Revised Common Lectionary

Definition and Meaning

A lectionary (Korean seongseo jeonggwa, literally "lessons appointed from Scripture") is a table that assigns in advance, by date, the texts to be read in worship. The Revised Common Lectionary is a revised edition of a common table of readings produced jointly by several North American denominations. It is commonly abbreviated RCL.

The lectionary is arranged in a three-year cycle that follows the church year. Each year begins on the First Sunday of Advent, and the principal Gospel changes from year to year:

• Year A: Matthew
• Year B: Mark
• Year C: Luke

John is not given a year of its own; instead, it is read during the seasons of Christmas, Lent, and Easter, as well as on some Sundays in Year B. Each Sunday is normally assigned four readings: one from the Old Testament (from Acts during the Easter season), one from the Psalms, one from the Epistles, and one from the Gospels. For the Sundays after Pentecost, two tracks of Old Testament readings are offered: one reads through the Old Testament in sequence, while the other provides a passage that corresponds thematically to the Gospel reading for the day.

For example, the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6 is divided over several Sundays after the Epiphany in Year C.

Biblical and Historical Background

The practice of reading appointed texts in sequence is generally understood to derive from the reading of the Law and the Prophets in the Jewish synagogue and from the public reading of Scripture in the early church.

The immediate basis of the modern lectionary is the three-year Order of Readings for Mass published by the Roman Catholic Church in 1969 following the Second Vatican Council. Drawing on it, North American Protestant denominations produced the Common Lectionary in 1983. The Consultation on Common Texts, an interdenominational body, then published a revised edition in 1992. Because it has led different denominations to read the same texts on the same Sunday, the lectionary is sometimes regarded as one of the fruits of the ecumenical movement.

Use in the Korean Church

In Korea, the lectionary is used mainly by denominations that place particular emphasis on the church year. It reportedly appears in the worship resources and church-year calendars of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, and the Korean Methodist Church, among others. Churches with a strong liturgical tradition (that is, a tradition of set forms of worship), such as the Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea, generally follow the lectionary in determining the readings for worship.

By contrast, many Korean churches do not use a lectionary. Instead, the senior pastor chooses the texts himself or offers expository preaching that works through a single book of the Bible in sequence. This tendency is especially pronounced in other Presbyterian denominations, such as the Hapdong and Kosin branches of the Presbyterian Church in Korea, as well as in Baptist and Pentecostal churches.

There are two perspectives on this question. Those who use the lectionary point to its advantages: it allows the whole of Scripture to be read in a balanced way, and it keeps preachers from gravitating toward their favorite passages. Those who do not use it hold that choosing texts suited to the circumstances of the congregation, and preaching continuously through individual books of the Bible, is more beneficial.