The Lectionary.
A lectionary is a list of readings. As a spiritual discipline, a person may simply open The Bible at the beginning, and start reading. They might read a chapter or more each day. The weakness of this kind of reading is that it is the reading style of our time, the method for reading a novel, or even a text book. It assumes a narrative thread from beginning to end. However, a text book is often not read from cover to cover. It may be designed as a resource with discrete sections to be consulted at appropriate times.
The Bible is even less novel-like. With 39 "books" in the Hebrew Scriptures, and 27 in the Christian Scriptures, there are multiple authors, times, geographic locations, and theological perspectives represented. This considers only the main collection (Canon) of the books common to most Christian traditions. There are also the books not present in the Hebrew Scriptures or "Old Testament" which are often known as the deutero-canonical books. How does one read all this and make sense of it?
Christian groups have traditionally created lists of texts that are considered important to read. They sketch out some of the key planks of that group's tradition, and its understanding of the Christian faith.
One well known modern lectionary is the Revised Common Lectionary, which is used by many churches world wide. It divides the bible over a three year period, based around the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The readings are chosen to reflect the cycle of church year as it progresses from the hope for a Messiah (Advent), through Christmas, and on to Easter. Each week also has a reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Psalms, and from the letters of the New Testament. The Gospel of John is used in each year around the times of the major festivals. There are often readings assigned for special days which do not occur on a Sunday.
Many ministers preach from a lectionary. It provides a discipline which works against the temptation to avoid uncomfortable subjects and concentrate on favourite themes.
A lectionary provides an overview of the Christian tradition. Unfortunately, it also represents a particular theological and historical outlook. Some people point out, for example, that women's stories, often already marginalised in Scripture are further submerged by the RCL . The lectionary is also constructed of short readings, excerpts from the whole, so that some parts of the bible will never be read in public worship under this scheme. It also means that the wider flow of a narrative is interrupted, and perhaps divided in ways never anticipated by the authors. In their own devotions, many people will at least read from the end of the previous week's readings to the end of the designated readings of the current week, in some attempt to overcome this disintegration of the narrative.
Blondie
Blondie wears black tights that are too small, and too thin. She wears a black velour jumper, which is far too short for modesty. Her hair is lacquered down as though she wears an invisible skull cap, but with an unvarying see-through peroxide halo of frizz sculpted around her face.
She never changes her outfit. Her plump figure oscillates between comical, pathetic, and grotesque. Sometimes it gravitates towards amazing; the entire uniform persisted during the 40+ heat wave.
Blondie visits her aged parents twice a week, walking through heat or cold. Her sister arrives occasionally, in her classy BMW, coiffed and clothed to suit. She pulls into the driveway, honks impatiently for mum, and sometimes Blondie, to leave the flat and climb in. They return after an hour or so, and she sits again, as Blondie unloads the grocery shopping, and carries it to the door. Then she drives off.
Some days, with thinly disguised impatience, she leaps out, dumps the bags from the boot into the gutter, and roars off. If Blondie is there, she carries the bags inside for mum, as usual, and leaves much later. Too often, the shiny black tights reveal she wears white knickers.
Who are the faithful people of God? Are they the respectable ones who keep the rules, and say they believe the right things? Or are they those who do what God wants. "You will know them by their fruits," says Jesus in Matthew 7:16. And Paul says in Romans 2
13For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God's sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. 15They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts...
What will your belief do today?
Andrew Prior
Direct Biblical quotations in this page are taken from The New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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