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Understanding the Sunday Scriptures Year C

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One of the first things that the reader encounters when approaching "Understanding the Sunday Scriptures, Year C" is the introduction from its editor, The Rev. Dr. H. King Oehmig.
Just like the introductions in the two preceding books (Understanding the Sunday Scriptures, Year A and Year B) the reader's attention is immediately drawn to a thought-provoking passage of scripture which undergirds the purpose of this companion to the Revised Common Lectionary. The eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles speaks about the disciple Philip being called by the Spirit to help the Ethiopian eunuch to understand the scriptures.

King Oehmig and his staff have faithfully followed the guiding LIGHT. The Holy Scripture is brought alive by sound teaching and informed instruction by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The material, with its scriptural exegesis, reflection and point-to-ponder is presented in such a way that laity as well as clergy can start with a refreshing approach to the Incarnate Word.

Whether the material is used as a personal study or as a companion to be taken and shared in a Sunday School class or group Bible Study, there are surely "treasures to be found" in this easy to use resource book. Whether the material is used by the clergyperson for sermon preparation or by the people listening in the pew, this inspiring material will undoubtedly be of great help in assimilating the Good News in one's life.

H. King Oehmig, D. Min, Understanding the Sunday Scriptures (Chattanooga, TN, Read Mark Press, 2009) A Companion to The Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Year B,Year C

There are dozens of way to study the Bible. These guides add good value to studying the weekly lectionary readings.

These guides are an embodiment of the wonderful pericope in Acts 8, where Philip assists the Ethiopian Jewish official on the road to Jerusalem in understanding the passage from Isaiah 53:7 - 8. If the Lutherans had saints, Philip would certainly be my favorite. In his introduction, the author summarizes this lesson succinctly with `...it takes a community to interpret Scripture'. To that, he adds a unique codicil by applying the Hippocratic oath to Bible study in requiring that teachers `...first, do no harm.'

So to what teachers and to what students are these volumes most suitable? My preference in Bible study is to study and digest whole books, from front to back. But my experience is that many people do not have the patience for a commitment of, for example, eight weeks to study the Book of Job, which, aside from being depressing, is pretty difficult stuff. So if you have the choice between studying the lectionary readings for the week and nothing at all, then studying the weekly lectionary readings is definitely preferable.

My pastor conducts a class on these weekly lectionary readings, so I was especially keen to review these volumes when the publisher offered these to me to review. The first thing I noticed is that Pastor Oehmig speaks from an Episcopal point of view, which is just fine with me, as the Episcopalians are first cousins to us Lutherans. Both of us have a `high liturgical' tradition, inherited from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Next, I checked the readings selections with the `official' Revised Common Lectionary' schedule proposed by the Consultation of Common Texts. They match. So, if you are one of the many churches which use the standard lectionary, this book will match your church's readings.

This volume does not reproduce the scripture readings. When it does quote the Bible, it uses the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). But if you prefer an alternative, such as the NIV the NAB, or the KJV, feel free to use that translation. This means you are not paying for something you already have. One thing which may be new is that for each week, this book, following the Revised Common Lectionary, offers four different readings, not three. The second is the Psalm, but not always. On some weeks, the place of the Psalm is taken by an alternate poetic reading, often from Isaiah. Of course, the first is always from the Old Testament, the third is from the NT Epistles, and the fourth is from one of the four Gospels.

One mystery I discovered is the author's reference to numbered canticles in the place of Psalms in some weeks. This is a characteristic of the Episcopal / Anglican service, where canticles appear in services for the daily offices (Lauds in the morning and Vespers in the Evening). These, in turn, came from the Roman Breviary, which has at least 10 named canticles. Similarly, the Eastern churches have nine named canticles (without, however, the Latin names, of course). The common lectionary has appropriated these canticles for Sunday services.

In principle, the first, third and fourth lectionary readings are to address a common theme. At the very least, the OT passage and the Gospel should be `synchronized'. Pr. Oehmig has constructed taking this premise as `gospel' as it were. He does not offer four different interpretations for the four readings. His reflections for the week are all of one piece, and each piece connects the readings to the theme of the season (to flesh out a fully seasonal approach to the readings, get a copy of Philip Pfatteicher's New Book of Festivals & Commemorations, plus a church calendar which suggests colors of vestments and alter cloths.).

Pr. Oehmig also pays careful attention to the connection between the readings and to the special significances of particular weeks. For example, just as the canticles are often named by their opening words, certain weeks are named according to the opening word in a passage traditional to that week. In each of the three yearly series, one of the Gospels is featured, so Pr. Oehmig's commentary also makes that connection from week to week, where appropriate.

By combining his comments on the four readings into a single text, one may expect something like a sermon. Instead, one gets comments on each of the individual texts (something I have never heard from the pulpit), and one almost wishes that the text would give markers to show where comments on each of the passages begins.

There are three sidebars to each commentary, which provide the primary `added value' to your study. The first is a `Prayer for the Day'. For someone who feels especially inhibited addressing God in front of others, these are a blessing. They remove all anxiety from opening a Bible study with a properly stated and respectful prayer. The second sidebar IS what you would expect from a sermon on these texts. They are so like a sermon that I would suggest the leader read the `On Reflection' sidebars aloud, and prepare in advance to do that reading. A session possibly could begin with the prayer and end with the reading of the reflection. The third sidebar is `Points to Ponder'. This may be the most useful contribution of the book to a group study. I've generally found that most peoples' responses to scripture, if asked from a cold start, are pretty flat. These questions dig into the text and encourage some more active thought.

One could use this material in at least two different ways. The first would involve less preparation and focus on the readings themselves and Pr. Oehmig's commentary (which tends to be pretty light. There is no reflection on meanings of Hebrew or Greek words. Good advance preparation for this approach may be looking into scholarly commentaries to find some of the deeper issues. The second would make more use of the reflections and the study questions. In the first case, the text could be read analytically. In the second, it could be read lectio divina style. Since that approach is so intense, you may wish to limit that reading to the Gospel or the Psalm / Canticle.

I have Dr. Oehmig's Years A and B, and find Year C to continue his inspired teaching and coaching that I found in his first two "Companions to the Revised Common Lectionary". His writing helps me to find context in the Biblical references and extract meaning for me today - in this time and place.