Exodus opens not with triumph but with oppression, reminding us that God’s people often grow in hardship. Israel’s suffering in Egypt isn’t evidence of God’s absence but of His unfolding promise. This sermon explores how God remains faithful even when His people feel forgotten. The multiplying Israelites demonstrate the unstoppable nature of God’s covenant purposes. Pharaoh’s fearful tyranny represents the world’s hostility toward God’s kingdom, yet even his violence cannot thwart divine sovereignty. The faithful midwives show how God uses ordinary obedience to preserve His redemptive plan. Exodus 1 reveals God’s providence governing every detail—the rise of nations, the schemes of rulers, and the cries of His people. For believers today, this passage invites us to trust God’s covenant promises when circumstances contradict hope. God has not forgotten His people; He remembers, He governs, and He prepares the stage for salvation.

When Simeon takes up baby Jesus in his arms, he is experiencing and foreshadowing the comfort and joy of the Light of the World that has come into the world. When Simeon says to Mary that his son would cause the rise and fall of many and reveal the hearts of many, he is describing and foreshadowing the conviction that the Light of the World will bring to a sinful world. And when he jubilantly praises that God salvation will be seen by all nations and a light for revelation to the Gentiles, he is articulating the wonderful Gospel truth that the Light of the World is for the whole world, Jew and Gentile alike. May we be comforted and convicted to greater repentance and faithfulness as we live out our call to bring the Light of the World to the whole world.

Matthew 1:18–25 draws us into the quiet, courageous love at the heart of the Holy Family—love that shapes the Advent story and reveals God’s heart for us. This passage begins in tension and uncertainty: Mary is found to be with child, and Joseph is left with questions, disappointment, and fear. Yet instead of acting out of anger or pride, Joseph chooses a path of compassion. Even before the angel speaks, Joseph’s love leans toward mercy. When the angel reveals God’s plan, Joseph steps into a deeper kind of love—obedient, sacrificial, steadfast. He embraces Mary, embraces the child, and embraces the calling that God places upon him. Advent Love is not sentimental; it is costly. It is the love that protects, trusts, and perseveres. Mary, too, walks in love—carrying the Christ child with faith, vulnerability, and hope. Together, Mary and Joseph embody a love that welcomes God’s presence into the world through simple, faithful obedience. This passage reminds us that Advent Love is God’s initiative: “He will save his people from their sins.” In Jesus, divine love takes on flesh. And through the Holy Family, we see how human love becomes a vessel for God’s redeeming work.

Luke 2:8–20 invites us to discover Advent Joy through the unlikely experience of the shepherds—ordinary, overlooked people doing ordinary, overlooked work. In the quiet darkness of a routine night, heaven suddenly breaks in. An angel appears not to the powerful or the religious elite, but to those on the margins, declaring, “I bring you good news of great joy for all people.” Advent Joy begins here: God’s joy comes not because circumstances are perfect, but because God meets us where we are. The shepherds’ world did not instantly change—Rome still ruled, their fields were still cold—but they ran to Bethlehem carrying a joy stronger than fear. They found a newborn child lying in a manger, the Messiah in the most unexpected place. Their joy overflowed as they returned to their fields, glorifying and praising God. The darkness remained, yet the shepherds were different because joy had found them. This passage reminds us that Advent Joy is not shallow happiness or seasonal cheer. It is the deep, surprising joy of knowing that God has come near—entering our ordinary days, our uncertainties, and our hidden places. Like the shepherds, we are invited to encounter Christ and carry His joy back into the world.

Luke 1:26–38 reveals Advent Peace as heaven’s bold declaration into an anxious world. When the angel greets Mary with “peace” and “favor,” God announces that His mission of redemption is breaking into human history. Mary’s world was filled with political tension, social uncertainty, and personal risk—yet God’s peace meets her with purpose, not ease. Her faithful “yes” becomes the doorway through which God’s peace enters the world in Christ. This passage reminds us that Advent Peace is not passive; it is God’s active mission. The coming of Jesus ignites a global movement in which God’s peace—shalom—spreads from a humble village to every nation. Like Mary, we are invited into this mission: to carry Christ’s presence, to embody peace in divided places, and to join God’s work of restoring lives and communities. Advent Peace calls the church to go, proclaim, and live the good news that God’s peace is for all people, everywhere.

Isaiah 9:1–7 invites us into the heart of Advent: a season that faces darkness honestly, yet refuses to believe darkness has the final word. Isaiah speaks to a people walking in deep gloom—burdened, confused, grieving, and unsure of the future. Into that reality, God sends a word of radiant promise: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Advent Hope doesn’t deny the shadows; it declares that God’s light breaks into them. This passage announces that hope is not an abstract feeling but a Person—a child born, a son given. He comes not with crushing power but with gentle authority, carrying names that reveal God’s heart toward us: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Each name testifies that God is not distant. He is present, guiding, defending, sustaining, and reconciling. Isaiah’s prophecy reminds us that the world’s brokenness is real, but so is God’s promise. Advent Hope is the assurance that God is already at work overturning despair, lifting burdens, and establishing a kingdom of justice and peace. In Christ, light has dawned—and this light will never be overcome.

The benediction, a blessing pronounced at the end of worship, is a reminder of God’s peace and His work in raising Jesus from the dead. It is a formal proclamation of God’s blessing, rooted in Scripture, and serves as a reminder of God’s presence and peace in the midst of life’s challenges. The benediction also sends worshippers out into the world, equipped to do God’s will. The final benediction found in the book of Hebrews reminds believers of God’s eternal covenant through Jesus’ death and resurrection. It serves as a blessing, a reminder of God’s faithfulness, and an invitation to participate in His mission by showing compassion to others. The benediction equips and empowers Christians to be sent out as ambassadors of peace, living out their faith in everyday life.

Through the lens of Acts 2:37-41 and the movement of the Spirit in the early church we see the significance of baptism in Christian worship. Christian baptism is a sacrament that signifies adoption into God’s family, cleansing from sin, and commitment to Christ and the church. This is in contrast to the broader cultural desire for spiritual rituals without substance compared to the profound meaning of Christian baptism, rooted in God’s work through Jesus’ death and resurrection. The sermon highlights baptism as a public proclamation of faith and a symbol of God’s powerful work in salvation. Ultimately, baptism is less about our response to God and more about what God is doing in and through us.