Something fun happened this week. Preaching for Change got a fresh start.
For years, the sermon archive was a bit like my garage: lots of good stuff in there, but you had to know where to dig. Now every sermon, series, and lectionary starter lives in one library you can search the way you actually prepare. Type in a passage, a Sunday, or a series, and it’s right there. There’s even a “this week” button that takes you straight to the coming Sunday’s readings. It’s all free to preach, adapt, and share.
And speaking of the coming Sunday, this week’s featured article is about that awkward stretch we’re in right now. Summer’s gone, Advent isn’t quite here, and it’s tempting to coast. Let’s not skip the landing.
Featured Article
Don’t Skip the Landing: Preaching the In-Between Sundays
There’s an awkward little stretch on the preacher’s calendar every year, and we’re right in the middle of it right now.
Summer is in the past. Ordinary Time is almost over. The stores have been playing Christmas music since before Halloween, but Advent is still a couple of weeks away.
So what do we preach?
Most of us do one of two things. We coast, treating these Sundays like filler until the “real” season starts. Or we rush ahead, sneaking Advent themes into November because the culture already has.
Keep reading on Preaching for Change
Lectionary Preaching Starter Thoughts
For Sunday, November 15, 2026, Proper 28, Year A (the 25th Sunday after Pentecost). New to the lectionary? It’s a shared three-year calendar of Bible readings many churches preach from together. Use one reading or all four.
Judges 4:1-7
Deborah holds court under a palm tree, and the people come to her. She isn’t a warrior chasing a title, but a listener people trust enough to seek out. That’s a picture of leadership worth preaching in a season when people have heard plenty of loud leaders.
Psalm 123
“As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master.” Next to this week’s gospel, this verse asks a good question: what kind of master do your people picture when they look up? This psalmist expects a master of mercy.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Paul talks about the end of all things, and then lands on the most ordinary instruction possible: “encourage one another and build up each other.” End-times talk that ends in encouragement, not fear, is the way to go.
Matthew 25:14-30
Three servants, three amounts of money, and one who buries his because “I knew that you were a harsh man... so I was afraid.” His picture of the master decided everything he did. The God we preach shapes whether our people risk anything at all.
Complementary track: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 and Psalm 90:1-12 (”teach us to number our days”)
A Head Start on Advent
If December usually sneaks up on your church, the Advent & Christmas Communications Kit has the eight-week timeline, captions, emails and Canva templates ready to go. It’s $12, and free for any church that can’t afford it.
New in the Archive
The sermon library has a new home. This week Preaching for Change got a fresh start. Every sermon, series and lectionary starter now lives in one library you can search the way you actually prepare: by passage (try “Psalm 23”), by Sunday (try “Advent 1 Year B”), or by series. There’s even a this week link that takes you straight to the coming Sunday.
Helpful Links for Pastors
Working Preacher Podcast #1112: Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost
The Working Preacher team on this Sunday’s readings, including the parable of the talents. Good company for your study this week. Listen to the episode
Most SBC Churches Confident About the Future, but Issues Loom (Lifeway Research)
Whatever your tradition, this one is worth a look. Two in five pastors in the study work another job, the average pastor is 56, and more than a third of churches have nothing for youth. A clear picture of how many of us are leading on thin margins. Read the research
Most Churchgoers Content With Their Congregation’s Worship Style (Lifeway Research)
A small but telling finding: younger churchgoers are the most likely to want more liturgy, not less. If you’ve wondered whether ancient practices have a future, the answer may be sitting in your youngest pews. Read the research
The Future of Church Is Smaller (and Online) (Rev. Jim Keat, Digital Ministry)
Jim Keat makes the case for church as a network of smaller communities, online and in person, growing from the people already in front of you. Hopeful and practical. Read the piece
If I Can Ever Help
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Walk Humble. The main page, where I write about life, faith and relationships.
Until next time, may you finish the season well and land it gently.
Preaching for Change