allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

Should we look for another?

A sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent, by Fr. Dan Suelzle.

The Lord’s Christ is the man Jesus. Jesus is no mere man, but the promised Messiah. His identity is confirmed by his works, which include healing the afflicted and preaching the Gospel to the poor. The account of John the Baptist, who sends his disciples to Jesus from prison to ask if he is “the one,” highlights a crucial tension: the Kingdom of God, while ushered in by Jesus, often does not align with human expectations of worldly power and glory, as demonstrated by John’s own imprisonment. This leads to the temptation to look for other “saviors” because Jesus’s kingdom operates through hidden weakness rather than obvious might. Therefore, the Christian life does not consist of demanding more signs or relying on sight, but in using our ears to hear God’s Word, which proclaims that this Jesus—the crucified and resurrected Lamb of God—has already fully and sufficiently dealt with sin and established his eternal, life-giving kingdom through Word and Sacrament. Listen the entire sermon below.

allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

Any Time Now

A sermon for the Second Sunday in Advent, by Fr. Josh Leigeber.

The New Heaven and the New Earth, from the Great East Window of York Minster, c. 1405-1408. 

In a world that feels increasingly chaotic, discouraging, and disordered, it’s easy to find ourselves echoing the impatient cry, “Any time now, Lord.” But Scripture reminds us that God’s seeming slowness is actually divine patience—patience for our sake, that we might be drawn to repentance and prepared for Christ’s return.

In this Advent 2 sermon, we explore how God meets our impatience with His mercy, how He prepares our hearts through His Word and Sacraments, and how Christians can lift their heads with confidence even as the world trembles.

Listen to the full sermon below and be encouraged: Christ truly comes—now in grace, and soon in glory.

allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

Persevering Against the Darkness

A sermon for the First Sunday in Advent, by Fr. Dan Suelzle.

The Entry into Jerusalem; Simon Bening (Flemish, about 1483 – 1561); c. 1525–1530; Tempera colors, gold paint, and gold leaf on parchment.

Our lives as Christians are marked by a tension between the sure grace of God that is ours now through baptism into Christ, and the “not yet” of Christ’s final, glorious return. Therefore the Christian life is one of perseverance. As we begin this new church year in the season of Advent, we are urged to wake from sleep, to cast off works of darkness, and to live with sober watchfulness against the threats of the world, the devil, and the flesh. Our strength and guidance for this ongoing battle—the “habitus” of the Christian life—do not come from self-effort, but flow from a faithful proximity to the gifts of Christ, in Word and Sacrament. It is through these means that God calls, equips with the armor of light, and transforms us, assuring us that our salvation is secure in Christ, whose glorious return on the last day is nearer now than when we first believed. Listen to the full sermon below.