Pastor's Message - December 2025

In last Sunday's sermon, I referred to the liturgical calendar, a schedule of seasons and scripture readings (the lectionary) that originated in the early church, and adopted in a common form in the 20* century by many Mainline Protestants. This Mainline category includes the United Church of Christ as well as other familiar denominations such as Presbyterians (PCUSA), Methodists (UMC), Lutherans (ELCA), and Episcopalians. Each lectionary cycle begins with Advent, and features one of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, or Luke). The Gospel traditionally attributed to John, so different from the other three, gets scattered through each of the cycles, often highlighting stories and teachings unique to that text. (For example, the Sunday after Easter always includes the story of "doubting" Thomas found only in John.)

Rabbinic Judaism also uses a lectionary for the Torah, reading the first five books of our Jewish Testament in their entirety either annually (Orthodox) or in a three-year cycle (Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist).

There are benefits to this system. Many of my colleagues will be preaching from the same set of texts, allowing pastors to form study groups that meet weekly in preparation for the following Sunday. There are countless printed and online resources, some generic, some highly specialized. I tend to use a resource that grounds the weekly readings in mimetic theory, the legacy of Rene Girard. The United Church of Christ and the Mainline Protestant magazine-of-record, "The Christian Century," also provide resources.

A preacher might be tempted to avoid the more difficult passages. The lectionary is a kind of discipline, though I still end up picking-and-choosing, as there are more readings assigned each week than we would ever want to use. And many portions of scripture are not on the schedule at all, either too boring or too terrible for a Sunday morning.

One of the downsides of using the liturgical calendar and Revised Common Lectionary is that it is drawn from an ancient calendar of feasts and holy days, and Easter is based on a lunar cycle, so things can feel pretty random. Lutheran scholars created an alternative lectionary designed to tell the story of salvation history and hitting highlights from Genesis to Revelation in a four academic year cycle that includes John, but it too must deal with the changing date of Easter. This "Narrative Lectionary" then uses the summer months to focus on single texts or themes, such as a month dedicated to the "Lord's Prayer.

Even as we ground ourselves in ancient customs, tell ancient stories that begin with enslaved people escaping bondage (Exodus) and continues with enslaved people escaping bondage (the Underground Railroad), we write new stories, remembering that faith is lived, and we are witness to acts of prophetic courage and remarkable love every single day.

May you experience the holy this season, a bright star in the sky, the laughter of children, and hope for tomorrow.

G