Scripture tells a story. It tells many stories, in fact, but congregations and people of faith—even lifelong churchgoers—often struggle to see how all the stories of Scripture fit together into a larger, coherent story. Week to week in worship, it is not always obvious how one Scripture reading connects to another, and how these smaller units connect to the whole.
Making the switch
Our church has followed the Revised Common Lectionary and has also used various home-grown sermon series in the past. We began using the Narrative Lectionary in January 2021, however, and it has been a transformative experience for our community of faith. Now, our worship and sermons have a stronger sense of movement and continuity from week to week, and as we gather and engage with Scripture, there is a very real sense that we are stepping into a larger story already in progress.
As a pastor and preacher, I deeply appreciate the overall narrative flow of the Narrative Lectionary—it more than lives up to its name. As we move through one of the four annual cycles, from September through Pentecost each year, our congregation experiences the larger scope of Scripture, our biblical literacy is strengthened, and we grow deeper in our understanding of what the Bible is and how it is put together.
In the beginning…
Each September, we begin “in the beginning” in Genesis, with primeval stories that set the stage for much of what is to follow. We then read stories of the patriarchs and matriarchs before moving into the exodus narrative, anchoring ourselves in the divine call to be a blessing and to participate in God’s movement of liberation in the world.
Collectively, we dip our toes into the complex histories of Israel and Judah and their kings, where we witness the struggles of politics and power, as well as the ever-present tension of living faithfully within the divine covenant. We experience the devastation of exile, and also the anger and hope of the prophetic writings. I have grown to love this season of being “forced” to preach from the Hebrew Bible, and it keeps me on my theological toes.
At Christmas, we very appropriately turn the page to the New Testament with the birth of Jesus. As we move through our Gospel readings in Epiphany and Lent, we read stories from the life of Jesus. We deepen our understanding of his identity and purpose, culminating in the tension of Holy Week and the joy of Easter. Resurrection accounts, Acts, and parts of Paul’s letters carry us to Pentecost by way of the growth and struggle of the early church. After that, we take summers “off” from the lectionary to develop creative sermon series. This way, we feel like we get the best of both worlds.
Grounded in the arc of Scripture
Year after year, the rhythm of the Narrative Lectionary grounds us in the overall arc of Scripture. It also highlights the connective threads that run throughout Scripture, and we draw these out in our preaching. Weekly Gospel readings in the winter and spring often follow directly on the heels of one another and, thus, build upon one another. They also often connect back obviously or subtly to the Hebrew Scriptures we read the previous fall.
For example, when we read John’s “I am” sayings in the spring, it is a delight to remind the congregation about our encounter with Moses and the sacred name of God, “I am” (Exodus 3:1–15), from the previous September. And when we read of God calling Abram and Sarai to “be a blessing to the world,” we identify this as a connective thread that runs through the rest of Scripture—one that continues to inform our own calling as a community of faith. Year after year I see new connections and grow in appreciation for the Narrative Lectionary’s creativity and intentionality.
On a weekly basis, the Narrative Lectionary gives our worship a sense of coherence. From the opening introit to the closing hymn, the call to worship, prayers, and special music often connect meaningfully to the stories and themes of the Scripture reading and sermon. One of our Worship Council members recently said, “I love when our anthems and hymns fit so beautifully with the NL. When everything seems to fit together seamlessly, it makes a unified worship experience.”
Practical matters
The Narrative Lectionary has also shaped weekly worship planning and preparation in ways that are helpful, life-giving, and connected to a larger community. Our musicians use Working Preacher’s online resources to identify hymns, anthems, and other musical selections that fit with the Scripture of the day. Because the lectionary gives them a “road map” for our year in worship, they can work far ahead. If they depended on my long-range planning skills, our musicians might be chronically frustrated.
Moreover, with this lectionary, there are a whole host of online and print resources that help us plan and prepare. For my part, I often use Working Preacher’s commentaries and weekly podcast, as well as a popular Narrative Lectionary podcast, BibleWorm, as the starting point for my sermon preparation each week.
The Narrative Lectionary continues to shape our congregation and provide us with continuity from week to week. Each week we step into a story already in progress; as a community, we have an understanding of where we are and where we are heading. We inhabit the narrative of Scripture. And more than once I have ended my sermon saying, “To be continued,” knowing that we’ll pick the story back up together soon enough.
