Faith
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Thinking the Faith, Praying the Faith, Living the Faith is written by the PC(USA) Office of Theology and Worship.
Thinking, praying, and living the faith is at the core of ministry in the Office of Theology and Worship. In the following videos, learn more about what thinking, praying, and living the faith means to the leadership of the Office of Theology and Worship. Discover why it matters and what difference it makes in our lives, work, and worship.
Charles Wiley
Barry Ensign-George
David Gambrell
Christine Hong
Karen Russell
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The Revised Common Lectionary
Pictured here is Rembrandt's mother reading a lectionary, a painting by Gerrit Dou (1613-1674), a Dutch artist who studied with Rembrandt. (In this case, the lectionary depicted is a book including the full texts of Scripture for worship, as opposed to a schedule of reading citations.)
One of my roles in the Office of Theology and Worship is to serve as a PC(USA) representative to the Consultation on Common Texts: the group that created the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) and continues to work on ecumenical liturgical projects. (More recent projects include a book of collects for each Sunday and festival in the Christian year, the RCL Daily Readings, and a forthcoming commentary on the RCL.)
According to the 2000 Presbyterian Panel survey on Public Worship:
Majorities of pastors (59%) report using the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) "on a regular basis." However, only 12% of these pastors read all three readings and the psalm. Another 30% read at least one of the readings and the psalm, while a slim majority, 51%, report using selected readings from the RCL. Nevertheless, almost all pastors who use the lectionary reculrarly in worship preach from the lectionary texts, either always (29%) or usually (62%).
The RCL is also widely used in a number of denominational publications and resources, including the Book of Common Worship, the Presbyterian Planning Calendar, the Mission Yearbook for Study and Prayer, the PC(USA) website, and the Feasting on the Word commentary series.
In a few weeks the Consultation on Common Texts will be hosting a forum in Denver to engage and learn from two groups: (A) those who don't use the RCL and want to learn more about it, and (B) those who use the RCL regularly and want to discuss questions, problems, and ideas.
I'd like to hear from you regarding some of the topics that are on the agenda.
From group A:
- How does the RCL strengthen worship and hold us accountable to the full range of Scripture?
- How can the RCL and Christian Year serve as tools for building, nurturing, and deepening discipleship?
From group B:
- What works, what doesn't, and what would you like to add, delete, or change?
- How can you stay fresh with preaching and worship the second, fourth, etc. time through?
What other comments and feedback do you have for the Consultation on Common Texts?
- Posted at 3:51 p.m.
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