2026 Advent Series: With Great Power and Glory
Year B 2026-2027 Seeds and Ways Focus and Roadmap: Make a Path
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him
and will make a path for his steps.
(Psalm 85:9-13 NRSVue)
Following Jesus is a lifelong journey crafted out of daily movement. The choices we make, collectively and individually, carve out a trail that chronicles our hopes, values, and commitments. During Year B of the liturgical calendar, the gospel emphasis is on Mark’s account. The writing often seems abrupt and choppy in comparison to the more lyrical and eloquent narratives of the other Evangelists. Strikingly, there is an urgency found in the storytelling pacing and content that translates in the framing of the gospel. Jesus does waste time, even though there are moments of rest interspersed with transformational and immediate ministry meeting needs and confronting corrupt systems.
Paired with the prophecy of the Psalms, these readings invite us to action because the Holy One will keep their promises and provide what we need when we seek justice and righteousness in the way we live, move, and have our being. In Year B, we will ponder the charge to “Make a Path.”
2026-2027 Advent and Christmas Series: With Great Power and Glory
Advent holds the past and the future in tension and celebration. In Advent, we remember the salvific and redemptive acts of the Holy One in collaboration and community with people of faith. We also hope for God’s kindom realized on earth through continued divine-human partnership most distinctively manifested in Jesus Christ. Christmas enables us to rejoice in the birth of this miraculous interweaving with great power and glory.
As we worship and reflect during these seasons, let us not minimize the impact of Christ’s coming into the world to simplified Christmas stories shared for commercial consumption. Rather, let us reclaim the radical and revolutionary reality of the Incarnation. Let us also delight and be humbled by Emmanuel (God With Us).
In this series, we center the words found in Mark 13:26-27:
26 “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27 Then he will send out the angels and gather the elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
Let us also examine the paths life has offered, offers now, and will continue to offer us and the places we have sought, inhabit, and seek. Have we reduced the gospel that sets the captive free in this realm to only promise relief in the next? And, as we give thanks for the Holy One’s abiding presence with us, do we recommit to being with God in the times and spaces that require that we speak truth to power, act in liberative ways, and bring good news to the poor?
Scripture and Themes
Advent 1B – November 29: Mark 13:24-37 in conversation with Isaiah 64:1-9 | “Send and Gather”
Advent 2B – December 6:
Mark 1:1-8 in conversation with Isaiah 40:1-11| “Prepare and Appear”
Advent 3B – December 13:
John 1:6-8, 19-28 in conversation with Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 | “Witness and Confess”
Advent 4B – December 20:
Luke 1:26-38 in conversation with 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 | “Ponder and Question”
The Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology, United Church of Christ, (lindsayc@ucc.org), also serves as a local church pastor and worship scholar-practitioner with a particular interest in the proclamation of the word in gathered communities.