Barn Geese Worship’s 2025 Advent series Out of the Blue: Updated and Expanded follows the Revised Common Lectionary to reveal the surprises hidden in familiar texts. Explore feelings of astonishment, amazement, stupefaction, bewilderment, excitement, and thrill that come with the life of faith. Such feelings may accompany a new direction, a rediscovery of purpose, or an eye-opening epiphany. Surprise can be bright and loud, but it can be quiet, too. A different sense of astonishment accompanies us when we discover that God’s goodness has draped itself in muted clothes and quietly worked behind the scenes of our lives.

Sample the series for free with excerpts from our:

• Preachers’ Notes: Preaching commentaries explore connections between each week’s lectionary texts and the Out of the Blue theme.
• Children’s Message Starters: Kid-friendly connections to the week’s theme help to jump-start your brainstorm for a children’s message. 
• Words for Worship: Fresh texts for Advent worship.
• Advent Devotions: Arranged around stories of the women in Jesus’ family tree highlighted in Matthew’s gospel, this weekly resource guides users as they explore themes and participate in the creation of a found-object Jesse tree.
• Midweek Worship: This flexible Advent evening prayer service connects a figure from the traditional Jesse tree (expanded to include the women in Matthew’s genealogy) to a saint whose feast day is commemorated in November or December.
• Lessons and Carols for Christmas: Seven sets of scripture readings, hymn suggestions, and reflection questions invite joyful celebration and thoughtful contemplation of the season.
• An Advent & Christmas Pageant: Like the Advent Devotions and Midweek Worship, this pageant is grounded in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 and in Luke’s story of Jesus’ birth. Walk with Mary and Joseph on the road to Bethlehem, as ready as us all for the newborn Savior to join their family.

This is a free .pdf download.