The first Sunday in Advent always marks the beginning of a new lectionary cycle. This year, the lectionary returns to Year A, the first in the three-year cycle. The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) was developed by a broad ecumenical group (Consultation on Common Texts) in 1992 after ten years of shared participation with the Common Lectionary. The RCL provides an Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel reading for each Sunday and feast day in the year (as well as a related Psalm). The goals of the lectionary are basic:

• To enable congregations to hear a broad range of texts from all areas of scripture in a three-year period.
• To follow the Church year, which is based on the life of Christ.
• To help congregations of various denominations share the reading of scripture together.
• To avoid the danger of ministers preaching on their favorite texts.
• To offer diverse resources to help in sermon preparation.

If you have not been following the RCL, Year A is a great time to start. You can find a table of lectionary readings in the back of the Book of Common Worship (BCW) beginning on page 1035. (The daily lectionary in the BCW does not currently coordinate with the Sunday lectionary, but the Consultation on Common Texts committee is working to develop a new daily lectionary that will coordinate with the Sunday readings.)

For suggestions on the use of the lectionary in worship, see Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching, & the Arts, a journal of worship renewal produced by the Office of Theology and Worship.

For more information, contact David Gambrell, Associate for Worship, Office of Theology and Worship, at (888) 728-7228, ext. 5311.