Does the AME Church follow any order when it comes to the Advent Season? Do we have a calendar of prayers and scriptures?

-- Anonymous, November 25, 2003

Answers

The answer to your question is yes. The AME Church adheres to the same readings, colors, prayers and scriptures as the entire Christian Church. These readings may be found in the back of your hymnal as selection #795, which follows the plan of he Christian Year. I am also aware of some pastors whose sermon texts are always taken from it.

Many of our churches change the paraments on the pulpit lectern as well to correspond to the appropriate colors for each season of the year. Some also light weekly candles of the Advent Wreath, with the appropriate service, which corresponds to it--The Christ Candle being lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) cycle follows a three-year plan. It is determined by dividing the calendar year by three. A zero remainder is designated as year A, a remainder of one is designated as year B, and a remainder of two is designated as year C. The year 2003 divided by three give us a quotient of 667 with a remainder of two. Thus, November 30, 2003 is the first Sunday of Year C and the First Sunday in Advent, November 28, 2004 will begin the cycle once again at Year A.

While I wont attempt to read anything into it, It is interesting to note that the year 1999-2000 ended the cycle having a quotient of 666 or 600+60+6 as we are told it reads in Hebrew and Greek.

One final note, which I should make, is that our hymnal is now nearly twenty years old. Since that time the Lectionary has been revised. By clicking the Lectionary Readings on the site which I maintain for the Sixth Episcopal District Lay, you will be directed to the current Vanderbilt University Lectionary Reading for each Sunday of the year. Our readings are changed each Sunday and remain for one week, the hymnal plan is for Sundays as well. However on some other websites the daily readings may be found.

Additionally, I have posted a site below, which give a glossary of colors and terms used throughout the Universal Church. There is some slight variation for the Western, Eastern, Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches but they are basically the same for all. A search of the Liturgical Calendar, Vestments and Paraments will provide more information on it.

A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/richalson/sixthepiscopaldistrictlayorgan ization-amec.html">Sixth Episcopal District Lay Organization

Liturgical Glossary

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2003

Let my try the link again for the Sixth Episcopal District Lay. I failed to close the HTML Code.

A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/richalson/sixthepiscopaldistrictlayorgan ization-amec.html">Sixth Episcopal District Lay Organization

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2003

My sincere apologies. The Lay link fails to post properly even though I checked the code. If it fails again I will have to e mail it to anyone who wants it unless Jerryl Payne can straighten it out.

Sixth District Lay

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2003

The last link seems to work okay.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2003

You can also find information about Advent with numerous links at http://www.textweek.com/ or type 'Text This Week' in your serach engine; this site also has the Revised Lectionary.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2003