A Different Way To Tell Time
Jaharis Byzantine Lectionary, The Met
People often ask me why I pick the passages that I do to teach from on Sundays. The answer is simple. I don’t pick them.
From the very beginning of the church, people have found it helpful to pause for morning or evening devotions. I do this in my own practice, usually late at night or early in the morning, but rarely ever in the middle of the day. Why? I have children. 😆
My devotions come from an ancient practice, called “The Daily Office" that has experienced a resurgence of use in our time. It follows the Liturgical Cycle (see chart below) that divides the year into a series of seasons, each with its own mood, theological emphases, modes of prayer, scriptural readings, and themes for preaching. So that is where I get the passages that I teach from.
No. God isn’t whispering to me and saying, “My child, preach unto the congregation from the 15th chapter of The Gospel According To Saint John, for it is so ordained.” That would be amazing if that were the case, but the selection process is, I assure you, far less transcendent.
The reason that I prefer the pre-selected passages rather than picking them on my own is because we, preachers have a tendency to pick passages that we have an affinity for. But when the passages are picked for me, it nudges me to study things that would, otherwise be of no interest to me. In doing so, it helps me see a larger picture unfolding in the whole of scripture. Not only that, but it tethers me to a community of millions all over the world who are doing the same, immersing me in a shared experience.
It’s kind of like searching for gold. The gold is there, but I have to do a little digging to find it.
Selah.
Ryan Phipps is the Senior Minister at Church In Bethesda.
Raised in the church, becoming a pastor was the one thing Ryan vowed he would never do. After spending many years away from faith, he found that for all of its flaws, the church can still occupy a unique place of good in the world if it is willing to evolve with reason and empathy.
Ryan has a special place in his heart for those who have been damaged or disillusioned by the church, and longs to lead those within it toward a more just and generous expression of itself.