Christmas 2B

Christmas 2B
(see also readings for Epiphany)

Click on Scripture Lessons below for study links and resources:

Jeremiah 31:7-14 / Sirach 24:1-12
Roman Catholic reading: Sirach 24:1-4, 8-12 or use Epiphany Readings
Episcopal Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14

Psalm 147:12-20 / Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21
Roman Catholic reading: Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20 or use Epiphany Readings
Episcopal Reading: Psalm 84

Ephesians 1:3-14
Roman Catholic reading: Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18 or use Epiphany Readings
Episcopal Reading: Ephesians1:3-6, 15-19a

John 1:(1-9), 10-18
Roman Catholic reading: John 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14 or use Epiphany Readings
Episcopal Reading: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 or Luke 2:41-52 or Matthew 2:1-12

Reading and Studying the Text This Week

Texts:
- NRSV Lectionary readings from Vanderbilt Divinity Library.
- Roman Catholic readings from the New American Bible (Epiphany).
- The Roman Catholic Lectionary for Mass (1998 USA Edition). At Felix Just S.J.'s The Roman Catholic Lectionary For Mass - a site featuring comprehensive tables of editions of the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
- Lectionary readings from the Episcopal Lectionary.
- Leccionario Dominical La Iglesia Episcopal Ministerio Latino Hispano, Año B.
- Lutheran lectionary readings, Year B, from the ELCA site.
- United Methodist lectionary readings, Year B..
- Biblical Passages for Mennonite Bulletins, Year B.
- Free Church version for Baptist, Reformed, and Congregational use Revised Common Lectionary Readings.
- ELCIC Worship Planning Calendar, lectionary citations with and without hymn suggestions, text and pdf formats.
- Lutheran RCL CEV readings - .doc files. Lutheran Bible Ministries.
- PCUSA - Daily/Weekly Lectionary Readings.
Images and Movies:
- Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Concordance, with the following themes:
- There is an interesting treatment of these verses of Johnâ€™s Gospel in George Stevensâ€™ The Greatest Story Ever Told. Ed McNulty, Visual Parables, 2014.
- Movies Linked at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance, with the following themes:
  - Incarnation
Commentary, Exegesis & Sermon Preparation (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page):
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
- Preaching This Week commentaries of RCL texts at WorkingPreacher.org, Luther Seminary, 2015.
- Preaching Helps and Worship Resources, Rev. Dawn Chesser, Taylor Burton-Edwards, Dean McIntyre, Prayers, Lectionary Hymns, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship, 2015.
- Points for Teaching and Preaching, The Lectionary Lab, 2015.
- Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2015.
- Evangelectionary for January 4, 2015, Mick Bradley, Evangelism Connections, 2015.
- Disclosing New Worlds, Christmas2B, commentary and reflections, Lawrence Moore, 2015.
- Process and Faith Lectionary Commentary, David J. Lull, Process and Faith, 2015.
- Ministry Matters, January 4, 2015.
- The Center for Excellence in Preaching, resources from Calvin Theological Seminary: Comments & Observations, Textual Points, Illustration Ideas, 2015.
- Lectionary at Lunch: MP3, Windows Media, and Real Audio files of lectures by professors at Concordia Seminary, St Louis, MO (LCMS), 2015.
- Starters for Sunday, January 2015. Thoughts on Readings, Prayers & Hymn Suggestions. Office for Worship, Doctrine and Artistic Matters, Church of Scotland.
- Girardian Reflections on the Lectionary, Christmas 2, by Paul Nuechterlein & Friends.
- Jesus Now, Christmas 2B, lectionary, study and worship resources from Faith Futures Jesus Then & Now.
- Rumors, for January 4, 2009, Ralph Milton, "Sermon helps for preachers with a sense of humor."
- Readings, Analysis of Texts and Preaching Paths, Dennis Bratcher, Christian Resource Institute. (Church of the Nazarene.)
Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
Lectionary Reflections, Discussions & Weblogs:
- Textweek Blog and Facebook Page: The Text This Week, lectionary discussion & suggested articles on Facebook.
- Sermon Brainwave, Lectionary podcast featuring Profs. Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis, and Matt Skinner, discussing the week's passages in light of current events. At Luther Seminary's WorkingPreacher.org. 2015.
- "Christmas Continued," David Lose, ...in the meantime... 2015.
- "A World of Hope and Disappointment," Greg Carey, ON Scripture, Odyssey Networks, 2015. Video: 5 Things on the Minds of Americans.
- Gathering, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc, 2015. .rtf file at this link. (Terms of Use)
- The Politics of Incarnation, John Allen, Political Theology Today, 2015.
- Lectionary Ruminations, John Edward Harris, 2015.
- "No Plastic Jesus Here: The Word Became Flesh," Janet H. Hunt, Dancing with the Word, 2015.
- "A Worthy Son," Thomas Beam, 2015.
- "Hidden in Plain Sight," Sharron R. Blezard, 2015.
- Care for Creation Commentary, Tom Mundahl, 2015.
- Preaching Tip of the Week, Bob Eldan, preachingtip, 2018.
- Richard Bryant, Food for Thought, 2015.
- Pray As You Can, Reflections, commentary, prayer, poems, etc., Kym Harris, Diocese of Rockhampton, 2015.
- Lectio Divina Podcast, Todd Spencer, 2015.
- "Ten Minutes on a Tuesday," a weekly resource for preachers and worship leaders, The Methodist Church of New Zealand, 2015.
- HuffPost Religion, religion news and contemporary news in religious perspective. Always worth a read...
- Unfolding Light, Daily Reflections leading toward Sunday readings, Steve Garnaas-Holmes, 2015.
- Break Open the Word, Michael T. Hiller, 2015.
- One Little Word, David J. Risendal, 2015.
- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Bible, Andy Doyle, Episcopal Diocese of Texas, 2015.
- The River of Life, Loddon Mallee UCA Presbytery Blog, 2015.
- The Hardest Question, 2015.
- Sunday's Child, Daily Lectionary and Reflections on Scripture and World, Una Malachica, 2015.
- Stillspeaking Daily Devotional, UCC.org. Daily devotional for Twitter. (Daily RCL)
- Weekly Reflections on the Christian Faith (lectionary texts), conversations between Mark Smith and David Owen, England Public School Chaplains. 2015
- Kairos CoMotion Lectionary Dialogue, Wesley White, 2015.
- Living the Lectionary, Daily RCL reflections, Pr. Phil Heinze, Fort Worth, TX, 2015.
- The Preacher's Exchange - First Impressions and Homilias Domincales / Homilias Breves. Jude Siciliano, O.P., 2015.
- SacraConversazione, discussion of the texts in terms of traditions of interpreters, from a postmodern perspective, 2015.
- COSLC Grace Notes, Pastor Dan Bollerud, Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, Anchorage, AK. Meditations & poetry, 2015.
- Lectionary Scripture Notes, Dr. Norman Beck.
- "Voices from the Desert: New Year's Resolutions from out Monastic Mothers and Fathers," The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with Jesus Foundation, 2009.
- The Saturday Night Theologian, Exegesis of Word and World, Tod O.L. Mundo, Progressive Theology Weblog, 2009.
- Articles from The Christian Century:
  - "Homeward Bound," Christine Pohl, 2005.
  - "Course Correction," Barbara Sholis, 2002.
  - "The Message and the Messenger," John Stendahl, 1997.
  - "Penetrating the Darkness," Gonald Goetz, 1988.
- "Living the Word," at Sojourners:
  - "Full Circle," Michaela Bruzzese, "Claiming Our Inheritance," 2009.
- Desperate Preacher's Site: sermons, discussions, liturgical material and other resources.
Sermons (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page):
- "Let Jesus Show," Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustrations.
- Ministry Matters, January 4, 2015.
- "A Permanent Glimpse of God," the Rev. Dr. Thomas Lane Butts, Day 1, 2009.
- Selected Sermon, Christmas 2B (RCL), the Rev. Dr. Susanna Metz, in Worship that Works, ECUSA, 2009.
Group Studies & Discussion/Reflection Questions:
- Points for Teaching and Preaching, The Lectionary Lab, 2015.
- "A World of Hope and Disappointment," Greg Carey, ON Scripture, Odyssey Networks, 2015. Video: 5 Things on the Minds of Americans.
- "Close to God's Heart," Weekly Seeds, UCC, 2015.
- "Two Languages," study guide, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at) "Moral Landscape of Creation," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2001. (John 1)
- Lesson Plans That Work, Adults, Christmas, Year B, The Episcopal Church, 2008.
- Light on the Lessons, Lutheran Bible Ministries. .doc file leaders guide and participant guide for group study of the weekly lectionary readings.
A list of links to on-line Bibles and general Bible study resources.
A list of links to scholarly and preaching discussion groups and their homepages.
A list of links to other lectionary-based preaching and worship resources.

OnLine Worship and Liturgy Resources

The Text This Week's Christmas Resources Page.
Complete Liturgies and General Worship Planning Resources:
- Preaching Helps and Worship Resources, Rev. Dawn Chesser, Taylor Burton-Edwards, Dean McIntyre, Prayers, Lectionary Hymns, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship, 2015.
- Gathering, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc, 2015. .rtf file at this link. (Terms of Use)
- "Hidden in Plain Sight," Sharron R. Blezard, 2015.
- Mustard Seeds, "Shining Lights," Christmas 2B, 2015. A lectionary-based ideas resource for leaders of contemporary worship, Ann Scull, Gippsland, Australia.
- Worship and Liturgy Resources, Christmas 2 by Rev David Beswick, Uniting Church in Australia.
- Ministry Matters, January 4, 2015.
- Lectionary Liturgies, Christmas 2B, 2015. Thom M. Shuman, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Prayers, Prefaces, Litanies, etc:
- Laughing Bird Liturgical Resources, by Nathan Nettleton, South Yarra Community Baptist Church, Melbourne, Australia. Prayers, blessings, Eucharistic prefaces and scripture paraphrases.
- Resources: Based on the Revised Common Lectionary. Prayers, Collects and Litanies by Bruce Prewer, Uniting Church in Australia.
- Liturgical Planning and Music Suggestions, CanticaNova Publications.
- Outside the Box, Sundays after Christmas, litanies, poems and prayers written for the local church, by Katherine Hawker.
- Worship Resources, Christmas 2B, John van de Laar, Sacredise.
- "Liturgy: prayer reflection", reflections on the collect at the Eucharist, Rev. Bosco Peters, New Zealand.
- Thematic, Intercessory and Scripture Prayers for the RCL, Vanderbilt Divinity Library.
- Starters for Sunday, 2015. Thoughts on Readings, Prayers & Hymn Suggestions. Office for Worship, Doctrine and Artistic Matters, Church of Scotland.
- Prayers and Musical Ideas, 2015. Commentary, historical background, poems and readings. Center for Liturgy, St Louis University. (Español)
- Gathering, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc, 2015. .rtf file at this link. (Terms of Use)
- Worship Ways, prayers and liturgical resources. UCC. Español.
- Preaching Helps and Worship Resources, Rev. Dawn Chesser, Taylor Burton-Edwards, Dean McIntyre, Prayers, Lectionary Hymns, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship, 2015.
- The Timeless Psalms: Psalm 147:12-20, (Christmas 2B), Joan Stott, prayers and meditations based on lectionary Psalms, 2014.
- Reflections on collect prayers, Christmas 2, Bosco Peters, Liturgy: Worship that Works - Spirituality that Connects.
- Prayers of the People, Epiphany, 2015, Richard J. Einerson, sample prayers from Prayers of the People: Pastoral Prayers for Worship and Personal Devotion.
- Prayers of the People, Lowell Grisham, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2015.
- Evangelectionary for January 4, 2015, Mick Bradley, Evangelism Connections, 2015.
Graphics & Multimedia:
- Art in the Christian Tradition, Jean and Alexander Heard, Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License.
- Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Follows Latin American Roman Catholic gospel reading, though most gospels texts/themes are found in the index. Liberation emphasis.
- Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
- There is an interesting treatment of these verses of Johnâ€™s Gospel in George Stevensâ€™ The Greatest Story Ever Told. Ed McNulty, Visual Parables, 2014.
- Mustard Seeds, "Shining Lights," Christmas 2B, 2015. A lectionary-based ideas resource for leaders of contemporary worship, Ann Scull, Gippsland, Australia.
- "A World of Hope and Disappointment," Greg Carey, ON Scripture, Odyssey Networks, 2015. Video: 5 Things on the Minds of Americans.
Hymns and Music:
- Original Hymns, Settings, and Songs:
  - Hymns of the Spirit Three, Christmas 2B, Richard E. Hurst, Universalist National Memorial Church.
- Hymn/Song/Choral Piece Lists:
  - Hymn Suggestions for the Sunday Lectionary (with lyrics and sound files) from the Oremus Hymnal. (Click "Hymn Suggestions for the Sunday Lectionary.")
  - Preaching Helps and Worship Resources, Rev. Dawn Chesser, Taylor Burton-Edwards, Dean McIntyre, Prayers, Lectionary Hymns, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship, 2015.
  - Hymn selections (United Methodist) and more from Hymnsite.com.
  - Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
  - The Billabong by Rev Jeff Shrowder, Uniting Church in Australia: Hymn suggestions and paraphrases of lectionary Psalms.
  - Hymn and Song Suggestions, Christmas 2B / Epiphany 2009, annotated suggestions from Natalie Sims, Singing from the Lectionary.
  - Sing for Joy, Christmas 2, 2009. Choral reflections on this week's lectionary readings, St. Olaf College.
  - Starters for Sunday, 2015. Thoughts on Readings, Prayers & Hymn Suggestions. Office for Worship, Doctrine and Artistic Matters, Church of Scotland.
  - Prayers and Musical Ideas, 2015. Commentary, historical background, poems and readings. Center for Liturgy, St Louis University. (Español)
  - Gathering, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc, 2015. .rtf file at this link. (Terms of Use)
Children's Bulletins (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page)
- Lectionary Puzzles by Reg McMillan, St.Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Peterborough, Ontario. Word search puzzles in RTF or plain text (html) formats.
- Coloring Pages/Puzzles. Charles Kirkpatrick, Object Lessons & Children's Sermons, Coloring Pages, Puzzles. Sermons4Kids.com. (Scroll to bottom of page.)
With Children (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page):
- Worshiping with Children, Christmas 2, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2015.
- "Storypath Lectionary Links: Connecting Children's Literature with our Faith Story," January 4, 2015, Union Presbyterian Seminary. Connections: Jeremiah 31:7-14 and The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, Ephesians 1:3-14 and Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd, John 1:(1-9) 10-18 and Katie and the Puppy Next Door by John Himmelman.
- "Hidden in Plain Sight," Sharron R. Blezard, 2015.
- Gathering, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc, 2015. .rtf file at this link. (Terms of Use)
Drama (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page)
- Dramatic Reading, John 1/Genesis 1, Theresa Coleman, reverend mommy's random thoughts.
A list of links to other lectionary-based preaching and worship resources.