000 Allen FMT (i-xxii) - The Presbyterian Leader

Introduction xvii
than fifty-five Old Testament passages are used more than once in the lectionary’s
three-year cycle.
Even more problematic than the lectionary’s neglect of the Old Testament
is the lectionary’s use of that Testament. During the pivotal seasons
of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany Day, and the Sundays after Epiphany, as
well as in Lent and on Easter and Pentecost Day, the lectionary intends
the reading from the Old Testament to be heard through the lens of the
Gospel. In these seasons, the lesson from the Epistle is intended to amplify
or draw out the implications of the Gospel. In the Sundays of Ordinary
Time after Pentecost, the lectionary provides a Gospel lesson and an Epistle
lesson as well as two sets of readings from the Old Testament. During
this latter time of the year, congregational leaders are to choose one of
these sets of readings for use in worship: either a passage from the Old
Testament (and a psalm) that correlates with the Gospel lesson, or the
other passage from the Old Testament (and an accompanying psalm) that
presents a part of the Old Testament in semicontinuous reading. In Year
A, semicontinuous readings are from the Pentateuch, especially Genesis
and Exodus; in Year B they are from the Davidic covenant and the Wisdom
literature; in Year C, the semicontinuous passages are from the
Prophets, especially Jeremiah.
When the reading from the Old Testament is supposed to connect to
the Gospels, the lectionary envisions three kinds of relationships between
the readings: 7
The first possible relationship is parallelism. That is, it is presumed that
the material in the Old Testament passage is parallel to the Gospel reading
and that the two texts present similar interpretations of God’s action
and human response. When both of these presumptions are accurate, the
preacher can help the congregation recognize how the Old Testament
reading provides the model for understanding the New Testament passage.
This relationship is typically the most theologically satisfactory. For an
example of exegesis and sermonic reflection on texts that the lectionary
presents as having such a parallel relationship in the lectionary, see the
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany/Year C in which we note parallel elements
in the calls of Isaiah (Isa. 6:1–8) and the first disciples (Luke 5:1-11).
The second possible relationship between the texts is one of contrast
between the supposedly inferior viewpoint in the Old Testament and the
supposedly superior perspective in the Gospel. Here the preacher can easily
slip into viewing the Old Testament as the antithesis of the new. For
an example of contrast between two texts, see our discussion of Proper
28/Year A: Zephaniah 1:7, 12–18, on the judgment on Judah because of