Second Sunday before Advent
The Common Worship lectionary readings for Second Sunday before Advent in Year A, the liturgical colour, and what changes in the order of service.
Year AOrdinary Timered
The readings
This Sunday is a Proper, so the Old Testament reading and psalm come in two tracks. Choose one and stay with it for the season — the continuous track reads a book straight through week by week; the related track picks an Old Testament reading that speaks to the Gospel.
- Continuous track
- First reading
- Judges 4:1-7
- Psalm
- Psalm 123
- Second reading
- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
- Gospel
- Matthew 25:14-30
- Related track
- First reading
- Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18
- Psalm
- Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12
- Second reading
- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
- Gospel
- Matthew 25:14-30
Citations follow the Revised Common Lectionary as used in the Church of England's Common Worship principal service lectionary. Verse numbering can differ very slightly between Bible translations.
The liturgical colour
Red for the Spirit and for blood: Pentecost, Passiontide, and the feasts of martyrs. On this Sunday the colour is red.
What changes in the service
The standard shape: Gloria and Creed included, nothing seasonal displacing them.
- RCL: Proper 28
In SundayHQ this is the ordinary template shape. You set your order of service once; when the season turns, one click applies the seasonal change and leaves the rest of your parish's own wording alone.
Hymns that fit these readings
Suggestions matched to the readings above, each with the reason it was chosen:
- Opening — Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Lobe den Herren; carries a full church
- Gradual — Take my life, and let it be The talents: what is entrusted, and what is done with it
- Offertory — God moves in a mysterious way Quieter offertory for a reflective Sunday
- Communion — Let us break bread together Simple, and sung without books
- Final — Ye servants of God, your master proclaim Proclamation, carried out of the door
When it next falls
| Date | Liturgical year |
|---|---|
| 15 November 2026 | Year A |
| 18 November 2029 | Year A |
| 14 November 2032 | Year A |
| 18 November 2035 | Year A |
Year A comes round every three years. The date moves because the whole calendar hangs off Easter.
The same Sunday in the other years
Questions
What are the readings for Second Sunday before Advent in Year A?
First reading Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18; Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12; second reading 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Gospel Matthew 25:14-30.
What colour is worn on Second Sunday before Advent?
Red. Red for the Spirit and for blood: Pentecost, Passiontide, and the feasts of martyrs.
Which season is Second Sunday before Advent in?
Ordinary Time. The long green season after Trinity, running to Christ the King. The Sundays are numbered after Trinity and carry the RCL Propers.