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How Does The Lectionary Work?

This is not a totally 'duh' question honest.

I am going to start working loosely with the lectionary (RCL) at the start of February but have not bought a copy of Roots or Light, so I don't actually know which weeks are 'missed out' when Easter comes early.  Do I skip over early or late Epiphany Sundays or do I make a random selection?!  I'm sure there's a nice set of rule somewhere, but I don't know where - so can someone tell me?  And, for more interest, who decided what the rules are and how?

Comments

  • I'm not totally au fait with these things and get terribly confused about the difference between Ordinary and Proper Sundays, but I think 3 Feb is Transfiguration Sunday (Ex 24:12-18; Psalm 2 or 99; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9).
    We then have Lent, Easter through to Trinity Sunday.
    1st June is then Proper 4/Ordinary 9 (or 2nd Sunday after Pentecost).

    Although I am not a regular Lectionary user, I find this site helpful. http://www.textweek.com/

    Posted by: Andy P

  • Thanks Andy, I'm glad it isn't just me who finds it confusing.

    I did find something online that said 'Ordinary' related to 'ordinal' as in counting - presumably the gaps between certain festivals. I haven't found any explanation 'Proper' but presumably it doesn't mean 'done correctly'!

    I'm still not clear how one decides which of the 'spare' Sundays get skipped when Easter is early - or late - from those either side of Lent/Trinity, or what the significance is in terms of which passages get missed or repeated.

    In the end, I'm doing 'mountain tops' for transfiguration Sunday, 'temptation, sin and forgiveness' for Lent 1 and 'seeking understanding and help' (with Psalm 121, John 3 and good old Nicodemus) for Lent 2. Then I get a weekend away! Should be fun.

    Posted by: Catriona

  • I don't know how it decided what is included or moyed - and sometimes it seems very strange - but this site http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary/ will give you the correct readings for the correct dates

    Posted by: Craig

  • Hi

    If you want the readings in a diary form you can down load a zip file and put it straight into Outlook - it includes everyday not just sundays.
    http://www.fathersimon.org.uk/calendar/index.html#download

    or http://www.fathersimon.org.uk/

    Hope that helps - it does save working it out.

    Richard

    Posted by: richard

The comments are closed.