The Good News • December 2007

The Episcopal Church Makes Switch to the RCL

After a nine year review process, the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) will replace the Lectionary for Sundays found in the Book of Common Prayer. The General Convention of 2006 declared that all Episcopal Churches should consider the RCL the Church's official Sunday lectionary beginning Advent I of 2007. St. John's will begin using the RCL on December 2, Advent I.

The RCL was published in 1992. It is the work of many U.S. American and Canadian denominations. The Episcopal Church believes that use of the RCL will strengthen our Christian unity since the RCL is used widely throughout the Anglican Communion and Protestantism. Other churches currently using the RCL include: Evangelical Lutheran, United Methodist, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian (USA), and the Anglican Churches in Canada, England, South Africa, and Australia, among others. The great benefit of using the RCL is that any given Sunday we will hear the same lessons as millions of Christians world-wide.

The RCL also adds more flexibility in Sunday lesson selection, a greater emphasis on Old Testament narratives, and new opportunities for ecumenical biblical discussion.

If there is a downside to using the RCL, it is for those who, like myself, enjoy the occasional reading from the Apocrypha (Book of Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, Sirach). Unfortunately these readings will no longer be heard during the Sunday Eucharist; unlike Episcopalians, Protestants do not acknowledge the Apocrypha. Fortunately the Episcopal Daily Office Lectionary offers the occasional Apocryphal fix. One more reason to frequent our Wednesday Morning Prayer.

Jeremiah+