PREVIEW
The new hymnal provides a daily lectionary, a historic one-year lectionary, and an updated three-year lectionary for the Christian calendar. For every occasion on the calendar the lectionary provides a set of readings, prayers, psalms and other appointments.
This set of days and readings enables us to share the counsel of God with the congregation in a pattern that emphasizes the life of Christ and the teachings of Christ. As an added blessing that pattern ties our worship to the historic Church and current Christian communities, echoing the unity we will enjoy with all Christians in heaven.
Thematic Lectionary
When the Church gathers around Word and sacrament, it does so in the freedom of the gospel. However, for centuries the Church across the world has used the Christian calendar and lectionary to set the rhythm of Christian worship throughout the year. Advent’s preparation leads to a Christmas celebration and Epiphany’s proclamation. After a quiet Lent and a triumphant Easter, the Church in the year’s second half after Pentecost moves to a season of growth in faith.
Thematic Sundays are a chief feature of the new three-year lectionary. All the resources share a common focus. The Gospel sets the theme for the Sunday and largely matches the Gospel selections in other three-year lectionaries. The First Reading replaces some prophetic readings with Old Testament narratives that match the theme of the Gospel. The Second Reading is a selection that supports the Sunday’s Gospel. The Prayer of the Day, Psalm of the Day, Gospel Acclamation, and Hymn of the Day are appointed to match the Sunday theme. The Season After Pentecost has its Propers (readings) assigned by calendar date range, corresponding with other church bodies and enabling easier use of liturgical resources.
-
The lectionary’s new visual organization highlights the day first and the year second.
-
Columnar layout facilitates rapid comparison of year-to-year differences for each festival and day.
Daily Lectionary
One of the chief reasons for publishing a hymnal (in both print and digital formats) is to provide a devotional resource that can be used for many years. The daily lectionary printed in Christian Worship: Hymnal is one such devotional resource. Each day includes both an Old Testament and a New Testament reading. The daily lectionary will take readers through nearly all of the New Testament and one-third of the Old Testament each year.
- Continuous readings within a single Bible book allow readers to review the overall themes of an entire book.
- Readings regularly match the times and seasons of the year: messianic prophecies from Isaiah are read during Advent; the first chapters of Matthew and Luke are read during the Christmas season.