This sermon invites us to live without fear by trusting God who knows us completely, values us deeply, and holds authority over both life and eternity. Even in the face of danger, doubt, or pressure, Jesus assures us that God's love is steadfast, forgiveness is offered, and the Holy Spirit will be with us to guide, strengthen, and give us the words we need.

This sermon challenges us to consider if we are people of light or people of darkness. Listeners are encouraged to remember that any darkness in us need not be the end of the story. As we make room for the Holy Spirit in our lives, we make room for Jesus, the light of the world, to make us people of light.

This sermon emphasizes the spiritual practice of “opening and closing gates” in our lives as we enter a new year. It encourages believers to let go of past disappointments, sins, and failures from 2025, and to intentionally make room in their hearts for God to lead, bless, and bring new opportunities, breakthroughs, and spiritual growth in 2026.

In the midst of our brokenness and uncertainty, God does not stay distant—He comes near. This sermon explores how we can recognize, welcome, and live in the reality of Emmanuel, ‘God with us,’ in every moment of our lives.

Near the beginning of this sermon, there is a quote from Terry Ann Smith's Commentary on Isaiah 63:7-9 (https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/first-sunday-of-christmas/commentary-on-isaiah-637-9-7).

Jesus did not enter the world in peace and comfort, but in the midst of oppression, poverty, loneliness, and mess—just like the world we live in today. This sermon proclaims the good news that God comes close in our brokenness, embracing us with a love that heals, restores, and reminds us that nothing about us is unlovable to God.

This sermon explores Isaiah 35 as a powerful promise of hope for people living in loss and uncertainty, reminding us that God has not abandoned His people and will bring restoration, even when the timing is unknown. Through images of blooming deserts, healed bodies, and a clear road leading home, we are invited to trust that sorrow is not the final word and to hold onto hope together.

1. Can you think of a place in nature that makes you feel close to God or reminds you of his power and majesty?

2. What images from Isaiah 35 stood out for you the most (the desert blooming, healed bodies, the road home, singing with joy)? Why?

3. Isaiah spoke to people who felt lost, displaced, and discouraged. In what ways do those feelings show up in the world today?

4. Where in your life do things feel dry and weary today?

5. What does the image of clear, safe “road home” tell you about God’s character?

This Advent sermon reflects on Isaiah’s vision of God’s coming kingdom—a world marked by peace, justice, wholeness, and the end of violence—and reminds us that this hope cannot be fulfilled by governments, institutions, or human effort alone, but only through Jesus. Listeners are invited to choose God’s side, embrace their calling in God’s redemptive work, and respond to Christ’s open invitation to hope, transformation, and communion.

1. When you hear the description of a world with no violence, wickedness, or fear, what stirs in you most deeply? Why that particular longing?

2. Who are you most frustrated or angry with for not fixing what is broken in the world (government, church, yourself, something else)?

3. Why is it significant that God’s answer to the world’s brokenness is not a system, but a person?

4. How does waiting for Jesus differ from waiting for political change, cultural progress, or personal improvement?

5. As you wait for Jesus, what is one way God may be calling you to live now as a sign of the coming kingdom?

Last week this story from Luke 11 invited us to choose whether we will serve on God's side or Satan's side in the cosmic battle that plagues all creation. This week we are reminded that choosing a side isn't enough; once we've chosen a side, we are expected to do something.