Sermons on Advent and Christmas

NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, there are some audio and visual issues with this week’s sermon. We apologize for the inconvenience. We are moving right along in the Gospel of John, and this week we get John’s version of the calling of the Disciples. One of the many reasons I love this lectionary is that it gives John the same amount of space as the Synoptic Gospels. The Revised Common Lectionary works on a three year schedule, with each year…

This video contains the entirety of our Christmas Eve Service for 2025.

Yes, ’tis the season! Advent IV is upon us, and guess what? We are now exiting the Hebrew Bible and moving into the Gospel of John, beginning this Sunday. I am pumped! I took a class at Luther Seminary by the esteemed Johannine scholar Karoline Lewis called Preaching John, and it changed everything for me. I can’t wait to take a deep dive into this Gospel with you all over the next few months. That may sound like a long…

“Advent is rolling right along, and guess what? This Sunday is our last Sunday in the Hebrew Bible! What a journey. We will be back in Isaiah, but much later than where we were before. This is a beautiful, inspiring passage, that I look forward to unpacking with you.” -Pastor Paul

We are headed into the 2nd week of Advent this Sunday with the very rich vision of Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones. Like last week’s text, it may seem an odd Advent text, but as you look at it, it makes a lot of sense. It’s quite a vivid vision he has, and I look forward to unpacking it with y’all and seeing what Ezekiel might have for us this week. -Pastor Paul

This Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent, which is the beginning of the Church Year, so, I guess “Happy New Year” is also in order! We will take a look at a somewhat famous story in the Bible, that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Kind of a strange one for the first Sunday in Advent, but it’ll work. -Pastor Paul SCRIPTURE: Daniel 3:8-28 (NRSVUE) 8 Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the…

This Sunday is Epiphany Sunday, which is the day we remember the Magi following the star to come and find and worship the Chris-child. This story is only found in Matthew’s Gospel, so since we will be in the Gospel of Luke we will not be focusing on those curious little wanderers, but they still deserve to be recognized and remembered. They are actually a huge part of my own faith journey, but we will unpack that rich story another…

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:21-38 (NRSVUE) 21 When the eighth day came, it was time to circumcise the child, and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered…

SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:26–35, 38 (NRSVUE) 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be…

This Sunday we move into the Gospel of Luke, where we will be through Easter. My hope is that this deep dive into Luke opens up new ways of thinking about Jesus, God’s work in this world, and how “The Gospel” works. Luke is rich with powerful stories, many of which only appear in Luke. It should be an enlightening journey. -Pastor Paul SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:39-56 (NRSVUE) 39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in…