If you are a pastor, worship planner, or Christian education leader you may have noticed or may soon notice that some lectionary-based resources have begun offering alternative readings for Holy Week, Easter Season and the Season after Pentecost.
This is because the Consultation on Common Texts, the body that created the Revised Common Lectionary used in The United Methodist Book of Worship, has recently proposed a number of revisions.
The Consultation on Common Texts (CCT) is an ecumenical organization composed of representatives from multiple Protestant and Catholic denominations in the United States and Canada, including The United Methodist Church.
In 2012, The Rev. Susan Auchincloss, a priest in the Episcopal Church, submitted a petition to the Consultation through Change.org. It happened to come to me, as I was serving as a United Methodist representative and secretary for the Consultation at the time.
The Consultation met directly with Rev. Auchincloss several times over the next few years and sought ongoing counsel from Jewish and Christian scholars in Judaism and Christian antisemitism. It became clear there were significant theological, liturgical, pastoral and ecumenical issues to consider, especially with the Good Friday texts and the first readings from Acts during Eastertide. The process culminated in spring 2025 with the approval of recommendations for alternative sets of readings affecting Good Friday, Easter Season, and the Season after Pentecost.
For Good Friday, the Consultation now recommends using the passion narrative from Mark’s gospel rather than John’s in Years A and C, and, during year B, when Mark is read on Passion/Palm Sunday, using a shortened version of the reading from John. Mark’s gospel does not refer to the Jewish people disparagingly, and the shortened reading from John eliminates most such references.
For Easter Season, the Consultation commends readings from the Hebrew Scriptures as the first reading for every Sunday instead of Acts. This enables us to hear from the Hebrew Scriptures during the holiest season of the year. The Consultation has also changed the selection of readings from Acts, creating three new series that focus on Peter in Year A, a variety of lesser known leaders in Year B, and Paul and his companions in Year C.
As a continuing at-large member of the Consultation on Common Texts and a working pastor, I’ve had the opportunity to use these readings in the congregations I have served as they were being developed. They’ve been much appreciated, and we are still using them. I trust you may find the same as you begin to use them where you are.
You may download the entire set of proposed alternative readings and the consultation’s rationale for them from the CCT website. Just be advised there is currently one error in the list of readings for Year A. The First Lesson for Easter 4 should be Ezekiel 43:1-7a. This will be corrected on the website after the Consultation’s next meeting later this spring.
Burton Edwards is serves as Lead for Ask The UMC, the information service of United Methodist Communications. He has been a member of the Consultation on Common Texts since 2005.
