Field Testing: Lectionary and Gradual

Two years ago, we began soliciting volunteers to field test the temporal lectionary for The Lutheran Missal, followed by the sanctoral lectionary last year. This year, we are in search of volunteers to help us by field testing the lectionary and gradual texts for both the temporale and sanctorale beginning in Advent.

What is required of field testers?

We ask that field testers commit to using the provided lectionary and gradual texts for a full year, beginning in Advent of 2024, in whatever services you offer throughout the year, and periodically provide feedback.

How will this work?

After you fill out the brief form provided at the bottom of this page, you will receive access to electronic versions of all the necessary lectionary and gradual texts, as well as a noted gradual with simplified versions of the traditional tones for the Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, and Tracts. Periodic emails will be sent out to gather feedback on items of particular interest, and a form for general questions, queries, and comments will also be made available.

What distinguishes the Lectionary and Gradual for The Lutheran Missal from that of Lutheran Service Book?

• The temporale of The Lutheran Missal includes mass lections for every Wednesday and Friday throughout the year, every weekday in Lent, the Octaves of Easter and Pentecost, the quarterly Ember Days, and is, as a result, approximately three times larger than that of Lutheran Service Book.
• The sanctorale of The Lutheran Missal is primarily based on the calendar found in the Betbüchlein of Dr. Martin Luther, which is largely a distillation of the most widely celebrated saints at the turn of the sixteenth century. To these occasions have been added the vigils of the apostles, a few saints that were not widely celebrated in the late middle ages but have since gained prominence (e.g.: St. Patrick), and a handful of those who have served the Church in the last five hundred years. As a result, the sanctorale in The Lutheran Missal is approximately five times larger than that of Lutheran Service Book.
• A robust common will also be included in The Lutheran Missal, which will provide common texts for martyrs, confessors, virgins, and more. If your parish is named after a saint not on the calendar, or if another saint has a particular resonance or significance in your life or that of your parish, mass texts are readily available in the appropriate Common for your use.
• The Gradual texts that are to be field tested include not only the heretofore familiar Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, and Tracts, but also the traditional Offertories and Communions. Simplified versions of the traditional melodies for the Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, and Tracts of Sundays and principal feasts have been prepared by Dr. Jonathan Wessler and will be provided to field testers. English-language renderings of the full traditional melodies for the Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, and Tracts of Sundays and principal feasts can be found here, and the corresponding Offertories and Communions here, though the texts in these volumes do not always correspond exactly with the texts for The Lutheran Missal.
• The Introits follow the traditional form of a single psalm verse following the antiphon rather than the extended form with several verses introduced in Lutheran Worship (1982) and continued in Lutheran Service Book (2006). While greater familiarity with the Psalter is much to be desired, the primary home of the Psalter in the Church’s worship is in the Daily Office, not the Mass.
• All lectionary texts are provided in the New King James Version, and the gradual texts are provided in the Authorized (King James) Version.
• Note: No official collects are available yet, though some existing translations may be included in the materials for ease of use.

Where can I sign up?

Take a few moments to submit your information here, and you will receive access to the necessary materials. Please also share with any others who may be interested in field testing!