What are these readings?

The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) is a schedule of scripture readings appointed for public worship. It covers three years — called Year A, Year B, and Year C — and cycles through most of the Bible.

Each year centers on one of the synoptic Gospels: Year A follows Matthew, Year B follows Mark, Year C follows Luke. The Gospel of John appears in all three years, especially during Lent and Easter.

Where it came from

After the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), the Roman Catholic Church revised its lectionary to cover more scripture in Sunday worship. Protestant and Anglican churches studied that work and developed their own version through an ecumenical process led by the Consultation on Common Texts. The Revised Common Lectionary was published in 1992.

Who uses it

The RCL is used by Catholic, Episcopal, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and many other denominations. It is the most widely shared scripture schedule in the Western church.

The liturgical year

The church calendar does not follow January through December. It begins with Advent (the four Sundays before Christmas) and moves through these seasons:

• Advent — Waiting and preparation before Christmas
• Christmas — Celebration of the incarnation (twelve days)
• Epiphany — The revelation of Christ to the nations; extends through late winter
• Lent — Forty days of reflection before Easter
• Easter — Fifty days of resurrection celebration
• Ordinary Time (also called the Season after Pentecost) — The long green season from late spring through November

The year ends with the Reign of Christ Sunday, then Advent begins again.

What Open Word is

Open Word is a free, zero-cost site that serves the appointed RCL readings for each day — verbatim from the public-domain Berean Standard Bible. No account, no subscription, no tracking. The readings are determined entirely by the lectionary schedule: what you see today is what churches around the world are reading today.