Gentlemen,

I have just been reviewing the posts on the Three Year Lectionary 
from November of last year.

This is an intriguing discussion, I think, but I'm wondering if there 
is more to be discussed regarding the three year lectionary.  To 
begin, I don't use it, but I have always used the "starred" Old 
Testament lesson and Psalm in our service.  This provides for four 
texts to preach on every Sunday.  I don't find that limiting at all. 
I concur with those last November that noted that most parishioners 
don't remember as much as we wish they would--the repetition is 
helpful to them, I believe.  I also concur with those who noted that 
we get pushed to dig deeper to make more connections, etc.

Of course, our people getting exposed to more scripture is always a 
good thing.  What, however, are we giving up in order to fit that 
more Scripture into the Sunday lectionary?  I'm not sure I have 
specific answers, but I have misgivings.  I suppose my misgivings are 
mostly related to the misgivings I have about new liturgies.  This 
modern--and now post-modern--age does not seem to be one in which we 
ought to be toying with our inheritance.  We don't understand 
language in this age and we don't understand history.

Those two problems seem to mitigate against quality "modern language" 
liturgies and translations; what about new lectionaries?  I'm not 
opposed to the idea of change, mind you, but I am concerned that 
change happen from within the tradition and that we don't open the 
door to the little gremlin of modernity.  That gremlin can get it via 
new translations, liturgies and architecture, vestments, music and 
altar hangings.  Can he also get in via new lectionaries?

In a sense, I ask myself the question:  "What am I giving up when I 
give up centuries and centuries of a tradition of Readings from Holy 
Scripture?"  I'm not sure I know, but that sure doesn't mean that I'm 
not giving up something important.  I'm usually mostly ignorant....

I seek to provide thorough discussion of the Scriptures via weeknight 
studies and don't find Sunday morning to be the best time for such an 
in-depth study.  The Three Year lectionary got it's start from a 
completely modern set of assumptions and an agenda wholly entrenched 
in modernity.  What are we letting in?  Am I being overly concerned? 
Is it worth exploring?

Any thoughts?

Brian+