Lectionary

The topic of each Sunday worship is more or less organized by the Liturgical Year. The Liturgical Year is an organization of the calendar that follows the seasons and roughly outlines the life of Christ. Starting with Advent in late fall, the Litugical Seasons include Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecoste, with in-between seasons call Ordinary Time. The Liturgical Year is followed by most Christian denominations.

Each week of the Liturgical Year has a list of recommended scripture readings, called the Lectionary, that correspond to the LIturgical Year. The Disciples follow the Revised Common Lectionary, which is an order of readings that repeat over a three-year cycle (years A, B, and C). The years begin in Advent running as follows: Year A (November 2016 - November 2017), Year B (November 2017 - November 2018), and Year C (November 2018 - November 2019). The readings include passages from the Old Testament and from the New Testament, where there is usually one from the Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John).

At FCC, we generally select our readings from the Lectionary and use them as the topics that tie together the hymn selection, prayers, children's sermon, and the pastor's message. However, we may select different readings and talk on different topics, if there are issues worth discussing during particular weeks. Our readings come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, which is an accurate and accessible version for English speakers. The week's readings are published each week in the FCC newsletter, and members can read and study the readings in advance of Sunday's worship.