Login / Signup

Second Sunday of Advent - B

Hold down Ctrl (Windows) / Command (Mac) for multiple selections (scroll list to see all options)

Children's Activity

Commentary

Children's bulletin

Children's Liturgy and Story

Children's sermon

Children's Story

Devotional

Drama

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Highway engineers who plan the... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Highway engineers who plan the roads that wind through mountains have to take many factors into cons
In our nation where Christianity... -- Baruch 5:1-9 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
In our nation where Christianity had flourished in the past, it is now troubled both from within and
Jonathan Edwards, arguably the greatest... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Jonathan Edwards, arguably the greatest systematic theologian ever born on this side of the Atlantic
Paul wrote, You are always... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Paul wrote, "You are always in my heart (Philippians 1:7, TEV)!" Paul might be able to accomplish th
Over the years I have... -- Isaiah 40:1-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Over the years I have read or heard this text during many Advent seasons; yet the full power of it d
Bethany Christian Church in Fort... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Bethany Christian Church in Fort Worth, Texas, has been small since its founding a quarter century a
On his eightieth birthday shortly... -- Isaiah 40:1-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
On his eightieth birthday shortly before his death, Joseph Szigeti, a famous violinist, granted a si
In the classic Wait Disney... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
In the classic Wait Disney cartoon The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Mickey Mouse, as the young appr
At the turn of the... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
At the turn of the year it is customary for many of our national news magazines to recall for us the
A Sunday school teacher once... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
A Sunday school teacher once asked a class what was meant by the word "repentance." A little boy put
Make straight paths for him... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
"Make straight paths for him." Recently, a blind friend made the transition from using a mobility ca
A UPS manager asked some... -- Malachi 3:1-4 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
A UPS manager asked some friends of hers to deliver a parcel over a Christmas holiday near a town wh
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward... -- Baruch 5:1-9 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee says the role of the theater is to hold a mirror up t
It is said of the... -- Baruch 5:1-9 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
It is said of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, "He had written them for the pleasure and use of h
Jerusalem is the mother of... -- Baruch 5:1-9 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Jerusalem is the mother of us all.
Picture a rough dirt road... -- Baruch 5:1-9 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Picture a rough dirt road, hardly more than a path, leading out from a city following the rough terr
The late theologian Joseph Sittler... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
The late theologian Joseph Sittler once said, "The self is a center of grateful participation." It i
As a boy, Sir Walter... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
As a boy, Sir Walter Scott was left weak and lame by an attack of fever.
A friend has moved away... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
A friend has moved away.
Christian empathy; that is what... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Christian empathy; that is what Paul is describing.
The A&E Channel once... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
The A&E Channel once had a Biography segment on General George Marshall.
In warmer weather, road crews... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
In warmer weather, road crews are ubiquitous.
Ralph Milton tells of a... -- 2 Peter 3:8-15a -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Ralph Milton tells of a sign that hangs in a Cincinnati candle shop:
Frantz Fanon, the famed Algerian... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Frantz Fanon, the famed Algerian psychiatrist/author wrote The Wretched of the Earth and in t
Growing up, Ted lived in... -- 2 Peter 3:8-15a -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Growing up, Ted lived in an ideal situation.

Intercession

Poems

Prayer

Preaching

Sermon

Stories

Worship

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Signup for FREE!
(No credit card needed.)
Easter 4
28 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 5
33 – Sermons
140+ – Illustrations / Stories
34 – Children's Sermons / Resources
30 – Worship Resources
35 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 6
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Signup for FREE!
(No credit card needed.)

New & Featured This Week

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the sometimes-tiresome debate over science and scripture with respect to creation, it’s easy to become distracted. While the argument typically requires a focus on the how, we may lose sight of the what. And so, for just a moment, let me invite us to think for a moment about what God created.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Acts 8:26-40
As a local church pastor, I was often asked if I would baptize a child whose family were not members of the church. Some churches rebelled against this, but I remember this scripture — the hunger for understanding and inclusion of the Eunuch and Philp’s response — to teach and share and baptize in the name of our God. How could we turn anyone away from the rite of baptism?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Dad, I think you worked a miracle.” Rolf slowly walked around the tree. “After that windstorm, I assumed this tree was as good as gone.”

“We just needed to give the branches time to heal and come back,” Michael replied.

 “I know, but so many of them were battered and broken I figured that it couldn’t recover. Now though it looks just like it did before the storm.” Rolf paused. “Do you think it will bear any fruit this summer?”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Dean Feldmeyer
Quantisha Mason-Doll
For April 28, 2024:
  • On The Way To Gaza by Chris Keating based on Acts 8:26-40. On the way to Gaza, Philip discovers the startling ways the Spirit of God moves across borders, boundaries, customs, and traditions.
  • Second Thoughts: Abiding by Katy Stenta based on John 15:1-8.
  • Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. In our service today, let us absorb from the vine all the nourishment we need.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our branches become cut off from the vine.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes our branches are withered.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to produce good fruit.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
We will meet Psalm 22 in its entirety on Good Friday, but here the lectionary designates just verses 23-31. The lectionary psalms generally illuminate the week's First Lesson, which in this case is about the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. The nine verses from this psalm, while not inappropriate, nonetheless leave us looking for an obvious connection with the First Lesson.

John S. Smylie
I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, the corridor between New York City and Washington DC.
Ron Lavin
A pastor in Indiana went to visit an 87-year-old man named Ermil, who was a hospital patient. A member of his church told the pastor about this old man who was an acquaintance. "He's not a believer, but he is really in need," the church member said. "I met him at the county home for the elderly. He's a lonely old man with no family and no money."

Paul E. Robinson
"Love is a many splendored thing...." Or so we heard Don Cornwall and the Four Aces sing time and again. Of course you or I might have other words to describe love, depending on our situation.

Love. "I love you." "I love to play golf." "I just love pistachio lush!" "It's tough to love some people." "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Love.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL