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.
Pricking our pretensions
In the mall this afternoon there's a young bloke playing guitar. He's carefully dressed in something my limited knowledge can only describe as down market, very grubby, Emo. His somewhat cleaner girlfriend was paying rapt attention to the music. I can't say anything about the music; it was an arcane rhythm that this old man simply did not get! There were words being sung, but they did not appear to relate much to the music. It seems I am very old fashioned and ignorant. Or, maybe not.
At the next bench in the mall, about twenty feet along, a slightly oddball street person was vigorously playing air guitar. He had so captured something of the "alternative" nature of the music, that I first thought he was the source of the music; perhaps a CD player in his green-bag. Then I realized he was enacting an acute parody of the musician. The girlfriend began to glare as people laughed. The young man's serious musician face changed to anger.
As I came back down the mall, I saw a couple of students playing a very snappy trumpet duet. The street person was playing along with them, and all three were having a fine time. At the end of the set, they compared notes, as you do when you're taking a gig.
Odd ball people are really hard to live with, sometimes. But I think we need them. They're good at spotting when the emperor is wearing no clothes.
Andrew Prior
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