One of the identifiers of a healthy church is its focus on the Christian calendar, which follows the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension and return of Jesus. Worship services, church events, and missional outreach revolve around this calendar.
The Christian calendar reminds us of God’s redemptive acts toward humanity. Jesus is at the center of the calendar because he is the embodiment of God drawing humanity to himself. In GCI, including our Equipper writers, Speaking of Life scripts, and sermon contributors, we plan ar0und the Christian calendar.
We follow the Christian calendar not out of obligation, but because rhythms and reminders form and shape us. This is just one reason why GCI pastors and ministry leaders plan their sermons around the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). Not only does this enable a congregation to go through the Bible in a three-year plan, it also helps all GCI pastors be unified in keeping Jesus the center of everything we do and say. We believe so strongly in this, we have made preaching from the RCL at least three times a month part of a GCI pastor’s job descriptions.
To better serve our pastors, group facilitators and ministry leaders, we provide the following resource, which lists the focused pericope for each week of the Christian calendar year A, which begins November 26 with Advent 1. Click here.
