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During this long Season after Pentecost, you may notice something a little different in our readings from the Old Testament.

In the Revised Common Lectionary, there are actually two possible sets of readings from the Hebrew Bible for this season. One set is called the “complementary” readings, where the Hebrew Bible passage is chosen to closely connect with the Gospel reading for the day. That is the pattern that has been usually followed at Gloria Dei in years past. 

The other option is called the “semi-continuous” readings. Rather than matching the Gospel theme each week, these readings invite us to journey through larger portions of Scripture over several months, allowing us to hear the unfolding stories of faith more continuously and deeply.

This year, during the Season after Pentecost, which concludes on Christ the King Sunday in November, we will be using these semi-continuous readings. We are in Year A of the lectionary cycle, and in Year A the semi-continuous readings take us from Genesis through the time of the Judges. Over the coming weeks we will walk alongside Abraham and Sarah, and other figures of faith, listening to how God calls, forms, challenges, and blesses God’s people across generations.

We pray that this deeper engagement with these stories of the ancestors of our faith will enrich our own faith and help us hear God’s living word afesh in our own time.

If you would like to learn more about the Lectionary, Vanderbilt University has an excellent FAQ page here. 

And here's a video about Abraham and Sarah for kids.