The Word Among Us: Reflections on the Readings of the Revised Common Lectionary

A.J. Pell is rector of Christ Church in Hope, B.C., and a lecturer in
the Anglican Studies Programme at Regent College in Vancouver.

With the volumes of Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL),
Herbert O’Driscoll completes The Word Among Us series. He adopts the
pattern first used in his Child of Peace, Lord of Life series on the
three-year lectionary that the RCL replaced. The readings for each
Sunday of one-third of the liturgical year (Advent to the end of
Epiphany in Volume 1 and Lent to Trinity Sunday in Volume 2) begin with
“Weavings” that identify a theme for that day’s readings, followed
by separate “Reflections” on each reading and the psalm portion.

O’Driscoll has his moments in which the power of Scripture comes
through: looking into the heart and motivation of the Ethiopian eunuch
of Acts 8:26–40 (Vol. 2, 76–78); describing the power of John the
Baptist to attract hearers in Mark 1:1–8 (Vol. 1, 21–22);
identifying the age-old human inclination to fix life’s problems with
money or influence in 2 Kings 5:1–14 (Vol. 1, 94); noting how hostile
political powers accuse Christians of disloyalty to justify persecution
in Acts 4:5–12 (Vol. 2, 69).

Yet overall O’Driscoll’s reflections are usually somewhat flat.
Perhaps this is because Good Friday is missing, not just literally
(these volumes are concerned only with Sunday readings) but in spirit as
well. The pain and sorrow of the Cross is elusive in these volumes, and
so it is no wonder that O’Driscoll has difficulty in singing with
Psalm 29, “Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength” as do the
worshippers in the Temple who “all are crying, ‘Glory!’” (Vol.
2, 107).