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.

Why does Advent include a pink candle, and what does it teach us about faith and rejoicing? In this Advent sermon, Rev. Canon Oliver Lee reflects on John the Baptist’s honest question from prison: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

Drawing from Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew, this sermon explores the reality of faith under pressure and reminds us that doubt is not unbelief. John’s question is not rebellion, but honest faith refusing to pretend. Jesus responds not with condemnation, but with evidence—signs of healing, restoration, and good news for the poor.

As we rejoice that Christ has already come, we are also challenged to look for the signs of God’s kingdom still unfolding around us. Advent invites us to prepare our hearts, rejoice in God’s promises fulfilled, and consider how Christ continues his work in and through his people today.

John the Baptist refuses to let us slip quietly into Christmas. In this Advent sermon, Rev. Jordan Griesbeck unpacks John’s startling call to repentance and the deep hope behind it—that real change is possible because God Himself has come near. Drawing from Flannery O’Connor’s “large and startling figures,” Rev. Griesbeck shows how grace disrupts, awakens, and prepares us to cry out “Jesus!” when we finally reach the manger.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 3:1–12
🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Jordan Griesbeck
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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John the Baptist doesn’t call us to try harder—he calls us to see the God who is already moving toward us. In this Advent sermon, Rev. Cody Turner shows how the prophets wake us up to God’s grace breaking into the world, cutting down what is lifeless and bringing new life in its place. This is the shocking hope of Advent: God is on the move.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 3:1–12
🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Cody Turner
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

🙏 Connect with Incarnation
Learn more at https://incarnation.org/

Pastor Shawn Torres opens the Advent season with Scripture’s urgent call: wake up. Advent doesn’t ease in softly; it jolts us awake to the coming of the King. Isaiah shows us our destination, the psalmist shows us our posture, Paul shakes off our spiritual sleep, and Jesus reminds us that the hour is unknown—so we must be ready.

This sermon explores what it means to cast off the works of darkness, put on the armor of light, pursue reconciliation, seek the good of our city, and walk as people shaped by God’s future Kingdom. Advent invites us to live awake, alert, and aligned with God’s purposes—starting now.

Scripture: Isaiah 2:1–5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11–14; Matthew 24:36–44
Preacher: Pastor Shawn Torres
Location: Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX
Visit Us: https://incarnation.org/

Bishop Greg Brewer opens the Advent season with a powerful call to wakefulness. Advent invites us not into passivity but into transformation—casting away the works of darkness, embracing humility, and recognizing that God’s love is actively at work within us.

With pastoral warmth and theological depth, Bp. Brewer reminds us that we are not alone. We walk this journey surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who cheer us on toward our true home in the Kingdom of God. This is the love that wins—and the love that reshapes us into the people God is calling us to be.

Preacher: The Rt. Rev. Gregory Brewer
Location: Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX
Visit Us: https://incarnation.org/