Living with the Lectionary: Preaching Through the Revised Common Lectionary

by Eugene L. Lowry

Eugene L. Lowry explains the rationale behind the 1992 lectionary revision; examines specific Biblical texts; shows how to overcome the obstacles of lectionary preaching; and analyzes the claims of text, situation, sermon form, and gospel upon the preacher. Lowry is also the author of Doing Time in the Pulpit and How to Preach a Parable .

Paperback

First published August 1, 1992

Reviews

[Connor Grubbs]

In this short and accessible read, Lowery addresses both the pros and cons of the Revised Common Lectionary head on, challenging some of the theological motivations behind decisions made when crafting the lectionary. Certainly in the second chapter he gives several specific examples of striking omissions in the lections where important sections are overlooked altogether. While this can be problematic, the lectionary is designed to summarize the text for public reading on Sunday mornings, not to give us a comprehensive scope of Scripture. Many of the issues raised are simply solved by further explanation in the sermon. Also, the book fails to ever address the way the Daily Office Lectionary fills many of the gaps the Revised Common Lectionary leaves. This is why personal devotion is equally as important as our participation in Sunday morning worship. However, Lowery succeeds in presenting the fact that interpretive decisions were made when crafting the lectionary, and that alone is something we should at least be aware of.