The Epistle reading is the passage from the New Testament letters read during the Divine Liturgy, usually from Paul’s epistles, the book of Acts, or the Catholic Epistles like James or Peter. It comes after the Little Entrance and before the Gospel reading.
Every Sunday at St. Michael, you’ll hear two Scripture readings. The Epistle comes first. Then the Gospel. The Church has appointed specific readings for every day of the year through what’s called a lectionary. Think of it as the Church’s calendar of Scripture readings.
Where It Happens in the Service
The Epistle gets read from the center of the church, usually by a reader. Right before it, you’ll hear a prokeimenon, a short refrain sung back and forth between the reader and the choir. Then the reader announces which book and chapter we’re hearing from. “The reading is from Paul’s letter to the Romans.” Something like that.
After the Epistle, the priest or deacon says “Peace be unto thee” to the reader, and we respond. Then comes the Alleluia, sung three times, building anticipation. Then the deacon (or priest) takes the Gospel book to read it, with candles and incense. (The procession with the Gospel book came earlier, at the Little Entrance.) The Gospel reading gets more ceremony: incense, candles, kissing the book afterward. But don’t mistake that for the Epistle being less important. Both readings shape what we hear and how we understand the day’s celebration.
What’s Actually Read
The “Apostolos” is what we call the book these readings come from. It contains Acts, all of Paul’s letters, Hebrews, and the Catholic Epistles. Sometimes you’ll hear from Acts during Paschal season, when the Church reads about the early Christians living out the Resurrection. Other times it’s Paul writing to the Corinthians about love or the Resurrection. Or James talking about faith and works. Or Peter encouraging Christians facing persecution.
The readings aren’t chosen randomly. During Paschal season, we read Acts because we’re celebrating the Church being born through the Resurrection. After Pentecost, we work through Paul’s letters more or less in order, though feast days interrupt the sequence with their own appointed readings. Christmas has its Epistle. Theophany has its Epistle. The Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee has its Epistle. Each one connects to what we’re celebrating.
Why Epistle and Gospel Together
Here’s the pattern: the Epistle gives us apostolic teaching and the Gospel gives us Christ himself. The Epistle might explain doctrine, offer moral instruction, or tell us how the early Church lived. Then the Gospel shows us Jesus, his words, his actions, his saving work. They’re meant to be heard together.
On the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, the Epistle (1 Corinthians 6:12-20) reminds us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and that we were bought at a price. Then the Gospel tells the story of the father running to embrace his returning son. See how they speak to each other? The Epistle prepares us to hear the Gospel rightly.
This goes back to the earliest Christian worship. When believers gathered, they read from the apostles’ letters and from the Gospels. The Church understands that we need both, apostolic teaching to interpret what Christ did, and the Gospel to show us Christ himself. We don’t just read the Bible privately and make up our own minds about what it means. We hear it proclaimed in the assembly, where the Church has appointed specific readings for specific days, shaping how we understand Scripture within Holy Tradition.
Living With the Lectionary
If you’re used to churches where the pastor picks a verse or passage for his sermon series, this feels different. We don’t choose the readings. The Church gives them to us. That means some Sundays you’ll hear passages that challenge you exactly when you need it. Other Sundays you’ll hear something you don’t fully understand yet, and that’s fine. You’ll hear it again next year. And the year after that.
The lectionary isn’t just about information. It’s formative. Year after year, the same readings come around, and you hear them differently depending on where you are in life. The Epistle about marriage sounds different when you’re engaged than when you’ve been married twenty years. The passage about suffering means something different after you’ve lost someone.
Each Sunday has its appointed Epistle and Gospel readings, listed in any Orthodox church calendar. Some people read them beforehand. Others prefer to hear them fresh. Either way, those readings aren’t just background to the “real” worship. They’re part of how God speaks to us, how the Church teaches us, and how we’re formed into the image of Christ over time.
