In Episode 47, Brad and Richard share a simple Advent moment that has stayed with Richard for years. At a monthly gathering of local pastors just a couple weeks before Christmas many years ago, Father Bill stood to pray before the meal and offered a line that quietly reshaped the room - and Richard’s understanding of Advent:

“Help us to remember what Christmas teaches us,
that You will always come to us.”

Fast forward to 2025, that short prayer sparked a deeper conversation between Brad and Richard about how easily we can get swept up in the season - the decorations, the nostalgia, even the biblical narrative of Jesus’ birth - while missing the personal meaning behind it all. Christmas isn’t just the story of Jesus coming into the world… it’s the story of Jesus coming to us.

Using Matthew 4:16 - “on them a great light has dawned" - we reflect on how the coming of Christ is always personal, always purposeful, and always for people who need hope. Advent reminds us that God doesn’t wait for us to climb our way up to Him; He steps into our world, our mess, our darkness, and comes near.

It’s a gentle, meaningful episode for anyone needing a reminder in this busy season:
Jesus doesn’t just come - He comes to you.

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Coming off a week of Thanksgiving festivities - with crowded tables, family stories, and full hearts - we shift right into the Christmas season with the first of several holiday-themed episodes.

This week’s conversation centers on a very real, very recent story from Richard’s trip to Boston to visit his son, daughter-in-law, and new grandbaby. What should’ve been a simple car-rental experience turned into an unexpected headache: double charges, endless holds, and the dreaded words no one wants to hear… “10–14 business days.”

After weeks of waiting (and believing the refund might never come), Richard called once more to run it up the corporate flagpole - and to his surprise, everything was resolved. But here’s the kicker: the refund landed exactly on the 14th day. Not early. Not late. Not rushed. Not forgotten. Right on time.

That moment brought Richard back to one of his favorite verses in Galatians 4 - Paul’s reminder that Christ came “in the fullness of time.” We unpack what that phrase meant historically, spiritually, and practically:

• Why Jesus’ arrival over 2,000 years ago happened in the most perfect physical, cultural, and economic moment in human history
• How God’s timing - though rarely our timing - always carries intention, purpose, and precision
• And how we can learn to trust Him with our own waiting: our hopes, confusions, delays, desires, prayers, and messy in-between seasons.

As we kick off this Christmas series, we look at that ancient truth lived out in a modern customer-service phone call: God is not late. He is not early. He is perfectly on time.

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Sermons on the Side Bible Readings

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Connect with us on INSTAGRAM @sermons_on_the_side_podcast

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Love the show? If you’re enjoying the stories, laughs, and conversations we share here, we’d be so grateful if you’d consider “buying us a cup of coffee” to help keep things brewing. It’s a simple way to show your support and keep the podcast going strong!

Here’s the link: buymeacoffee.com/sermonsontheside

Thank you for being part of the journey with us!

Episode 45 took a wild turn after Brad accidentally deleted the original episode we recorded weeks in advance (yep… it finally happened). What was supposed to be a calm, prepped holiday episode turned into a real-time scramble and a surprisingly beautiful pivot.

In this special Thanksgiving edition, Brad and Richard walk you through the chaos of the week and invite you into an impromptu night of calling friends, family members, and even past podcast guests to hear - live and unfiltered - what they’re thankful for right now. The responses were heartfelt, hilarious, and unexpectedly moving.

As we wrap up the year, we’re overwhelmed with gratitude:
• Thankful for these first 45 episodes
• Thankful for the conversations and stories that shaped us
• Thankful for YOU—our listeners
• And above all, thankful to God for His faithfulness

We love this community, and we can’t wait for what’s ahead as we step into the next season of life, ministry, and conversations - one episode, one story, one sermon on the side at a time.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. 🧡🦃

Send us a text

Sermons on the Side Bible Readings

Connect with us on our FACEBOOK page

Connect with us on INSTAGRAM @sermons_on_the_side_podcast

Check out our website HERE

Love the show? If you’re enjoying the stories, laughs, and conversations we share here, we’d be so grateful if you’d consider “buying us a cup of coffee” to help keep things brewing. It’s a simple way to show your support and keep the podcast going strong!

Here’s the link: buymeacoffee.com/sermonsontheside

Thank you for being part of the journey with us!