What's the difference between the lectionary and the book of common prayer?

[lucydogz]

I want to read the Bible everyday in a structured fashion, and don't understand which one to use. Can anyone advise?

Hello! The BCP is more a pattern of services used in churches - lots of different services, from standard communion through to wedding services etc. It's written in pretty old - though beautiful - language, and probably not what you're looking for for a daily reading kind of thing.

The Lectionary is the Church of England's Bible reading schedule and I think all the readings are on the CofE site and fairly accessible for use. I think it goes through the entire Bible in a year or possibly two years.

Depends what you're looking for - do you want to make your way through a lot of the Bible in a short time, or take more time over it? There are loads of good reading plans out there. You could check out the YouVersion bible app which comes with lots of different reading plans, you can pick one which appeals to you at this time and you can set notifications etc for a more structured time. I find it very flexible and helpful.

I think there's a lectionary app too, come to think of it.

The CofE has an online combined resource. You can view it online or access it as an app here. www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-in-daily-prayer
Lectionaries are scripture readings complied by the College of Liturgists and tend to follow a 3-4year reading cycle built around the churches year. The BCP is still used in some churches but many churches have switched to Common Worship.

Thank you both. I've got a copy of the Lectionary, which includes the BCP. I started with the former, but have ended up with the latter as it seems to be a more coherent and thorough progress through the O and NT. Plus it doesn't include many psalms, which is great. In the end I guess the answer is to do what serves me best but I don't understand why we have both in the c of e.

It is confusing that there are two sets of readings possible in a Sunday in the C of E. One set is the BCP and that has readings for a year and then you start again. The other has a three year cycle so you need to,know which year you are in; currently we are in year B. The three year cycle means that if you do morning and evening prayer you cover most of the Bible in 3 years. In the BCP the number of readings you hear is much more limited.

As to why it is this way then you get into the problems managing change in the C of E. It can catch a preacher out when you are visiting a church and they don't tell you which readings they are using. Realistically with only a years worth of Sunday readings most of us can manage a BCP sermon off the cuff as we will have preached on that cycle many times before.

Thank you. Perhaps i should go back to the Lectionary. Is it intended for it to supercede the BCP eventually then?