As I said in my previous post, one of my goals is to reclaim my spaces, one of which happens to be this website.
Two other goals are to write more and to dig more into my liturgical background. It has been over a decade since I last worked regularly with a lectionary (back in my days as an Archdiocese employee). Over the past decade, I have been serving in primarily Wesleyan spaces and have taken my path. The way I am describing my spirituality these days is “Wesleyan for sure, but not sure if I am much of a Methodist anymore.” Without getting into the nitty-gritty, I am not sure about what I am seeing/have experienced in any part of the whole Methodist debacle. It is what it is. I still serve in a Methodist church, though its flow is more series-driven than lectionary-driven. (This is not a criticism; I have an appreciation for both approaches.)
A friend (and later teacher) got me into the Revised Common Lectionary and I decided to start working with it for a while. I often compare two sites: Vanderbilt and the UMC Worship planner. I have not checked, but I am sure the Global Methodist Church also has – or is developing – a tailored lectionary to work from. The readings – Old Testament, Responsorial, Acts/Epistles, Gospel – will be largely the same with some minor differences. Vanderbilt often has multiple options for a slot and also addresses non-Sunday services (such as Epiphany or All Saints). UMC is more tailored to the United Methodist Church.
Again, I am not putting this into practice in my faith community. It is series-driven. This is solely my digging into it for kicks.
The theme for New Year’s Day 2026 is “The Holy Name of Jesus” and suggests the following readings:
Numbers 6:22-27 (The Aaronic Blessing)
Psalm 8:1-9
Galatians 4:4-7 OR Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 2:15-21
Since I am also practicing writing Psalm Responses… Here you go.
New Year’s Day is on Thursday this year and is not a regular service, though many faith communities still meet. The readings – and the homily (message) – will likely suggest a number of different possible liturgical and musical responses. Here are some possibilities off the top of my head. Right now, they are tilting toward CCM because I work with them regularly.
“The Blessing” picks off from the Numbers reading.
For Luke – Anything involving shepherds, the child in the manger, or Bethlehem. I’d hold off on the Magi until Epiphany myself.
Take/discard whatever you need to. These are just suggestions/thoughts to spark ideas.
If any of these are any help to you or maybe I could be of help, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line! Either comment below or email me at sunstrikellc@gmail.com.
