A new liturgical calendar with accompanying lectionary (scheme
of Bible readings), Collects and Post Communions for each Sunday and Festival
in the Christian year has been authorized for use since 30 November 1997. The
new lectionary is based on the Revised Common Lectionary, (itself an ecumenical
revision of the Roman Catholic Lectionary for Mass) which is used by many denominations
throughout the English-speaking world. Unlike the ASB lectionary, the new lectionary
is not based on themes. Rather, it provides for the semi-continuous reading
of the Gospels and the Old and New Testaments.
Q. Do the new Calendar, Lectionary and Collects replace the provision in
the ASB?
A. Yes. The BCP provision is unaffected.
Q. How do I use the new lectionary throughout the year when it does not contain
readings for weekdays? And why is there no provision yet for weekdays?
A. The decision was taken at an early stage that the new Weekday Lectionary
should appear later. General Synod has authorized a Weekday Lectionary which
came into effect in Advent 2000. Although it is not included in the main volume
of Common Worship, it can be found in the annual Lectionary
publication. The Daily Office material is currently still being drafted. It
will not be published before mid 2002 at the earliest.
Q. Why are there no themes in the new lectionary?
A. Although, initially, people were appreciative of the freshness of the thematic
approach in the ASB lectionary, over the years two things have emerged. One
is the narrowness of themes, which wear thin with repetition. The other, more
serious, is that Scripture comes to be read to support predetermined themes,
rather than with openness that looks to see what it is saying to the reader,
preacher or listener. The new lectionary also covers a much broader spectrum
of Scripture than the ASB lectionary.
Q. Why is the Revised Common Lectionary not in exactly the same format as
used by other denominations?
A. The Synod made only minor adjustments to the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL).
One reason for these changes was that the RCL provides only one set of Sunday
readings, when Church of England churches often have two or three services each
Sunday, so supplementary lectionaries have been added.
Q. The new lectionary is based on a three-year cycle. Which calendar year
corresponds to which year of the cycle?
A. To tie in with the Revised Common Lectionary, Advent 2001 is Year A and Advent
2002 will be Year B.
Q. Are there sentences to go with the new material?
A. No, and the ASB sentences do not 'fit' with the new lectionary. Proposals
about a different use of sentences will come to Synod later in the process of
liturgical revision. In the meantime, you may wish to choose a sentence from
one of the readings.
Q. What are the advantages of the new calendar and lectionary?
A. Some of them have already been mentioned - the move away from themes, for
example, and the ecumenical progress which this new material represents. Other
points include the change back to Sundays after Trinity with the result that
the Sundays after Trinity have the same names in the BCP and Common Worship
calendars.
Q. How does my parish decide to use the new calendar and lectionary?
A. Under Canon B 3 the decision is to be taken jointly by the minister and the
PCC.
Q. Does the lectionary contain printed-out readings?
A. No. It was decided not to print the lectionary with readings for two reasons. Firstly, choosing a translation would create a "default" translation for the Church. Different churches prefer different translations of the Bible and it would have been a shame to pick one version to the detriment of the others. Secondly, the main volume of Common Worship is made considerably slimmer and easier to handle by not including the readings.
Q. Is anyone publishing a book with printed-out readings?
A. Yes. So far, Oxford University Press have produced such a book and others are expected to follow. Contact Church House Bookshop for more information on such titles.
Q. How do I buy the new Calendar, Lectionary, Collects and Post Communions?
A. Follow this link to find out more.
In recent years, the Advent to Advent set of books has provided
Collects and Bible reading references for specific dates during the year. For
the coming year, that series of books is going to be replaced by the Lectionary.
Q. What is the Lectionary?
A. This will be an annual publication that is specifically dated for every single day of the year. It is intended to replace the Advent to Advent books that were previously produced for this purpose.
Q. How does it differ from the Advent to Advent book?
A. It will have tables giving Bible references for each day of the year, including all weekdays. The weekday lectionary has gone before Synod and is now approved. However, unlike the Advent to Advent books, it will not have the Collects or Post Communions.
Q. Is the Lectionary the new Daily Office book?
A. No. The Daily Office book is not coming out until probably 2004, although there will be an interim edition before then in 2002. The prayers and other material that would feature in a daily office book are still being written. Only the lectionary is included in the annual publication.
Q. Where can we get the Collects and Post Communions?
A. The Standard Edition has some of the Collects and Post Communions. The President's edition has those same ones plus a whole lot more.
Q. Do I need the Lectionary?
A. Only you can decide that. It is the official edition and its layout will match the authorized services. It focuses on Common Worship and won't have the distraction of the readings from the Book of Common Prayer. It has been compiled and checked by members of the Liturgical Commission and has introductory material drawing on official sources.
Q. How do I buy the Lectionary?
A. Follow this link to find out more.
© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000
All of the official Common Worship publications are being published by Church House Publishing.