Pastoral Resources 2025-26

For those who are walking with us using our yearly theme, below you will find an at-a-glance summary of the entire year, with church year seasons, lectionary texts, and the weekly teaching themes and texts.

  • Books We Are Reading this Church Year
  • Church Year Season Overview: Do you need a refresher on the historical and spiritual origins of the Church Year? See an overview of the Church Year Seasons and learn more about each season and how it is used by the church to celebrate the person and works of Jesus of Nazareth. 

Your Kingdom Come Series Introduction

Our series during Ordinary time will explore the revelation of God’s Kingdom through his Son. We will look specifically how the incarnation—the ministry, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ—reveals the long-promised Kingdom of God breaking into human history demonstrating God’s love, destroying the powers that ravaged creation, and displaying the Messiah’s promise. Through his teaching, miracles, exorcisms, healings, and good works, Jesus demonstrated that the Kingdom prophesied by Hebrew prophets and rooted in God’s covenants with Abraham and David had arrived. This vision of the Kingdom being present yet not fully consummated (George Ladd’s “Already/Not Yet” Kingdom) highlights the Christus Victor theme of salvation. God was in Christ, destroying the powers that rebelled against his will, rescinding rescinded the Curse, ending the effects of the Fall, destroying death, defeating the devil’s works, and laying the foundation for creation’s restoration.

Week 8: The Time is Fulfilled: The Fall of Humankind and the Curse Overturned
Scripture: Mark 1:14-15 (cf. Gen. 3:1-15) Mark 1:14-20
Summary: Jesus’ proclamation that the time is fulfilled declares the arrival of the Kingdom long anticipated in Hebrew prophecy, harking back to God’s promise to bring a champion who would crush the head of the serpent, the great enemy of God and creation. Jesus’ call to repent and believe marks the decisive moment when God’s reign breaks into human history.

Week 9: The Call of Abraham: God’s Kingdom Promise to the Families of the Earth
Scripture: Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:8 
Summary: God’s covenant with Abraham contained the Kingdom’s DNA—blessing for all nations through faith. This covenant anticipates the global scope of Christ’s Kingdom that transcends ethnic and geographical boundaries.

Week 10: The Throne of David: The Messianic Promise for David’s Eternal Reign
Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Luke 1:32-33
Summary: God’s promise of an eternal throne to David finds fulfillment in Jesus, whose Kingdom surpasses earthly dynasties. The angel’s announcement to Mary reveals Jesus as the ultimate Davidic King whose reign has no end.

Week 11: The Prophets’ Vision of the Messianic King: Isaiah’s Testimony
Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7; 61:1-3
Summary: Isaiah’s prophecies of the Wonderful Counselor and the Spirit-anointed liberator find their fulfillment in Jesus’ ministry. These texts reveal the Kingdom’s character as bringing justice, peace, and liberation to the oppressed.

Week 28: Daniel’s Vision of An Eternal Kingdom: The Ancient of Days and the Son of Man
Scripture: Daniel 7:13-14; Mark 14:62
Summary: Jesus links his identity to the promised Messianic Lord to come. Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man receiving an everlasting dominion is claimed by Jesus at his trial. This Kingdom breaks into time from eternity, superseding all earthly powers and principalities.

Week 29: New Kingdom, Creation, and People: Jeremiah’s New Covenant Promise
Scripture: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8-12
Summary: Jeremiah’s new covenant vision anticipates the Kingdom’s internalization of God’s law through forgiveness and intimate knowledge of God. Christ’s blood establishes this covenant, making Kingdom citizenship possible.

Week 30: The Messiah’s Baptism: The King’s Anointing
Scripture: Mark 1:9-11; Isaiah 42:1
Summary: Jesus’ baptism reveals his identity as the beloved Son and Suffering Servant, anointed by the Spirit for Kingdom ministry. This moment marks the public inauguration of the Kingdom’s earthly manifestation.

Week 31: The Messiah’s Temptation: The Kingdom’s Victory Over Satan
Scripture: Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13
Summary: Jesus’ wilderness temptation demonstrates the Kingdom’s power over Satan’s dominion where Adam failed. Christ’s victory over temptation establishes the Kingdom’s moral authority and breaks Satan’s claims over humanity.

Week 32: The Messiah’s Teaching with Authority: The Kingdom’s Prophetic Word
Scripture: Mark 1:21-22; Matthew 5:21-48
Summary: Jesus’ authoritative teaching reveals the Kingdom’s transformative power to reinterpret and fulfill God’s law. His words carry divine authority that amazes hearers and reshapes understanding of righteousness.

Week 33: The Messiah’s Healing of the Sick: The Kingdom’s Compassion
Scripture: Mark 1:29-34; Matthew 11:2-6
Summary: Jesus’ healing ministry demonstrates the Kingdom’s power over disease and suffering, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecies about the Messiah’s works. Physical healing reveals the Kingdom’s comprehensive restoration of human wholeness.

Week 34: The Messiah’s Casting Out Demons: Liberation and Binding the Strong Man
Scripture: Mark 1:23-27; 3:22-27
Summary: Jesus’ exorcisms reveal the Kingdom’s victory over demonic forces and Satan’s strongholds. His power to cast out demons demonstrates that God’s Kingdom has bound the strong man and is plundering his house.

Week 35: The Messiah Calling Disciples: The Kingdom’s Community
Scripture: Mark 1:16-20; 3:13-19
Summary: Jesus’ calling of disciples creates the Kingdom’s initial community, transforming ordinary people into agents of God’s reign. This new community embodies the Kingdom’s values of sacrificial love and mutual service.

Week 36: The Messiah’s Miracles and Healings: The Kingdom’s Power Over Creation
Scripture: Mark 4:35-41; 6:30-44
Summary: Jesus’ nature miracles demonstrate the Kingdom’s authority over creation itself, revealing him as the Creator-King. These signs point to the Kingdom’s ultimate goal of creation’s complete restoration and renewal.

Week 37: The Messiah Cleansing the Temple: The Kingdom’s Judgment
Scripture: Mark 11:15-19; Malachi 3:1-4
Summary: Jesus’ temple cleansing demonstrates the Kingdom’s purifying judgment against religious corruption and exploitation. This prophetic act reveals the Kingdom’s demand for authentic worship and justice.

Week 38: The Messiah Confronting Religious Leaders: The Kingdom’s Revolutionary Truth
Scripture: Mark 12:13-17, 35-40; Matthew 23:1-12
Summary: Jesus’ debates with religious authorities expose the Kingdom’s conflict with human traditions that obscure God’s truth. The Kingdom demands humility and genuine faith over legalistic performance and social status.

Week 39: The Messiah’s Call to Discipleship: The Kingdom’s Demands (rich young ruler)
Scripture: Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:18-30
Summary: The rich young ruler’s encounter reveals the Kingdom’s demand for total allegiance over material possessions and social privilege. Entry into the Kingdom requires surrendering all competing loyalties to God’s reign.

Week 40: The Messiah’s Blessing of the Children: The Kingdom’s Upside-down Values
Scripture: Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 18:1-5
Summary: Jesus’ blessing of children reveals the Kingdom’s upside-down values that exalt the humble and powerless. The Kingdom belongs to those who receive it with childlike trust and dependence.

Week 41: The Messiah’s Predicted Suffering: The Kingdom’s Path
Scripture: Mark 8:31-38; 9:30-37
Summary: Jesus’ passion predictions reveal that the Kingdom arrives through suffering and self-sacrifice, not worldly power. The way to Kingdom glory leads through the cross, transforming human understanding of greatness.

Week 42: The Messiah’s Transfiguration: The Kingdom’s Glory Revealed
Scripture: Mark 9:2-10; 2 Peter 1:16-18
Summary: The transfiguration provides a glimpse of the Kingdom’s ultimate glory and Jesus’ divine nature as the fulfillment of Law and Prophets. This vision sustains faith through the coming darkness of the cross.

Week 43: The Last Supper: The Kingdom’s New Covenant
Scripture: Mark 14:22-25; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Summary: The Last Supper establishes the new covenant meal that celebrates the Kingdom’s arrival through Christ’s sacrificial death. This meal anticipates the Kingdom’s ultimate consummation in the heavenly banquet.

Week 44: The Messiah in Gethsemane: The Kingdom’s Submission
Scripture: Mark 14:32-42; Hebrews 5:7-10
Summary: Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane reveals the Kingdom’s victory through perfect obedience to the Father’s will, even unto death. This submission accomplishes what Adam’s disobedience forfeited.

Week 45: The Messiah on the Cross: The Kingdom’s Triumph Over Sin
Scripture: Mark 15:33-39; Colossians 2:13-15
Summary: Jesus’ crucifixion appears as defeat but actually accomplishes the Kingdom’s greatest victory over sin, death, and Satan. The cross becomes the throne from which the King reigns in sacrificial love.

Week 46: The Resurrection of the Messiah: The Kingdom’s Victory Over Death
Scripture: Mark 16:1-8; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
Summary: Christ’s resurrection demonstrates the Kingdom’s ultimate power over humanity’s last enemy—death itself. This victory inaugurates the new creation and validates Jesus’ claims about the Kingdom’s arrival.

Week 47: The Ascension and the Day of Pentecost: The Kingdom’s Cosmic Authority
Scripture: Acts 1:6-11; 2:32-36; Ephesians 1:20-23
Summary: Jesus’ ascension establishes his cosmic reign while Pentecost empowers the church to extend the Kingdom to all nations. These events demonstrate the Kingdom’s present authority and future expansion through the Spirit-filled community.

Week 48: The Church as Visible Sign: Locus and Agent of the Kingdom
Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22; 1 Peter 2:9-10
Summary: The church serves as the Kingdom’s visible sign in the world, displaying God’s reconciling work across ethnic and social divisions. This new humanity previews the Kingdom’s ultimate unity and restoration.

Week 50: Creation’s Groaning: The Kingdom’s Cosmic Scope
Scripture: Romans 8:18-25; Revelation 21:1-5
Summary: Creation itself awaits the Kingdom’s complete manifestation when Christ’s redemptive work extends to the entire cosmos. The present groaning anticipates the coming liberation from corruption and decay.

Week 51: Living as Kingdom Citizens: The Already/Not Yet Kingdom Ethics
Scripture: Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 3:1-17
Summary: Believers live as citizens of the heavenly Kingdom while remaining in the world, embodying Kingdom values of love, forgiveness, and justice. This dual citizenship creates both tension and transformation in present experience.

Week 52: The Kingdom’s Consummation: Second Coming of Christ the King
Scripture: Revelation 11:15; 19:11-16
Summary: The Kingdom that broke into history through Christ’s first coming will be fully consummated at his return as King of kings. This final victory completes the restoration begun in the incarnation and secured at the cross.

The Inbreaking Kingdom: Our Hope for This Series

Our CCK series will reflect upon, discuss, and unpack how Jesus’ incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension reveal the inbreaking of God’s long-promised Kingdom. Through the Christus Victor theme, we see how Christ’s work has begun the reversal of the Fall, the defeat of evil powers, and the restoration of all creation. The Kingdom that began in a manger, was proclaimed in parables, demonstrated in miracles, established at the cross, validated in resurrection, and empowered at Pentecost continues its advance through the Church in the world today. The Already/Not Yet Kingdom will display its power until its final consummation when Christ Jesus returns at his Second Coming, the Judge of the earth and as the King of all creation.