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 off
Related Questions
- Where can I get a list of those passages of the Bible that are not included in the Revised Common Lectionary for Sundays? In other words, what passages of scripture are left out of the Lectionary?
- I have seen alternate Old Testament readings in the Revised Common Lectionary resources of other denominations. Why are these not provided on the PC(USA) website?
- Is there an in-depth discussion of the Revised Common Lectionary that is easily accessible?
