The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) is a three-year cycle of weekly readings adopted by the majority of mainline Protestant churches in Canada, the United States, and in many churches internationally. The RCL is built around the seasons of the Church Year, including four readings for each Sunday, as well as additional readings for major feast days. During most of the year, the lections are: a reading from the Hebrew Bible, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel reading. The Gospel readings follow this pattern: Year A = Matthew, Year B = Mark, Year C = Luke, with readings from the Gospel of John throughout the three Years.

The seasons of the Church Year reflect the life and ministry of Christ. Consequently, the Gospel lections for each Sunday provide the focus for that day. The other lections usually have a thematic relationship to the Gospel reading, although this is not always the case. In Ordinary Time, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two sets of readings for the lessons from the Hebrew Bible. One set proceeds mostly continuously, following the story of the Patriarchs and the Exodus in Year A, the monarchial narratives in Year B, and readings from the Prophets in Year C. In the other set, the readings from the Hebrew Bible are thematically related to the Gospel lections.