Products       About Us       The Chi Rho Reflection       Links       Become a Sponsor!       Privacy Policy       Home

Book Reviews: A Liturgical Calendar and Lectionary
Year A, November 2013 through November 2014
 

Chi Rho Press is pleased to announce a brand new Liturgical Calendar for the 2013-2014 church year, Year A.  The Lectionary in the Liturgical Calendar is from the Revised Common Lectionary, widely used as the ecumenical consensus on readings for each Sunday and Holy Day in the three-year cycle.  Our Liturgical Calendar is packed with useful information for planning worship and preaching in the local church for each Sunday and Holy Day of the Church Year.  It is intended for use by pastors, musicians, altar guilds, teachers, theological students, and anyone using the Church Year as a basis for worship or education.  The Liturgical Calendar is spiral bound so it can lie flat for easy use, in the popular 8 ½" x 11" format.

Featured in this Liturgical Calendar are these sections: A Heading that identifies the day in the church year (for example, the first Sunday of Advent) with alternative descriptions where appropriate.  The Revised Common Lectionary readings, including a brief summary of each reading.  (These are intended as only a very brief overview to identify general themes as an aid to worship planning.  We do not represent them as a thorough exegesis.)  The First Reading is usually from the Hebrew Testament, but there are exceptions, such as the use of readings from Acts during the Easter season.  These are sometimes selected thematically to fit the Liturgical Calendar, but often are simply designed to read through key passages over a series of weeks.  This is followed by a Response, usually a Psalm.  The Epistle Reading is next.  Like the Hebrew Testament Reading, these are typically designed as a series of key passages from the same book read over a number of weeks.  Finally the Gospel Reading follows the story of Jesus through the Christmas and Easter cycles, plus the teachings of Jesus the rest of the year.

Next is a section on Worship Planning, including the liturgical color of the day, symbols and decorations that can be used to enhance the worship experience, and Special Events for the week which the congregation may want to remember and commemorate on Sunday.

Rev. Witt has added lots of Notes in the Worship Planning section which serve to explain in more detail information about the time of the church year, provide resources for further study and information, and develop liturgical themes to make your worship experience more rich and meaningful.

As special added sections, we have included alternative readings for the four Sundays of Pride-Tide (June) prepared by the Rev. Gordon McCoy. The five sets of readings for Pride-Tide may be used at any time in the year that the faith community celebrates LGBT Pride.  The standard Revised Common Lectionary readings are included for the four Sundays in June as well.  Rev. McCoy has also written our entry for World AIDS Day on December 1^st.  And we have added readings for the Transgender Day of Remembrance, November 20^th.

The 2013-2014 Liturgical Calendar will be a helpful aid for anyone involved in planning worship, as well as a useful resource for all who want to know more about the Church year and the rich liturgical life of the Church Universal.

Return to Products Page

GO HOME