The Narrative Lectionary is a four-year cycle of readings. On the Sundays from September through May each year the texts follow the sweep of the biblical story, from Creation through the early Christian church.

The texts show the breadth and variety of voices within Scripture. They invite people to hear the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Moses and the prophets, Jesus, and Paul. Listening to the many different voices within Scripture enriches preaching and the life of faith. To learn more, visit narrativelectionary.org.

The Narrative Lectionary was initiated by Profs. Rolf Jacobson and Craig Koester of Luther Seminary, in partnership with congregations across North America.

The experiment began in 2010 and continues to grow.

The Congregational Song Suggestions in each of the blog postings are centered around three primary hymnals:

(That these hymnals take center stage in these suggestions is a reflection of A) the Lutheran origins of the Narrative Lectionary, B) the fact that the compiler is a Pastor of a PCUSA congregation, and C) that Voices Together is one of the most recent (and most inclusive) major Protestant hymnals to have been published.)

Other Hymnals noted include:

Many of the hymns are drawn from recent collections of individual authors and composers. As a writer in the GIA Publications family, I have primarily pointed to GIA materials, simply because I know these best. These can be found in collected form (either as downloadable PDFs or as printed material) at giamusic.com.

Most of the GIA hymns are also available for individual download through giamusic.com/unbound. The Unbound section of the GIA website includes a wide array of recently published hymns. Worship leaders can search Unbound by title, author, composer, tune, meter, or Bible reference. Bundles of thematic or seasonal hymns are also made available from time to time.

Most (but not all) of the hymns above are available for use in worship through OneLicense.net. OneLicense makes it easy to obtain copyright permission to reprint, podcast, livestream, and record hymns and songs for your congregation.

As often as we sing about justice, let us remember to be people of justice by faithfully acquiring the appropriate license for your ministry, and reporting your usage.

Materials not covered through OneLicense may be covered through other services, such as CCLI, CCS, etc. On occasion, you may need to contact the artists directly. Please make sure you have the licensing you need before programming any selection.