In this Advent sermon, Bp. Brewer reflects on Matthew’s account of Joseph and the difficult, costly obedience that lies at the heart of the Christmas story.

Matthew’s telling of Christ’s birth is not sentimental or predictable. It places us with Joseph in a moment of darkness, uncertainty, and loss—when his hopes for a reasonable and secure future come to an end. Faced with a choice he never wanted to make, Joseph must decide whether to cling to control or to trust the voice of God calling him forward.

This sermon speaks to those moments when our own plans fall apart and we find ourselves exhausted, unsure, and searching for light. Christmas, Bp. Brewer reminds us, is not about getting what we want, but about receiving what God longs to give—on his terms, not ours.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 1:18–25

🕊️ Preacher: Bp. Brewer

⛪ Church of the Incarnation: Dallas, Texas

In this Advent sermon, Rev. Cody Turner reflects on Joseph’s story from the Gospel of Matthew and what it means for God to interrupt our carefully made plans.

Unlike the familiar Christmas scenes from Luke, Matthew presents the coming of Christ as a deeply personal and disruptive encounter between God and one ordinary person. Joseph’s plans, logic, and sense of control all come to an end as God intervenes. Yet in that interruption, Joseph receives an invitation—into obedience, trust, and a new life shaped not by human effort, but by God’s action.

This sermon invites us to consider what it means to receive Christ not as sentiment or comfort, but as Emmanuel—God with us—who still interrupts our lives in order to save and renew them.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 1:18–25

🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Jordan Griesbeck

⛪ Church: Church of the Incarnation, Dallas TX

What does it mean to wait faithfully when our expectations go unmet? In this Advent sermon, Rev. Dorothy Budd reflects on the tension between expectation, waiting, and patience during the third week of Advent.

Drawing from the Gospel account of John the Baptist’s question from prison and the Letter of James, this sermon explores the kind of holy patience Scripture calls us to practice. John waits in doubt as his expectations of the Messiah collide with the reality of Jesus’ ministry. The early Christians wait for Christ’s return longer than they anticipated. And we, too, wait—often impatiently—for things to fall into place.

Using the image of a farmer waiting for seeds to grow, Rev. Budd reminds us that God is at work even when we cannot see it. Growth happens in hidden ways, on God’s timeline rather than our own. The pink candle of Advent calls us to rejoice—not because waiting is easy, but because the Lord is near.

This sermon invites us to plant what God has given us, stand firm, and trust that God is growing something good within us as we wait.