What Is the Revised Common Lectionary and Why Should I Care?
I just finished preparing the weekly Worship Outlines from January 2026 to January 2027. I take a week to prepare the scriptures, the sermon titles, and themes. Preparing worship outlines for the year allows the music staff to prepare their weekly programs in advance, so the music follows the theme of the liturgical week and season. The Worship Outlines lay out the annual process for planning the liturgical year. From the “Baptism of our Lord” on the second Sunday in January through Christmas Eve, we focus on the themes that bring each season alive. Worship Outlines also help with planning everything from Vacation Bible School to Stewardship.
For the past 39 years, I have used lectionary scripture in my worship outlines. I’ve preached each week since my last year of Seminary. When I started preaching regularly, I made a three-year commitment to the Lectionary, so I was sure to preach through the Bible. Previously, my pastors, or the pastors I worked with, got caught in ruts, preaching on similar themes throughout their ministry. Thirty-nine years later, I am still following my initial commitment. But why?
The Revised Common Lectionary is organized into a three-year cycle of Bible readings. Each week, the lectionary offers an Old Testament Lesson, an additional Psalm, a Gospel lesson, and another New Testament passage. Over three years, the lectionary goes through the entire Bible. Over the three years, not every chapter and verse is included, but it intentionally helps the reader experience the breadth of sacred Scripture. In different three-year lectionaries, over the years, some of the scriptures change to offer more variety. The Revised Common Lectionary forces me to address the challenging Scripture passages that would be easy to avoid or forget otherwise.
The Revised Common Lectionary is revised every three years by representatives from 20+ different Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant denominations. These denominational leaders and scholars understand the value of the Revised Common Lectionary. The lectionary also possesses a spiritual quality I value. Rather than choosing the Biblical direction on Sunday mornings, I prayerfully trust God’s Spirit to guide our weekly interaction with God’s Word. Through the decades, I’ve been regularly surprised and humbled by how the Scriptures from the lectionary speak to specific circumstances in my life, the congregation’s life, and in the world at large.
The Revised Common Lectionary can be a spiritual tool in your life. Along with the Sunday Lectionary readings for worship, there is also a daily version of the Revised Common Lectionary. You can Google it and follow its readings, covering even more of the Scripture over the three years. I find, especially for spiritual reading, using the lectionary is more beneficial than reading the Bible cover-to-cover. The lectionary scholars try to use the different Biblical passages thematically. Your daily reflections can experience those same themes in your reading and prayer. May God bless your lectionary reading with the Spirit’s touch upon your heart and mind!