A sermon that introduces The Advent Tree as a way to prepare for the coming of Christ with visual objects and memories that help us to hang on to principles that help keep us committed to the welfare of God’s people in ways that are more than we can ask or imagine preached on The Second Sunday of Advent (2 Advent B) at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Mystic CT – December 10, 2023.

Note: Living deeply with Archbishop William Temple’s Prayer of Self-Dedication means I continue to reflect on how this prayer influences my life as a follower of Jesus. The sermon I preached on October 29, 2023 at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, Jacksonville NC is a fine companion to this sermon. In many ways, it is a preamble to the insight God invited me to see that became the Advent Tree theme and the exploration of how living the various parts of the Prayer of Self-Dedication as I live daily into the Advent theme of the best way to prepare for the coming of Christ is to never forget the presence of Christ.