Readings in Worship.
The Bible readings as well as the words used for the Lord's Prayer, Creeds, and Gloria are the same in many churches and denominations around the world. These agreed upon wordings in worship are called the "liturgy" and the agreed Biblical readings are called a "Lectionary".
This Lectionary used at Grace and most congregations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is the "Revised Common Lectionary" developed by the Consultation on Common Texts which is based on the Roman Catholic International Commission on English in the Liturgy:
Background on this Lectionary can be found on
The Lectionary follows a three-year rotation with "Year A" focusing on the Gospel of Matthew, "Year B" on Gospel of Mark, "Year C" on Gospel of Luke, and every year uses the Gospel of John in the season of Lent & Easter. For much of the year, the Old Testament lesson is closely related to the Gospel reading. However, from the first Sunday after Trinity Sunday to the end of the church year, two provisions have been made: a continuation of the close relationship to the Gospel reading or a semi-continuous pattern of Old Testament readings:
Year A 2016/2017, 2019/2020, 2022/2023
Year A focuses on the Gospel of Matthew. The semi-continuous Old Testament readings focus on major Genesis narratives, the covenant with Moses, and the establishment of Israel in the Promised Land. The second, New Testament, readings are from Romans, Philippians and 1 Thessalonians.
Year B 2017/2018, 2020/2021
Year B focuses on the Gospel of Mark with more selections from the Gospel of John than any other year. The semi-continuous readings from the Old Testament focus on the covenant of David and Wisdom literature. The second, New Testament, readings are from 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, James and Hebrews.
Year C 2018/2019, 2021/2022
Year C focuses on the Gospel of Luke. The semi-continuous Old Testament readings are of prophetic proclamation chosen in chronological order and highlighting Jeremiah. The second, New Testament, readings are chosen mainly from Galatians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy and 2 Thessalonians.
This Lectionary used at Grace and most congregations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is the "Revised Common Lectionary" developed by the Consultation on Common Texts which is based on the Roman Catholic International Commission on English in the Liturgy:
Background on this Lectionary can be found on
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America website,
- Consultation on Common Texts
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - the Scriptures used in worship
The Lectionary follows a three-year rotation with "Year A" focusing on the Gospel of Matthew, "Year B" on Gospel of Mark, "Year C" on Gospel of Luke, and every year uses the Gospel of John in the season of Lent & Easter. For much of the year, the Old Testament lesson is closely related to the Gospel reading. However, from the first Sunday after Trinity Sunday to the end of the church year, two provisions have been made: a continuation of the close relationship to the Gospel reading or a semi-continuous pattern of Old Testament readings:
Year A 2016/2017, 2019/2020, 2022/2023
Year A focuses on the Gospel of Matthew. The semi-continuous Old Testament readings focus on major Genesis narratives, the covenant with Moses, and the establishment of Israel in the Promised Land. The second, New Testament, readings are from Romans, Philippians and 1 Thessalonians.
Year B 2017/2018, 2020/2021
Year B focuses on the Gospel of Mark with more selections from the Gospel of John than any other year. The semi-continuous readings from the Old Testament focus on the covenant of David and Wisdom literature. The second, New Testament, readings are from 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, James and Hebrews.
Year C 2018/2019, 2021/2022
Year C focuses on the Gospel of Luke. The semi-continuous Old Testament readings are of prophetic proclamation chosen in chronological order and highlighting Jeremiah. The second, New Testament, readings are chosen mainly from Galatians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy and 2 Thessalonians.