Advent & Christmas 2026 · RCL Year B
Your Advent series,
prepared before the first candle
Five free Service Prep Packs for the four Sundays of Advent and Christmas, on the passages most churches will read this year. Each has a verse-by-verse study, sermon outline, service slides and a congregation handout, with the King James text word for word.
Free to read · no credit card · first Sunday of Advent is November 29
The series
Four Sundays of Advent
Hope, peace, joy and love: a common pattern for the Advent wreath (some churches order the themes differently). Every pack opens free in the library.
- NOV29Week 1
First Sunday of Advent · Hope
Advent Hope
Isaiah 64:1-9 · KJV
A people who cannot save themselves ask God to come down. Advent opens with honest longing and the Potter who does not let go.
Also in the RCL for this Sunday: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 · 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 · Mark 13:24-37
- DEC6Week 2
Second Sunday of Advent · Peace
Advent Peace
Isaiah 40:1-11 · KJV
Comfort spoken to a weary people, a highway in the desert, and a Shepherd who carries the lambs. The voice John the Baptist took up.
Also in the RCL for this Sunday: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 · 2 Peter 3:8-15a · Mark 1:1-8
- DEC13Week 3
Third Sunday of Advent · Joy
Advent Joy — The Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55 · KJV
Mary's song: joy in God her Saviour, who scatters the proud, lifts the lowly and remembers his mercy, as he promised.
Also in the RCL for this Sunday: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 · Psalm 126 · 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 · John 1:6-8, 19-28
- DEC20Week 4
Fourth Sunday of Advent · Love
Advent Love — The Annunciation
Luke 1:26-38 · KJV
Gabriel's announcement: the Son of the Highest, David's everlasting throne, nothing impossible with God, and Mary's trusting yes.
Also in the RCL for this Sunday: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 · Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 · Romans 16:25-27
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
Christmas
- DEC24Christmas
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day · Christ candle
Christmas — The Birth of Jesus
Luke 2:1-20 · KJV
The birth in Bethlehem, the angels' good tidings to the shepherds, and a Saviour who is Christ the Lord, for all people.
Also in the RCL for Christmas: Isaiah 9:2-7 · Psalm 96 · Titus 2:11-14
Readings from the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B 2026–27, as listed by the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. The Magnificat is printed there as Luke 1:46b-55 and the Christmas gospel as Luke 2:1-14 (15-20).
In every pack
Everything for the service, from one passage
Verse-by-verse study
Ten sections: context, the passage, observations, interpretation, the Christ connection, application and prayer.
Sermon / teaching outline
Big idea, three to five points with verses, handout answers and application. An outline, not a script.
Service slides
A projector-ready 16:9 deck: the reading word for word, the big idea, your points and questions.
Congregation handout
Fill-in-the-blank notes that follow the points. US Letter by default, A4 for the UK.
Discussion questions
Questions for small groups and Sunday school, from observation through to this week's response.
Children's corner
A simple retelling for ages 5–10, three questions, a low-prep activity and a short prayer (paid plans).
Lectionary readings
The other Revised Common Lectionary readings for the day, so you can plan the whole service around one text.
Hymn suggestions
Public-domain hymns matched to the passage, such as O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Titles only; use your own hymnal.
A real sample, not a mockup
What you’ll project and print on November 29
From the First Sunday of Advent pack (Isaiah 64:1-9, KJV), exactly as ScripturePath produced it. Handout shown on US Letter.
Guide
Planning an Advent series in an evening
Pick the shape of the series
Advent looks two ways: back to the first coming in Bethlehem and forward to Christ's return. Week 1 starts with longing (Isaiah 64), week 2 with comfort and preparation (Isaiah 40), then Mary's song and the announcement to Mary lead into Christmas.
Read the passage before you read the pack
Pray and read the text first. Then use the study for context and questions you might have missed, and mark what you will keep, cut or say differently. The outline is a starting point, not a script.
Print early, project the reading
Download handouts for the whole series in one sitting (US Letter or A4) and put the KJV reading on the screen from the service slides, so everyone reads the same words.
Bring the children along
Each pack's children's corner retells the passage in simple words for ages 5 to 10, with questions, an activity and a prayer. It works for Sunday school or a children's talk.
Scripture quoted word for word
Every verse comes from the King James Version (1769), public domain and stored with the app. Scripture is never edited, paraphrased or generated.
Historic, Trinitarian faith
Prayers are offered to the Father through Jesus Christ. Where traditions differ, the main views are set out fairly, and historical claims carry confidence markers.
Questions
Advent packs: common questions
Which lectionary year is Advent 2026?
Advent 2026 begins Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary on Sunday, November 29, 2026. Each pack takes one of that Sunday's RCL readings, and the other readings are listed so you can use them in the service.
Are the Advent packs really free?
Yes. Every study is free to read in the library without an account. With a free account you can download the participant handout. Full slide decks, the leader's outline and the children's corner come with the Leader and Preacher plans; free visitors get previews.
Will these work for my denomination?
They are written for churches across the historic Christian faith: Trinitarian, Scripture-first, and fair where traditions read a text differently. The Revised Common Lectionary is used by many Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican and Episcopal, Reformed and Baptist congregations, and the passages are just as useful if you do not follow a lectionary.
Which Bible translation is used?
The King James Version (1769), quoted word for word from public-domain text stored with the app. If you prepare your own study you can also choose the Berean Standard Bible.
Can I prepare Advent on a different passage?
Yes. Type any passage, such as Isaiah 9:2-7, Micah 5:2-5 or John 1:1-14, and ScripturePath prepares the same set: study, outline, slides and handout. The free plan includes 3 free packs to start, then 1 every month.
Is the Christmas pack for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Either. Luke 2:1-20 is the gospel for the Nativity of the Lord (Proper I) in the Revised Common Lectionary, which many churches read on Christmas Eve, and it works just as well on Christmas morning.
Preaching a different text this Advent?
Type any passage and get the same pack in minutes: study, outline, slides and handout. The free plan includes 3 free packs to start, then 1 every month, no credit card.
Try it freeOr browse the free library and the sermon prep tool.