What is a lectionary?
Generally, a lectionary is a list of scriptural texts (called "lections") recommended for use in worship or study on a particular day. Christian lectionaries are usually built around the Church Year, but they are sometimes centered on the secular calendar (as with programs that guide a person through reading the Bible in a year). Christian lectionaries generally include a reading from the Hebrew Bible, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel reading.
The seasons of the Church Year reflect the life of Christ. Consequently, the gospel lections for each Sunday provide the focus for that day. The other lections for a given day generally have a thematic relationship to the gospel reading for that day, although this is not always the case. In Ordinary Time, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two sets of readings for the lessons from the Hebrew Bible. One set proceeds semicontinuouly, giving the story of the Patriarchs and the Exodus in Year A, the monarchial narratives in Year B, and readings from the Prophets in Year C. In the other set of readings for Ordinary Time (shown in italics on this site) the readings from the Hebrew Bible are thematically related to the gospel lections. Denominations or local churches generally use either the semicontinuous readings or the thematic readings during Ordinary Time. They do not typically move back and forth between the two over the course of a single season.
The new lectionary year begins on the first Sunday of Advent. The first Sunday of Advent is four Sundays prior to the Western feast day of Christmas (December 25). www.library.vanderbilt.edu
The Great 50 Days
Easter Season or the Great 50 Days, begins at sunset Easter Eve and continues through the Day of Pentecost. It is the most joyous and celebrative season of the Christian year. It focuses on Christ’s resurrection and ascension and on the givings of the Holy Sprit on the first Easter (John 20:22-23) and the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Lessons from the Acts of the Apostles replace readings form the Old Testament because the early church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is the best witness to the Resurrection. The ancient Christian name for this festival is Pasch, derived from the Hebrew pesh (“deliverance” or “Passover”), thus connecting the Resurrection to the Exodus. The origin of the English word Easter is disputed but may come from the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eastre and her festival. Pentecost comes from the Greek pentekoste, which means “fiftieth.” It refers to the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which Greek-speaking Jews called the Day Pentecost (Acts 2:1). Early Christians also used the term Pentecost to refer to the Great Fifty Days as a season.
The United Methodist Book of Worship 368
Did You Know...Transfiguration Sunday
The Sunday before Ash Wednesday is Transfiguration Sunday for many Protestants, including United Methodists. When Peter, James and John had the Transfiguration "mountaintop experience" of the glorified Jesus, it was a foretaste of the risen and exalted Christ they would later experience beginning with the first Easter. It was preparation for the days that lay in between, when they would have to go back down from the mountain and walk what would be for them a "lonesome valley." Transfiguration Sunday is an opportunity for us to experience a foretaste of the glory of Easter. Then, as we walk through the "valley" of Lent and are reminded of what it means to be Jesus' disciples, we can do so with the Transfiguration vision fresh in our memories.
Got Questions? What is Human Relations Day A: Human Relations day occurs during Epiphany, the season of manifesting God’s light to the world. This day calls the Church to recognize the right of all God’s children in realizing their potential as human beings in relationship with each other. The purpose of the day is to further the development of better human relations.” (Par. 264.1, The Book of Discipline 2004)
In 1972 General Conference established Human Relations Day to promote support for Community Developers, United Methodist Voluntary Services and Police-Community Relations programs. Begun in 1968, the three programs had received support form the church wide Bishop’s Fund for Reconciliation. In 1989 the Youth Offender Rehabilitation Program replaced the Police Community Relations Program to respond to the growing population of youth offenders and their need for creative redirection. More than 30 church-based Community developers work in racial- and ethnic-minority communities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. A multiracial network of grassroots social-justice organizations related to United Methodist Voluntary Services provides vital outreach. Christ -centered Youth Offender Rehabilitation projects give teenagers a chance to succeed.
Remember: $1 per member per Special Sunday offering makes a big difference! Please give generously.
Q: What is Annual Conference? A: The Annual Conference is the primary link in the church's connectional structure. There are five regional jurisdictions in the United States, each made up of annual conferences or episcopal areas.
Laity representation
Lay members to Annual Conference are first nominated by their church leaders (generally a nominating committee) and elected at their charge conference before becoming voting members.
Churches that are part of a multiple-point charge (a pastor serving more than one church) will be represented by one layperson, generally alternating between the churches of that multi-church charge.
The chief role of a lay member, sometimes called a delegate, is to understand and communicate the purpose of annual conference which is "to make disciples for Jesus Christ by equipping its local churches for ministry and by providing a connection for ministry beyond the local church; all to the glory of God." (The Discipline 601)
They are responsible for interpreting the needs, concerns, and visions of their local congregations to and within the annual conference, and to network informally with other lay members for the purpose of sharing ideas and concerns.
It is important to become familiar with the Preliminary Report, a pre-conference journal that provides the framework for what will take place at Annual Conference, and all resolutions and petitions submitted for action. Very helpful are the district conferences where guidelines and preview reports are given with opportunities to ask questions. Also critical is a high level of familiarity with your church - serving on the staff-parish relations committee, church council and committee on finance - and discussing issues to come before conference with your pastor, lay leader, and members of the congregations.
Lay members serve as interpreters of the actions of the annual conference session to their local churches. They do that by reporting annual conference actions to the church council as soon as possible, but not later than three months after the close of the conference. [ view our Annual Confernce @ http://www.txcumc.org//
What is a lectionary? 