As the fledgling church was taking its first steps into a new world, carving out a new spiritual path, it left road signs to guide the church yet to come. Those road signs are contained in the pastoral letters of the New Testament, and they have been guiding the body of Christ since its infancy. In this outstanding anthology of sermons based on the Second Readings from Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary, five distinguished preachers draw valuable lessons from these texts for the complex challenges posed by life in the 21st century. With material for every Sunday and major celebration throughout the entire church year, this volume is filled with compelling stories and wisdom. It's a preaching, teaching, and meditation resource that will be a welcome addition to any library. This essential resource is useful for: ¿ Fresh homiletical approaches to the lectionary texts ¿ Inspiring preaching illustrations and sermon starters ¿ Understanding scripture passages ¿ Adult study and discussion groups ¿ Personal devotions and Bible study Scott Suskovic is the senior pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, a thriving congregation with an average worship attendance of more than 1,000 in both contemporary and traditional settings. He previously served churches in Florida and Minnesota, and he has been a contributor to several editions of Augsburg Fortress's Sundays and Seasons series. Suskovic is currently a member of the writing team for the online preaching resource The Immediate Word (). He is a graduate of St. Olaf College (B.A.), Luther Seminary (M.Div.), and Boston University (D.Min.). Nancy Kraft has been the pastor of congregations in North Dakota, Ohio, and North Carolina, and she presently serves at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has also been an assistant to the bishop of the ELCA's Northeastern Ohio Synod. She is a graduate of Bowling Green State University (B.S. in Education), Trinity Lutheran Seminary (M.Div.), and the University of Pittsburgh (Ph.D.). Gibson "Nibs" Stroupe and his wife, Caroline Leach, have been the pastors of Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia, since 1983. They are the co-authors of O Lord, Hold Our Hands, a book detailing Oakhurst's unique multi-cultural ministry. Stroupe is also the author of Where Once We Feared Enemies (CSS) and While We Run This Race, which won the 1996 Gustavus Myers Award for outstanding book on human rights. Stories on Stroupe and his Oakhurst ministry have been featured in several national media outlets, including Time, the Wall Street Journal, the Christian Science Monitor, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and National Public Radio. In 2007, Stroupe was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Thomas Lentz is an ordained Lutheran pastor who has had a varied career in business and the parish ministry. He has served congregations in Ohio and the Virgin Islands, and he is a co-founder and former acquisitions editor of CSS Publishing Company. Lentz is currently the chairman and North American divisional head of Global Display Solutions. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University, Hamma School of Theology, and Yale Divinity School. Patrick J. Rooney is the senior pastor of Christ Lutheran Church (ELCA) in York, Pennsylvania, a historic congregation currently celebrating its 275th anniversary. He is a native of England and a former monk, having spent a decade as a member of a Roman Catholic religious order. In addition to pastoral ministry, Rooney has served in two ecumenical agencies and worked in the social welfare field. He is a graduate of St. Mary's College of the University of London and Shippensburg University (M.Ed.). Rooney completed his Lutheran studies at Gettysburg Seminary and also studied at Catholic University