August 18, 2023
Our first lesson today…
Following last week’s reflection on the uniqueness of Matthew’s gospel which is being read throughout this liturgical year, I thought this week I would explore the season of Pentecost and how it is unique in the church year. In particular I wanted to identify how the readings other than the gospel lessons are chosen. To begin with, the church year is divided almost exactly in half, with the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter (which ends Pentecost Sunday) comprising the “Christ cycle.” These seasons begin with the Father’s promise of a Messiah, leading to the birth and ministry of Jesus resulting in the dying, rising, and ascending of Christ, concluded with the giving of the Spirit which “christs” (or christens, anoints) us. The other half of the year is the “Church cycle” which focuses on the Church as the Body of Christ, It begins the first Sunday after Pentecost and ends with the Reign of Christ Sunday, or “Judgment Sunday” in the old Swedish tradition.
The lectionary all Western Christians (Protestants and Catholics) use is similar throughout the year, as the Protestant churches simply adapted the three-year lectionary developed by the Roman Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. The Second Reading and the Gospel are the same for Protestant and Catholics for most of Pentecost. However, the Protestant churches have two alternatives for the First Reading and Psalm. On the one hand, you could follow the Catholic lessons where the first lesson would be thematically connected to the gospel reading each week, On the other hand, there is an alternative of reading through a good portion of the Old Testament “in course” (or in sequence) every three years. In this year, Year A, lessons are chosen in sequence from Genesis through Judges. In years B and C, the lessons are chosen from both the historical and prophetic books each year. So over three years you will have covered almost all of the Old Testament.
We have chosen this latter option, as is evident in our working our way through the stories of Genesis since Pentecost Sunday. Our readings will soon take us to Egypt and the other four books of the Law or Torah (also known as Pentateuch.) We choose this option as it provides some basic biblical instruction on key stories in the Hebrew Scriptures as we hear them in the context of a larger narrative, both in the context of the book from which it is read, and the context of God’s salvation history leading up to Christ.
In all cases, the psalms are chosen as a prayer to respond to the first lesson. Occasionally they are also connected to the Gospel, as is the case of Shepherd’s Sunday, or the Fourth Sunday in Easter, which uses Psalm 23. In every case, the psalm serves as a prayer. This is why we often pray it together with a sung refrain, or respond with an “Amen” if it is read to us.
We gather each Sunday to read and reflect on the Scriptures. And we do so drawing from all of the Old Testament: Law, Prophets, History, and Wisdom. We also read from the entire New Testament: the Gospels, Acts, and Epistles. The Bible is a rich and diverse collection of texts written over centuries and from a variety of contexts. Following this discipline reminds us of the diversity of God’s people and the various experiences they have lived through—all with a common faith that sustained them. We read and preach the scriptures because they remain relevant. As different as our context is from that of the Bible, they still speak to our common faith in our living God. Following the lectionary helps us to do this, and do this well. If you are interested in learning more about the lectionary, this is a good place to start.
~ Pastor Todd