The Lectionary

[doulos_tou_kuriou]

Pretty simple opener for ya'll here:

The Lectionary-does your church use it or not? Do you prefer it or rather it not be used?

 

[D.W.Washburn]

We use the lectionary. I like it. I don't feel a preacher should be slavishly attached to it though.

 

[IowaLutheran]

We use it. I think it is important to use it to avoid hearing sermons based on an individual pastor's agenda. Plus, it exposes the congregation to a wide variety of scripture over the three year period that would be ignored otherwise.

 

[RevCowboy]

Pretty simple opener for ya'll here:

The Lectionary-does your church use it or not? Do you prefer it or rather it not be used?

I prefer preaching from the lectionary. Especially during the season which are story oriented. Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter. It helps to the congregation to live in the rhythm of the Church year. I also couldn't imagine having to come up with a different topic to preach on every week. The Lectionary also forces proper exegesis, to a degree. Instead of finding a text to emphasize the preacher's hobby horse of the week, the good preacher will preach about the point of the text. My best sermons are when I have had to wrestle with a text, at least in my view.

During those endless Sundays after Pentecost might be a good time to put together a Sermons series. But I remember wanting puke and weep at the same time when attending a Pentecostal church on Palm Sunday, when the pastor annouced, "Next week some of you may know will be the Easter long weekend. We will be continuing our sermons series on tithing and stewardship. So come out if you aren't out a the Lake Cabin".

The Lectionary to me a is a beautiful thing. When the texts become familiar and you can remember previous sermons I think is when it almost becomes a family member.

 

[IowaLutheran]

I prefer preaching from the lectionary. Especially during the season which are story oriented. Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter. It helps to the congregation to live in the rhythm of the Church year. I also couldn't imagine having to come up with a different topic to preach on every week. The Lectionary also forces proper exegesis, to a degree. Instead of finding a text to emphasize the preacher's hobby horse of the week, the good preacher will preach about the point of the text. My best sermons are when I have had to wrestle with a text, at least in my view.

During those endless Sundays after Pentecost might be a good time to put together a Sermons series. But I remember wanting puke and weep at the same time when attending a Pentecostal church on Palm Sunday, when the pastor annouced, "Next week some of you may know will be the Easter long weekend. We will be continuing our sermons series on tithing and stewardship. So come out if you aren't out a the Lake Cabin".

The Lectionary to me a is a beautiful thing. When the texts become familiar and you can remember previous sermons I think is when it almost becomes a family member.

Also, I find that it is an important tie to the wider church, including most other mainline churches as well as the Catholic Church. We may not share communion with Catholics, for example, but on most Sundays, we share the Word with them.

 

[Edial]

Pretty simple opener for ya'll here:

The Lectionary-does your church use it or not? Do you prefer it or rather it not be used?

I like lectionaries.

Since I am a Lutheran for only 4 years (came from Baptist background) I liked it.
It does not curb the pastor from choosing preaching material. There is so much reading in one sitting, it is enough for 50 sermons. (Maybe I'm exaggerating) .

It is also easier on pastors. Here is the material - work with it.

It also makes it harder on some pastors to make a personal point against some members.
Some for example use a tithing sermon when funds go down or a rebuke against division when they think a certain family is causing problems.
As I grew spiritually I developed a problem with messages directed at specific issues in church. Some pastors abuse it.

Lectionaries also involve the congregation in the service. Many people that I know take their reading assignments very seriously.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[Korah]

Also, I find that it is an important tie to the wider church, including most other mainline churches as well as the Catholic Church. We may not share communion with Catholics, for example, but on most Sundays, we share the Word with them.

Amen to that! My parish uses the lectionary.
The three year cycle goes back only 30 or 40 years. Roman Catholics and Episcopalians used to have a one-year cycle, as I know from experience. The sermons got recycled every year--not very edifying. Those readings were also very narrowly focused to avoid offending the aristocrat patrons of the church--few readings expressed Jesus's love for the poor. What did Lutherans have before the lectionary? (I joined ELCA in 2004.)
Yes, I would never make a good Baptist--for them it's the same sermon every week, the decision theology of evangelical Protestants. Even with the three-year cycle, I have kept up my practice of always being in the church choir so that I have something to do besides sit and listen.

 

[IowaLutheran]

I like lectionaries.


It does not curb the pastor from choosing preaching material. There is so much reading in one sitting, it is enough for 50 sermons. (Maybe I'm exaggerating) .

You're not exaggerating. In my seminary homiletics class (fancy name for a preaching class) we would prepare a sermon from a text and critique each other. Even though many of us were assigned the same text, the sermons would often be completely different.

 

[IowaLutheran]

Amen to that! My parish uses the lectionary.
The three year cycle goes back only 30 or 40 years. Roman Catholics and Episcopalians used to have a one-year cycle, as I know from experience. The sermons got recycled every year--not very edifying. Those readings were also very narrowly focused to avoid offending the aristocrat patrons of the church--few readings expressed Jesus's love for the poor. What did Lutherans have before the lectionary? (I joined ELCA in 2004.)

I'm not an expert, but I know the old "red hymnal," used by Lutherans from church bodies that later merged to form the ELCA, also had a one-year lectionary.

 

[Edial]

You're not exaggerating. In my seminary homiletics class (fancy name for a preaching class) we would prepare a sermon from a text and critique each other. Even though many of us were assigned the same text, the sermons would often be completely different.

I did not know you are going to seminary. I just looked in your profile.
I knew you are an attorney.
Change of career?

 

[Till]

What did Lutherans have before the lectionary? (I joined ELCA in 2004.)

I cannot answer for the US but the Evangelical Church of Germany follows a six years cycle which I believe used to be a one or three year cycle till a couple of decades ago. I have read about this somewhere but cannot remember where. Also there is a lot of sermons by Luther himself which I believe follow the original one year cycle. I would assume this cycle was similar to the Catholic one. The Catholic Church as well as the Oldcatholic in Germany use a three year cycle.

Actually I do not think that reverends in the ECG are at freedom to use another text than the one "ordained" for every Sunday. Also the SELK, LCMS's sister church, follows a cycle. This year it is identical. Whether that is a coincidence or whether they also follow the six year cycle, I cannot tell.

Like many German christians from the hyperliberal "Bishopess" all the way to the very conservatine ones, I use a booklet with the Daily Texts published by the Moravian Church for daily devotions. This booklet shows the text used for each Sunday's sermon. So when I am in Germany I know what is going to be preached and I like this.

A negative aspect is maybe that pastors can just simply download a sermon from the Internet and read it. Rather than writing one themselves. But then again, maybe that is not so bad in some cases.

 

[Edial]

I cannot answer for the US but the Evangelical Church of Germany follows a six years cycle which I believe used to be a one or three year cycle till a couple of decades ago. I have read about this somewhere but cannot remember where. Also there is a lot of sermons by Luther himself which I believe follow the original one year cycle. I would assume this cycle was similar to the Catholic one. The Catholic Church as well as the Oldcatholic in Germany use a three year cycle.

Actually I do not think that reverends in the ECG are at freedom to use another text than the one "ordained" for every Sunday. Also the SELK, LCMS's sister church, follows a cycle. This year it is identical. Whether that is a coincidence or whether they also follow the six year cycle, I cannot tell.

Like many German christians from the hyperliberal "Bishopess" all the way to the very conservatine ones, I use a booklet with the Daily Texts published by the Moravian Church for daily devotions. This booklet shows the text used for each Sunday's sermon. So when I am in Germany I know what is going to be preached and I like this.

A negative aspect is maybe that pastors can just simply download a sermon from the Internet and read it. Rather than writing one themselves. But then again, maybe that is not so bad in some cases.

6 year cycle? This is interesting.
That would be over 300 readings - OT, Psalms and NT in each reading.

I wonder if the entire Bible would be read from these lectionaries in 6 years.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[Till]

6 year cycle? This is interesting.
That would be over 300 readings - OT, Psalms and NT in each reading.

I wonder if the entire Bible would be read from these lectionaries in 6 years.

Thanks,
Ed

Hold on! That is only for the text for the semon!


EDIT: What I said about it only being for the text for the semon is nonsense. I have investigated a little bit further. There are indeed SIX series of Perikope. This was introduced in 1978. But I have also read that the preachers are not forced to use the text.

For Korah:
If you want to know more about the history check out http://www.ekd.de/liturgische_konferenz/kalender/perikopenordnung.html .

 

[IowaLutheran]

I did not know you are going to seminary. I just looked in your profile.
I knew you are an attorney.
Change of career?

I am a seminarian through the ELCA's TEEM program (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries). If you haven't heard of it, its an abbreviated study program designed for people who want to serve in designated ministries such as inner city, ethnic, or rural ministry. I take classes online, weekends, and in the summer so I have maintained my legal career. As for the future, at least in the near future, my plan is to continue being a lawyer and serve churches who cannot afford to hire a full-time pastor (and thus rely on retired pastors or people like me who have a day job). Eventually - maybe I will go full-time - I'll leave it in God's hands.

 

[Korah]

Hold on! That is only for the text for the sermon!
EDIT: What I said about it only being for the text for the semon is nonsense. I have investigated a little bit further. There are indeed SIX series of Perikope. This was introduced in 1978. But I have also read that the preachers are not forced to use the text.
For Korah:
If you want to know more about the history check out http://www.ekd.de/liturgische_konferenz/kalender/perikopenordnung.html .

Thank you, Till.
Correct me if I got the wrong impression from my 40-years past German, but the link tells one everything in one condensed page. Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran all used (the same?) one-year cycle of readings, which was only Gospel and Epistle. In the 30 years preceding the switch in 1949, a consensus built to expand the readings in the Evangelical Church of Germany to three (six?) year cycles, and to add on an Old Testament reading.
As a result of Vatican II, Roman Catholics led the way in the Liturgical Renewal to develop a three-year cycle (also adding in an Old Testament reading) that was also accepted by the Episcopalians, the Methodists, and some American Lutherans. The German Lutrerans wound up with a six-year cycle that incorporates this three-year cycle that started about three decades ago. (I'm a little unclear about how much of the German six-year cycle was already in place in the 1950s and precisely how much of the more recent three-year cycle is incorporated in the six-year cycle.)
Korah

 

[Korah]

I am a seminarian through the ELCA's TEEM program (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries). If you haven't heard of it, its an abbreviated study program designed for people who want to serve in designated ministries such as inner city, ethnic, or rural ministry. I take classes online, weekends, and in the summer so I have maintained my legal career. As for the future, at least in the near future, my plan is to continue being a lawyer and serve churches who cannot afford to hire a full-time pastor (and thus rely on retired pastors or people like me who have a day job). Eventually - maybe I will go full-time - I'll leave it in God's hands.

Is TEEM a Lutheran adaptation of the Episcopal Church's ECM, Education for Ministry? I took that four-year program 1993-97. It was one night per week in some local parish drawing upon a substantial part of the diocese, usually with eight to fourteen students. It was never advertised as leading to anything, though some of us moved on to Deacon School, a program taking up one's week-ends. The leader of my first-year group went on to seminary and is now a priest(ess). The leader of my second to fourth years also went the same route, determined to be ordained regardless of being a lesbian. The nearby Bishop of El Camino Real (basically San Jose) was liberal enough to do that. I so desperately wanted to make it in that class (because all the mean liberals were trying to block me) that I carried that cross (of a lesbian leader, and there with her partner to boot) for those last three years.
Of course once I graduated I was never called on for anything, because my diocese was too liberal. I held on in ECUSA until they consecrated Vicki Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. I should have left before that, as consecrated re-married men as bishops had already occurred (but I didn't know about it).
At least my ECUSA years led directly into joining ELCA in 2004.

 

[Edial]

I am a seminarian through the ELCA's TEEM program (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries). If you haven't heard of it, its an abbreviated study program designed for people who want to serve in designated ministries such as inner city, ethnic, or rural ministry. I take classes online, weekends, and in the summer so I have maintained my legal career. As for the future, at least in the near future, my plan is to continue being a lawyer and serve churches who cannot afford to hire a full-time pastor (and thus rely on retired pastors or people like me who have a day job). Eventually - maybe I will go full-time - I'll leave it in God's hands.

...

 

[IowaLutheran]

Thanks Ed!

Korah - I am somewhat familiar with ECM because I have many Episcopal friends - I can't speculate too much on whether the ELCA was influenced in this area. Recently, it is my understanding that some Episcopal dioceses are trying to regularize the process of training locally ordained priests (formerly known as "Canon 9" priests), so I believe they are looking at our TEEM program as a model.

 

[Till]

Thank you, Till.
Correct me if I got the wrong impression from my 40-years past German, but the link tells one everything in one condensed page. Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran all used (the same?) one-year cycle of readings, which was only Gospel and Epistle. In the 30 years preceding the switch in 1949, a consensus built to expand the readings in the Evangelical Church of Germany to three (six?) year cycles, and to add on an Old Testament reading.
As a result of Vatican II, Roman Catholics led the way in the Liturgical Renewal to develop a three-year cycle (also adding in an Old Testament reading) that was also accepted by the Episcopalians, the Methodists, and some American Lutherans. The German Lutrerans wound up with a six-year cycle that incorporates this three-year cycle that started about three decades ago. (I'm a little unclear about how much of the German six-year cycle was already in place in the 1950s and precisely how much of the more recent three-year cycle is incorporated in the six-year cycle.)
Korah

Actually, I do not understand it. The things I am reading seem to contradict each other. I have to ask someone. What I have figured is:

There used to be two series (Epikopenreihen; do not know the English word for that). Which date back to the early middle ages. In Serie I the text for the sermon is from the Gospels, in Serie II the text for the sermon is from the Epistles. In 1958 another four series were added. In 1972 series I and II were reformed and in 1978 series III to VI.

But I have also read on one of the web site of the High Church movement that they of course reject those reforms as important sermon texts like those about the Antichrist were taken out.

I have to ask someone who knows this stuff. Just reading web sites is not enough. But the currently used lectionary of the VELKD (= union of the Lutheran churches within the Evangelical Church of Germany. The ECG is not actually one church but a union of churches) definitely contains six serires:

http://www.ekd.de/liturgische_konferenz/publikationen/klassiker.html