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Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Year B

What is the Revised Common Lectionary?
The lectionary is simply a list of scripture readings assigned to be read in public worship on each Sunday and festival occasion (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, etc.) of the year. The source of this lectionary derives from the Consultation on Common Texts, a group made up of representatives from various denominations in North America who have decided on the texts to be assigned. The purpose of the lectionary is to present to the minister and to congregations a wide variety and diversity of Scripture readings, with the hope that over a three-year period, Christians will be exposed to a large portion of the Bible during their worship services. The advantage of such a lectionary is that ministers and worship leaders who follow it will not be tempted to preach or teach repeatedly on their favorite passages, but rather will be forced to struggle with passages of Scripture which may not be in accord with their beliefs or preferences. In addition, the congregation itself is exposed to a broader base of Scripture passages than might otherwise be the case.

There are four passages assigned for each Sunday: one passage comes from the Old Testament (except the Psalms), one passage is a psalm, one passage is from one of the Gospels, and one passage is from a portion of the New Testament other than the Gospels. Altogether, there are two Old Testament and two New Testament passages assigned every Sunday.

Each of the three yearly cycles, labeled A, B, and C, begins on the First Sunday of Advent (the Sunday closest to November 30). You will notice that particular books are the focus for particular years. For example, during year A, the Gospel readings come almost entirely from the Gospel of Matthew. During year B, the Gospel of Mark will take on the same role, and the Gospel of Luke will be the focus of year C. Since the cycle only runs for three years and then repeats itself, the Gospel of John does not have this kind of a role; rather, readings from John’s Gospel occur primarily in special seasons, particularly Lent. One will find similar principles involved in the other lectionary passages.

Advent
Advent is a four-week period in which the church not only looks forward to the birth and incarnation of Jesus Christ, but also to his return. This season is observed for the first four Sundays prior to Christmas. The traditional liturgical color for this season is purple.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Advent (Year B)
Printable version of Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Advent
(Year B) (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Christmas
Christmas is the festival of the birth of Christ and the celebration of God’s coming among us as a human being. The Christmas season begins on Christmas Eve and ends with Epiphany (January 6). The traditional liturgical color for this season is white.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Christmas (Year B)
Printable version of Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Christmas (Year B) (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Ordinary Time I
Following the Christmas season, there is a period of Sundays in which no special festival or occasion is being observed. Liturgically, this is known as Ordinary Time, and there are two periods in the liturgical year which have this designation. The first comes after Epiphany (January 6) and lasts until Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent). The traditional liturgical color for this season is green.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Ordinary Time I (Year B)
Printable version of Revised Common Lectionary Readings for
Ordinary Time I (Year B) (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Lent
Lent is a season of forty weekdays and six Sundays, beginning on Ash Wednesday and culminating in Holy Week. In this season, the church remembers and contemplates the atoning death of Jesus. Holy Week, the last week of the Lenten season, relives Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem, from his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), to his last meal with his disciples (Maundy Thursday), to his actual crucifixion (Good Friday). The traditional liturgical color for this season is purple. In our church, our current confirmation class strips the chancel of all paraments during the Maundy Thursday worship service, and the Cross is draped with a black shroud. It remains this way until Easter.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Lent (Year B)
Printable Version of Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Lent
(Year B) (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Holy Week (Year B)
Printable Version of Revised Common Lectionary Readings for
Holy Week (Year B) (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Easter
Easter is a fifty-day season consisting of seven Sundays, beginning with Easter Sunday (marking Jesus’ resurrection) and ending with Pentecost (the birth of the church through the gift of the Holy Spirit to Christians). The focus of this season is the hope of new life that we have now that God has defeated the power of sin and death through the resurrection of Jesus. The traditional liturgical color for this season is white, except for Pentecost, where red paraments are used.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Easter (Year B)
Printable Version of Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Easter
(Year B) (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Ordinary Time II
This second period of Ordinary Time begins on the Sunday following Pentecost and lasts until the new liturgical year begins on the first Sunday of Advent (the Sunday closest to November 30). Unlike the first period, this second period does contain some special observances, including Trinity Sunday and All Saints’ Day. The traditional liturgical color for this season is green. (The readings have been divided into two part

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Ordinary Time II
(Year B) Part I
Printable Version of Revised Common Lectionary Readings for
Ordinary Time II (Year B) Part I (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Ordinary Time II
(Year B) Part II
Printable Version of Revised Common Lectionary Readings for
Ordinary Time II (Year B) Part II (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

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Unless otherwise stated, all material contained in this web site is Copyright © 1999-2005 First Presbyterian Church of Waco, Texas. Right is hereby granted for any congregation or governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to copy and use this material only as long as proper credit is given as to its source. The scripture quotations contained within are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All quotations from the Book of Confessions are reprinted by permission and are Copyright ©1996 by the Office of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (USA).