Note From the Pastor

Dear Friends,

        In a recent sermon I mentioned about being a ‘lectionary’ preacher and later someone asked me about it as they were not familiar with the term. It is an all-too-common thing for preachers to use terms that others might not be familiar with. It is something that all of us in the church need to be aware of so that we don’t confuse people who might be new to the church or to our particular brand of church. Any Episcopalian worth their salt knows where the ‘undercroft’ is located in the church building. I know the word, but I would still need directions.

        The lectionary is a list of readings (lections) for use in the church. Specifically, they are Bible readings with a reading from the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament), the Psalms, the Epistles (letters of the New Testament), and the Gospels. There have been lectionaries around for a long time but in the past, they were made by each denomination. Beginning in 1974 we started having shared lectionaries so that across denominational lines we would be reading the same scriptures each Sunday.                          

   The readings are a guide and are not required to be followed in most protestant churches. They help the preacher and worship leaders plan worship based on a common set of Bible readings. This also makes it easier for people to provide various worship helps based on these readings. It allows people to be able to read the lessons that are coming up before the Sunday where they are used. When people from different mainline churches talk about what happened in church on a given Sunday, it means that it is likely they have heard the same lessons read.

When you hear words or phrases used that you are unsure about, please be sure to ask. Oh, and by the way, O.S.L. after my name indicates that I am a member of the Order of Saint Luke.

Yours in Christ,

George+Reed, O.S.L.