‘Righteous Judgment’ and Biblical Preaching

When Lewis Briner, soon to be the pastor of First church, Kalamaoo, Mich., studied the very new and revolutionary lectionary of Vatican II, he recognized there an answer to the spiritual needs of Presbyterians and an instrument of discipline for pastors. At that time topical preaching was practiced by most “mainline” pastors. In one survey, a pastor confessed that he had used fewer than 75 passages from the Bible in five years of preaching, though his “topics” had been significantly more numerous!

Briner said that the Roman lectionary was “remarkably in harmony with the teachings of the Reformation” as well as with the patterns of church life in 20th century America. Let us consider this second concern first.

Patterns of church life

In the earliest days of the church, as well as in 16th–18th-century America, the pattern of church life was “going to church” three times a week or more: Sunday morning, Sunday evening and at least one additional evening each week. The sermons that are often cited as examples of “in course” preaching were often series presented on a church occasion other than Sunday morning worship. In fact, if one thinks about it, 82 sermons on Isaiah on 82 consecutive weeks on Sunday morning, in our time, would indicate a serious neglect of the Gospels and of other New Testament texts. But when Christians also worshiped and studied on Sunday evening or Thursday evening, this neglect would be remedied because sermons on Sunday morning would probably have been on a Gospel or Epistle passage. And a related Old Testament passage would probably have been used to support the New Testament.

During the 20th century, when the norm of church attendance was quite generally being reduced to once a week, such a diet of Scripture would certainly lead to spiritual malnutrition. The condition is even more serious in 21st-century America. The pattern of church life in most of our congregations is but one hour a week on Sunday morning.

Theological Insights from the Reformation

But Briner’s greatest enthusiasm was for what he considered was “remarkably in harmony with the teachings of the Reformation.” What was so attractive about the new lectionary was that it takes seriously the lectio continua principle, combining it with a Christologically centered lectio selecta. There are “selected” passages for a bit less than half the year (the Advent-Epiphany cycle and the Ash Wednesday-Paschal-Pentecost cycle), but for more than half the year, “continual, in course” readings are suggested.

The Revised Common Lectionary

Note that in the introduction to the Lectionary (p. 1034, Book of Common Worship ) suggests that one need not be confined to the exact verses suggested in the lectionary. In fact it suggests that the verses mentioned are the key verses, and that more verses may (must?) be read to give context. It even suggests that one could substitute other books of the Bible during that half of the church year.

But, it also suggests that the use of the indicated readings will provide coverage of the whole Bible in a nine-year period. Just look at this! The lectionary suggests continual (or semi-continual) readings of Romans (23 Sundays in year A to cover the 16 chapters!), Galatians (seven Sundays in year C), Ephesians (eight Sundays in year B), 1 Thessalonians (five Sundays in year A), 2 Thessalonians (three Sundays in year C), 2 Timothy (four Sundays in year C) and so on. Some books are broken up: e.g., 1 Corinthians 1-5 (five Sundays in year A), chs. 6-11 (five Sundays in year B) and chs. 12-16 (seven Sundays in year C). In almost every case, the result is about a full chapter, sometimes less, sometimes more, per Sunday, just as both Calvin and the Westminster Directory suggested.

If one preached on only one of the three passages suggested by the lectionary each Sunday, in nine years a congregation would become familiar with all four gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the majority of the epistles (only 2 and 3 John and Jude are missing) and a significant portion of the Old Testament. And of course, the expectation is that the other two lessons will be read each Sunday, to put both pastor and congregation in mind of the wholeness of Scripture.

If a congregation does meet more than once a week, the possibility of greater biblical coverage would of course be possible. But I am sure that Briner would have said that this combination of continua and selecta is a most satisfactory answer to Goodloe’s affirmation: “surely we must hear the whole word of God. It is not our prerogative to pick the bits and pieces we want to hear. It is instead, our duty and our joy to hear the whole word of God. Indeed, it is our very life.” Lew Briner would have said “Amen” to that. That is the whole purpose of the Common Lectionary. Briner probably would have added, picking and choosing should not be our prerogative, even if the bits and pieces are whole books of the Bible, the choice of which might miss the grand sweep of biblical thought and history. That is what the lectionary scholars have sought to provide (though there are still, in my estimation, some inadequacies in areas such as the prophetic readings).

But he also would have said that it would be most regrettable if the passages that deal specifically with the life, teachings, parables, miracles and particularly the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus were not placed in focus each year, with specific stress on what Calvin called the biblical festivals, Pascha and Pentecost. And though it is not a New Testament festival, Calvin included the Incarnation of the Word on December 25.

Of course, every Sunday should be a celebration of the resurrection of our Lord. There should be a focus on Jesus every Sunday. That is the genius of including a Gospel reading each Sunday. (And also the reason Calvin wanted the Lord’s Supper to be observed each Lord’s Day).

Having said that, I would agree significantly with Eddie Soto. Yes, we urgently need expository preaching. We urgently need to see the Bible whole, which is what the lectionary attempts to do. Serious interpretation and application of the text will be used by the Holy Spirit to bring true spiritual revival to our church. That in particular is the part of our inheritance that needs to be recovered.

I believe, and have seen, that “lectionary preaching” that includes lectio selecta can be used by the Holy Spirit to accomplish just that. And lectio continua is in itself no guarantee of such a salutary result. Of course, the use of the lectionary also carries no guarantee. Lectio continua, slavishly used, can be dry and uninspiring exegesis, divorced from the centrality of the saving grace of Christ and from the life of the congregation. It can actually keep us from the centrality of the gospel if it is pursued without a deeper and larger point of orientation in the saving grace of Jesus Christ our Lord. And the use of the lectionary cannot automatically eliminate pedantry.

In the last analysis, we must be most concerned with the spirit of the messenger, the one committed to proclaiming the whole Word of God to the congregation.

Let me speak for myself. I am one who started out as a topical preacher some 50 years ago, then was converted to lectio continua, and subsequently converted again, this time to the use of the lectionary. I found that the presence of the lectionary is itself a “call,” a summons. It allows the Scripture to take rightful precedence over my subjective desires, even of my choosing “what would be best” for the congregation. By being confronted by the assigned lesson, I am placed under the “righteous judgment” of the text. By allowing the biblical text to have the “preliminary word,” both the congregation and I can hear that judgment, and also be surprised by its word of grace.

And although I know that it is not something that I could come to expect, I was often taken aback when I found how often the lectionary lesson spoke directly to some incident in the parish, in the world, or in my life.

Lew Briner perceived the Roman lectionary as a belated response to the desires of the 16th-century reformers. He joined this effort by adapting that lectionary in the light of Reformed theology. His adaptation was first published in the Worshipbook in 1970. It was subsequently edited and revised, and its ultimate successor, The Revised Common Lectionary, is now the norm for Scripture reading in churches all over the world.

It is now more than five centuries after the 16th-century Reformation. Many of the churches at that time divided over the use of the Scriptures. Many of those same churches are now committed to reading the scriptures together Sunday by Sunday, thanks to the lectionary and thanks to Briner.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of expository helps are now published on lectionary texts, both on the Internet and in print. Christian education materials are provided for the coordination of intergenerational church programs. No single pastor in a single congregation could possibly provide such a wealth of resources. The lectionary provides a reference point for choir and musical choices, which allows for adequate preparation of musicians. And our common use of these tests is an expression of the unity we seek in the Body of Christ.

Arlo D. Duba is professor emeritus of worship and retired dean of the University of Dubuque Seminary, now living in Hot Springs, Ark.