The Archbishops' Council
ISBN 9780715121283 (0715121286)
Church House Publishing, 2007
£4.5

Category: Worship & Liturgy

Large Edition:
ISBN 9780715121290
£5.50

These booklets contain the Church of England Common Worship calendar for the liturgical year 2007-8, which begins on Advent Sunday, 2nd December 2007.

References for Bible readings for every day of the year are set out in a table with one week per page. For each day there are three sets of readings, one for a service of Holy Communion and one each for Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. The dates of feasts, festivals, saints' days and other celebrations, such as Mothering Sunday, are all indicated.

The helpful introduction includes notes on 'How to use this book', which explains the different columns and the significance of each typeface. There are also 'Notes on the Calendar 2 December 2007 — 29 November 2008' which explain the rules governing when to celebrate Principal Feasts and Festivals, along with brief notes on the Year A lectionary, and the collects. Pages 8-9 provide an explanation of the abbreviations, the lectionary for festivals which can fall on alternative dates and a key to the tables.

These booklets are a vital resource for Church of England ministers and indeed useful to anyone who wants to maintain a pattern of daily Bible reading. In order to read the lectionary in both booklets you have to turn the page through ninety degrees. The print in the standard edition is small. Both editions have increased in price this year.

Sue Groom, December 2007

The Revd Sue Groom is the Director of Deanery Licensed Ministry for the Kensington Episcopal Area of London. Before this she was Vicar of St Matthew's, Yiewsley and also served as the Reader Training Officer for the Willesden Episcopal Area. She is the author of Linguistic Analysis of Biblical Hebrew (Paternoster Press, 2003).

Church House Publishing

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