledgeable of their own and to be passages, after all, that the fullness of the scrip- able to teach and preach from it. ture message is found. During a three-year pe- Beginning in the late 1970s, the Herald riod, about 95 percent of the New Testament is published weekly themes with suggested scrip- used, as is about 60 percent of the Old Testament tures, hymns, and short worship suggestions. In (Hebrew Scripture). the 1980s and early 1990s, one suggested service Lectionaries have also been devised for dai- per month was also provided. During that time ly use, usually on a two-year cycle with longer the church began to explore increased use of the scriptures for personal meditation. The Lutheran Christian calendar. We were already celebrating Book of Worship and The Episcopal Book of Com- the central Christian festivals of Christmas and mon Prayer use such a structure. The Revised Com- Easter, so we slowly began to incorporate the four mon Lectionary can be adapted for daily use by Sundays of Advent; Maundy Thursday and Good drawing from the other two years for the other Friday of Holy Week; then Epiphany, Pentecost, six days of the week. The Daily Bread blog offers a and Lent. Congregational worship planners and one-year cycle of scripture readings. preachers—often from small congregations— were largely on their own to produce services. Community of Christ Use Beginning in 1995, the church began to pro- of the Lectionary duce Worship and Program Helps, an annual book Community of Christ follows a free-church containing complete service suggestions for each tradition. The style of our worship comes origi- Sunday of the year and sermon helps for each nally from the mixing and sorting of styles from Sunday. With this came the opportunity for the many denominations. In the early church, Joseph church to use the Revised Common Lectionary. Smith Jr. and his followers developed a free-form The book of helps provided an avenue to educate pattern, heavily dependent on scripture-based congregational leaders about the biblical lection- preaching and celebration of the sacraments, but ary, assist worship planners in basing worship not bound by the parameters dictated by more on the lectionary scriptures, educate and assist liturgical denominations. This beginning has al- preachers in exploring the scripture as a basis for lowed our worship to be dynamic over the years, teaching and preaching, and bring us more into following changes in our understanding and the- with other Christian brothers and ology and responding to God’s revelation to us. sisters. The response to the helps was overwhelm- During the last decades of the 1900s, the ingly positive—with one exception. church leadership developed annual themes sup- There wasn’t a prescribed lectionary for our porting the theological or program direction in Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants

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scriptures. Those scriptures were only chosen other worship leaders should be free to respond to fit the theme. There was no organized way of to current issues and open to the leading of the exposing Community of Christ people to those Spirit. They can abandon the texts occasionally scriptures and including them in our worship. for special needs. In 1996, readings from the Book of Mormon Preachers should not go straight for and Doctrine and Covenants were developed to resources such as sermon aids and com- be used in conjunction with the Bible readings mentaries. First, internalize the text and ex- from the Revised Common Lectionary. Those were plore the questions that emerge. No resource can included as part of the lectionary from 1997 to replace prayer and study. We should allow the 2008. text to wash over and through us before we start However, people who developed the service washing it with our own agenda. outlines for the resource rarely included the sug- Use passages in context with their sur- gested Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Cov- rounding scriptures. Don’t be limited to just enants scriptures because they did not often fit the prescribed verses. Explore the context of pas- well with the theme and key Bible scripture. To sages with the congregation. offer scripture selections from these two books Explore the history and interpreta- that are more suited to the theme and service tion of the passages. Make liberal use of com- emphasis, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and mentaries and other resources to research the Covenants passages have been chosen specifical- “story behind the story.” ly for their connection to the Bible scripture and Read a variety of versions for poetic theme. These Book of Mormon and Doctrine and and interpretative differences. Passages Covenants scriptures are listed with the Bible may be modified to use inclusive language; for scriptures at the top of the service outline where example, use “brothers and sisters” where the applicable. text reads “brothers” and “people” where it uses Our denomination still enjoys the variety “men.” and energy of free-form worship but again places Use other scriptures to supplement more of the worship foundation on scripture. and illustrate the primary text. Relate the passages to the lives of How to Use the Lectionary those in the congregation. Bring them into in Worship the present. Don’t make it “legal”—make it inspi- Develop a series of sermons covering rational. The lectionary was developed to en- sequential lessons. For example, the four con- hance worship and understanding, not to inhibit secutive weeks with scriptures from Job would it. Many combinations of scriptures are confus- easily form the basis of a series. ing when viewed together. Look at that as a cre- Extend scripture use beyond the wor- ative challenge to worship planning and sermon ship service. Recommend that individuals, preparation. families, and groups read, study, and pray about Try to connect other important occa- upcoming scripture lessons. Encourage them to sions. There will be significant issues locally, na- prepare ahead and reflect on the past. Members tionally, or globally that can be addressed while of the congregation can meet during the week to using the lectionary. There are important dates study the passages to be used the following Sun- and issues that need to be remembered and cel- day. Even ecumenical groups of clergy can meet ebrated in the life of a denomination, congrega- in the same way to explore together the mean- tion, or individual. Worship Resources attempts ings and possibilities of the scripture. Print the to combine our Community of Christ calendar following Sunday’s readings in the worship bul- days, such as Youth Ministries Day and Heritage letin. Day, with the prescribed lectionary. Use scripture lessons as a basis for Don’t follow the prescribed texts at midweek prayer services. the price of needed ministry. Speakers and Use the lectionary as a guide for

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church school teachers or other teachers The Lectionary. . . and youth leaders to link their classes with …expands our scriptural literacy. With congregational worship and prayer services. an increased emphasis on scripture in our wor- Seasons of the Spirit, The Best of Power & Light for ship, we are encouraged to read, explore, and Kids (and Youth) are based on the lectionary. The study. For a people blessed with three books of disciple formation section of the Community of scripture—more than most Christian denomina- Christ website includes lectionary-based prac- tions—we are a people largely unfamiliar with tices of discipleship, focus moments, and other our canon. Generally, we are not as knowledge- resources. able about the Bible as many of our Christian Use the lessons to inform the struc- sisters and brothers. Churches that use a lection- ture of the service. See how the lessons fit to- ary usually hear more scripture in worship than gether and flow. Use them as integral parts of the those that do not. Our increased use stretches service. The entire service can be built around us, educates us, and influences our formation as scripture lessons. Christians, affecting our understanding and ac- Let lessons inform the parts of the ser- tions that follow worship and send us out to dis- vice in addition to the sermon: the content cipleship. of prayers, affirmations of faith, and hymns. …encourages better preaching and Encourage preparation for reading. worship planning. Not only is preparation for Teach members how to enhance their public preachers, musicians, other worship participants, reading skills. and service planners made easier by knowing the Explore creative ways to use scripture. scriptures in advance, but use of the lectionary They are endless and include such examples as encourages discipline to read, search, and ana- the following: lyze in ways we may have not “needed” to do • Read passages solo, in dialogue, groups, previously. In addition, an abundance of mu- speech , or with the entire congrega- sic, sermon, and worship planning resources are tion. available developed around this system. • Dramatize in different ways such as mono- …spurs us to wrestle with the human logue, mime, clown, reading with move- issues posed in the scriptures. In the past, ment, or skit. our church worked from a system of themes and • Dance—interpretative or nonrepresentation- fit weekly scriptures into that system. We had al movement. Have the congregation partici- the opportunity to use only the scriptures we pate in movement. wanted to acknowledge, the ones that were easy to understand or comfortable for us. We are now • Illustrate with banners or pictures drawn by challenged to work with even the uncomfortable church school classes. scriptures, explain their historic and theological • Use real items to illustrate a passage; for ex- significance, and relate those passages to our own ample, exhibit a real oxen yoke for Matthew lives and the lives of the people in our congrega- 11:30 NRSV, “For my yoke is easy, and my tions. burden is light.” …guides our preparation for wor- • Use the prescribed readings in calls to wor- ship. It enables members of the congregation, ship, responsive readings, prayers, offerto- individually—or as families or study groups— ries, poems, stories, and the sermon text. to study the lessons in advance and participate • Employ different senses where possible. in the sermon as prepared listeners. The people • Use hymns, songs, or praise choruses that in the pews share responsibility for preaching. explore the scripture. When we gather as a congregation of prepared • Have an instrumentalist accompany the worshipers ready to participate in equal part with reading. worship leaders—not just a passive audience—it • Use chalk talk, slides, or other visual art to makes our minds and spirits more receptive to accompany the reading or to represent it. the touch of the Divine.

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…provides the ecumenical commu- through a passage at a time was again preferred. nity an important link for worshiping, Teaching was also emphasized. praying, and working together. Through The past 50 years have seen a reformation in ecumenism we recognize the global nature of Christian worship. Growing dissatisfaction with the church of Jesus Christ. We are not the only the Roman Catholic lectionary and others in use ones following gospel teachings in our pursuit of led to unprecedented calls for renewal. Clergy peace and love; we share many of our struggles and members expressed discontent with the lec- and beliefs with others in . The lec- tionary in several areas. With a calendar that had tionary provides an additional link through the again become complicated, they called for a re- commonality of preaching aids, devotional re- turn to the centrality of the scripture read and sources, and commentaries. It provides unity as proclaimed. They complained of the nonuse of we gather together around the Word. many significant parts of scripture, the haphaz- …calls us to remember and celebrate ard text selections in Ordinary Times, and the weekly the love of God as witnessed by lack of interconnection among lessons on any us through the life, death, and resurrec- given occasion. tion of Jesus Christ. It calls us to remember The (1962–1965), the sacramental moments of that life and death from its search to provide spiritual renewal, each year. update the church, and promote unity with all Christians, produced important developments in The History of the Lectionary the liturgical life of the Roman . The council ruled: The use of a lectionary reaches back to pre- The treasures of the bible are to be opened Christian history. In Jewish tradition, readings up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be from Jewish scripture were used in provided for the faithful at the table of God’s services. Readings of continuous passages were word. In this way a more representative prescribed for special Jewish feasts and ordinary portion of the holy scriptures will be read Sabbaths. The first example of Jesus’ public min- to the people in the course of a prescribed istry may have been his observance of this ritual number of years. in the synagogue described in Luke 4:16–19. — Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, The early Christians, following the pattern , number 51, of synagogue worship, used assigned readings on Vatican Council II, 1964 the Sabbath. By the fourth century, schemes of As a result of the changes called for by the readings from both the Hebrew and Christian council, and in consultation with other Chris- scriptures had formed. tian denominations, a new table of readings for Through the centuries, although the cal- the Roman Catholic Church was compiled. endar itself changed and lectionaries among The Roman Catholic Lectionary for churches did not always agree, this practice con- (1969) was a table of scripture readings for the tinued. Over time, more special days, including Sunday mass. It was well received by the Roman days for many saints, were added. But every few Catholic community and was so instantly popu- centuries—after the addition of special days had lar with many Protestants and Anglicans that five increasingly complicated the continuous reading other denominations soon developed their own of scripture—dates would be winnowed out to three-year cycles based on the Catholic model. restore simplicity. Unfortunately, this produced discrepancies that During the Protestant Reformation in the proved disruptive to the ecumenical communi- 16th century, various religious camps developed ty in its worship and in producing resources for differing views leading to slightly different lec- preaching. The tables needed harmonizing and tionaries, but the worship of the people was again standardization. returned to the more historical basis. Most saints’ As an ecumenical response to revision of days were deleted, and reading the Bible straight the Roman Catholic book, the Common Lection-

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ary was published in 1983 as a proposal by the The Abingdon Creative Preaching Consultation on Common Texts, a committee Annual 2015 originally composed of representatives from 13 Includes weekly sermon ideas and illustrations, churches from Canada and the United States. and monthly private devotionals for preachers. Widely used in the English-speaking world, the Jenee Woodard, ed. Common Lectionary was adopted by many major Abingdon Press, 2014 denominations with a variety of traditions. The Consultation on Common Texts, now including ISBN 9781426780264 paperback representatives of 22 churches or church agen- ISBN 9781426786365 e-book cies in the United States and Canada, tested the schedule through two three-year cycles and in- Awaken: The Art of vited churches to use it and offer suggestions for Imaginative Preaching modification. Several problems became evident: A quarterly periodical in print and CD-ROM for- • The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) les- mat based on the Revised Common Lectionary. sons were often paired with New Testament Logos Productions Inc. ones in an effort to see the Hebrew Scriptures 6160 Carmen Ave. E., Inver Grove Heights, as anticipating the coming of Christ, instead Minnesota 55076, United States of reading them within their own context: 1-800-328-0200, www.logosproductions.com God’s interaction with people of faith. • In terms of remembering women of faith Children’s Sermons for the and highlighting the numerous feminine Revised Common Lectionary images of God in scripture—the role of bibli- The author chooses one of the lectionary scrip- cal women was woefully inadequate in the tures each Sunday and prepares a focus moment schedule. using the five senses. • Insensitivity to cultural and religious context Philip D. Schroeder of scripture—for example, anti-Semitism. Abingdon Press, 1997 • Uneven inclusion of verses—for example, on Year A ISBN 9780687049967 paperback the first Sunday in Lent in Year B, the Old ISBN 9781426738975 e-book Testament lesson was Genesis 9:8–17, which Year B ISBN 9780687018277 paperback contains God’s covenant with Noah and the Year C ISBN 9780687055777 paperback appearance of the rainbow. Missing in this reading or at any other time in Year B was the story about building the ark and the Choosing Contemporary Music: storm. There was closure but no story. Seasonal, Topical, Lectionary Indexes After addressing those concerns, the resul- Compiled by Terri Bocklund McLean and Rob tant and final modified table was the 1992Re - Glover vised Common Lectionary, which is still in wide- Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2000 spread use today. ISBN 9780806638744 paperback Lectionary-based Resources ASIN B003INEK0W Kindle edition e-book

The following books can be purchased or or- Crushed into Glory: Lectionary-Based dered through many Christian bookstores or on- Dramas for Preaching and Teaching line booksellers. When the reference notes “set Lectionary-based dramas tying scripture to con- of three” or lists three ISBNs the resource is avail- temporary life. able for each of the three years of the lectionary cycle. E-books are listed where available. Be sure Joseph J. Juknialis and James Heimerl to designate Year A, B, or C when ordering. This Resource Publications, 1995 year is Year B (2014–15). ISBN 9780893903404 paperback

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Feasting on the Word: Preaching the based on the lectionary (set of three). Each vol- Revised Common Lectionary ume begins and ends at Proper 17 of the cycles David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, eds. listed. Westminster John Knox Press, 2011 United Church Press, 1994, 1995, 1996. Years A, B, C ISBN 9780664237134 Volume 1: Cycle B–C ISBN 9780829809718 (12-volume set) paperback Year B ISBN 9780664260491 (4-volume set) Volume 2: Cycle C–A ISBN 9780829810332 paperback Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year B, Volume 3: Cycle A–B ISBN 9780829810851 Volume 1 hardcover Lectionary readings and prayers. In Touch with the Word Kimberly Bracken Long, ed. Set of four lectionary-based prayer reflections Westminster John Knox Press, 2014 with suggestions for adults, teenagers, and chil- dren for each Sunday in Ordinary Time, plus the Year B, Vol. 1 ISBN 9780664238049 special seasons. hardcover and CD-ROM Lisa-Marie Calderone-Stewart Forbid Them Not—Involving Children Mary’s Press, 2004–2009 in Sunday Worship Cycle A ISBN 9780884898511 paperback Includes sermon illustrations, children’s work- Cycle B ISBN 9780884898535 paperback sheets, and creative ways to involve children in Cycle C ISBN 9780884898559 paperback worship. Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter Carolyn C. Brown ISBN 9780884898573 paperback Abingdon Press, 1992–1994 Year A ISBN 9780687132553 paperback Keeping Holy Time ISBN 9781426730726 e-book Scripture study guide for the Revised Common Year B ISBN 9780687132560 paperback Lectionary with a lesson for each Sunday (set of ISBN 9781426739026 e-book three). Year C ISBN 9780687132652 paperback Douglas E. Wingeier, ed. ISBN 9781426730719 e-book Abingdon Press, 2001–2003 Year A ISBN 9780687098279 paperback Gathering: Resources for Year B ISBN 9780687052349 paperback Worship Planners Year C ISBN 9780687079773 paperback Quarterly magazine containing diverse creative worship resources including readings, prayers, Lectern Resource scripts, hymn texts, and service outlines. Quarterly periodical that contains a collection United Church of Canada of biblically based material supporting weekly 3250 Bloor St. W., Ste. 300 themes. Available in print, CD-ROM, and online. Toronto, Ontario M8X 2Y4 Supports and supplements Resource (see Canada separate entry). (416) 231-7680, ext. 4024 Logos Productions, Inc. [email protected] 6160 Carmen Ave. E. www.ucrdstore.ca/magazines/gathering Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota 55076 United States Imaging the Word: An Arts 1-800-328-0200 and Lectionary Resource www.logosproductions.com Collections of poetry, readings, and visual arts OR

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Wood Lake Books Hoyt L. Hickman and others 9590 Jim Bailey Rd. Abingdon Press, 1992 Kelowna, British Columbia V4V 1R2 ISBN 9780687277605 paperback Canada ISBN 9781426730740 e-book 1-800-663-2775 The Pastor’s Underground Guide to Lectionary Story Bible The Revised Common Lectionary Includes one or two stories from the lectionary for Set of weekly commentaries on all the lection- each Sunday of the church year. The books also ary passages with an emphasis on what might be include a scripture index of the stories included missed in more traditional approaches to the lec- in the collection for non-lectionary settings and tionary (three volumes). uses. This is a companion book to use with Sea- Shelley E. Cochran sons of the Spirit curriculum www.seasonsonline Press, 1995–1997 .ca. For ages 3–8. www.chalicepress.com Ralph Milton Year A ISBN 9780827229464 Wood Lake Books, 2009 Year B ISBN 9780827229471 Order at www.HeraldHouse.org Year C ISBN 9780827229488 Year A ISBN 9781551455471 hardcover Year B ISBN 9781551455648 hardcover Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary Year C ISBN 9781551455761 hardcover Discussion of the scriptures with music and wor- (set of three) ISBN 9781551455778 hardcover ship helps. EPUB editions available.

The Living Pulpit (12-volume series—four for each year) Quarterly online periodical. Articles and stories Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe, and Mar- explore one topic per journal, indexed for use ion Soards with current and upcoming lectionary texts. Abingdon Press, 1992–1994 www.pulpit.org www.abingdonpress.com

The Minister’s Annual Manual for Preaching through the Christian Year: Preaching and Worship Planning A Comprehensive Commentary on the 2014–2015 Lectionary Weekly sermon helps, prayers, children’s time Set of weekly commentaries on all the lectionary ideas, sermons, and other worship resources. passages (three volumes). Logos Productions, Inc., United States Fred B. Craddock, John H. Hayes, Carl R. Holla- 1-800-328-0200 day, and Gene M. Tucker www.logosproductions.com Bloomsbury Publishing: T&T Clark 1992–1994 Wood Lake Books, Canada www.bloomsbury.com 1-800-663-2775 Year A ISBN 9781563380549 www.woodlakebooks.com Year B ISBN 9781563380686 ISBN 9781885361349 paperback with CD-ROM Year C ISBN 9781563381003

The New Handbook of the Christian Prepare! 2014–2015 An Ecumenical Year, 2nd ed. Music and Worship Planner Ecumenical look at the Christian calendar and Published annually. Service-planning resource lectionary with resources for special days. including texts of readings and suggestions for

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vocal solos, anthems, contemporary songs, and Gathered by Love, Year C other keyboard selections. ISBN 9780829810080 paperback David L. Bone and Mary J. Scifres Lavon Bayler Abingdon Press, 2014 United Church Press ISBN 9781426777448 spiral bound 1998, 1996, 1994 ISBN 9781426798474 e-book Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Provoking the Commentary Based on the NRSV (Year A); Provoking the Walter Brueggemann, Charles B. Cousar, and (Year B); and Provoking the Gospel of others Luke (Year C) Westminster John Knox Press, 1993–1995, CD Includes suggestions for preaching using the 2007 Gospels according to the lectionary cycle. Year A ISBN 9780664219277 hardcover Richard W. Swanson Year B ISBN 9780664219703 hardcover The Pilgrim Press Year C ISBN 9780664220006 hardcover 2007, 2005, 2006; each with DVD CD-ROM Years A, B, C ISBN 9780664231934

Pulpit Resource Touch Holiness: Resources for Quarterly periodical. Worship, Updated Logos Productions, Inc., United States Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi, eds. 1-800-328-0200 The Pilgrim Press, rev. ed., 2012 www.logosproductions.com ISBN 9780829819083 paperback Wood Lake Books, Canada 1-800-663-2775 Treasures Old and New: www.woodlakebooks.com Images in the Lectionary Gail Ramshaw Revised Common Lectionary Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2002 Daily Readings ISBN 9780800631895 hardcover Prepared by the Consultation on Common Texts. Includes suggested scripture readings for every Lectionary-based Websites day of the year through the three-year lection- ary cycle. Sermon and Scripture Sites Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2005 PDF file is available atwww.commontexts.org Alive Now Audio Lectio alivenow.upperroom.org/audio-lectio

Sharing the Sunday Scriptures Anglican (Anglican Diocese of with Youth Montreal) Maryann Hakowski montreal.anglican.org/comments Saint Mary’s Press, 2000 The Christian Century Cycle A ISBN 9780884895466 www.christiancentury.org/ministry/reflections Cycle B ISBN 9780884894100 -lectionary Cycle C ISBN 9780884894315 Taught by Love, Year A Online ISBN 9780829812350 paperback Sermon helps, images, etc.—requires an annual Led by Love, Year B fee ISBN 9780829811247 paperback www.homileticsonline.com

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The Living Pulpit Vanderbilt University www.pulpit.org lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu

Seasons of the Spirit Working Preacher (a ministry of —Spirit Sightings the Center for Biblical Preaching at Current examples based on lectionary scripture Luther Seminary) www.seasonsonline.ca/10/65 www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx

The Text This Week Children’s Materials www.textweek.com www.kidsermons.com/books.html The United Methodist Church, (General Board of Discipleship) Music Materials www.gbod.org/worship www.songsforthechurchyear.com Photo by Steve Graffeo Steve by Photo

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