A Lector's Guide & Commentary to the Revised Common Lectionary: Year C

A Lector's Guide and Commentary to the Revised Common Lectionary assists those whose calling, responsibility, and privilege it is to proclaim the Word of God through the public reading of Holy Scripture. It provides a brief, reliable commentary for each lectionary reading, and then offers suggestions for how the text can be delivered, so that the biblical Story might have its full impact on the Christian community gathered for worship. Pronunciations for unfamiliar words and names are also included.

The Guide is for use by any congregation or tradition that follows the Revised Common Lectionary (for example, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal, etc. It even includes the adaptations authorized for use in The Episcopal Church.

Although designed first and foremost for lectors and lay readers, the Guide has also been written with other groups and uses in mind. For example, it can be used to trigger discussions in a Sunday school class or small group Bible study, or to serve as a resource for personal study, reflection, and devotion. It can also assist lay Eucharistic ministers when delivering the Word and Sacrament to the homebound and hospitalized, and even function as a first stop for preachers and teachers. In short, A Lector's Guide and Commentary is for anyone who wants to read the Bible with understanding.

J. Ted Blakley (M.Div., Ph.D.) received his doctoral degree in Biblical Studies from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Currently, he serves as a scholar in residence for St. Mark's Press in Wichita, Kansas, where he and his wife, Rebekah, reside with their three children: Emma, Thaddaeus, and Esther.