Parish Blog

allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

Whatsoever Is Hindered by Our Sins

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

On the Fourth Sunday in Advent—anciently known as the Preparation—the Church prays a striking petition: that the Lord would come with power so that “whatsoever is hindered by our sins may be speedily accomplished through the mercy of Thy satisfaction.” This sermon reflects on the breadth of that prayer and the deep comfort it offers.

Sin has hindered every aspect of life—our joy and peace, our bodily life, our life together as neighbors, and ultimately our life with God. We contribute nothing to the restoration of these things but more sin and resistance. Yet Christ, by His satisfaction on the cross, has fully paid for sin and continues to apply the fruits of His work to us by grace until the final defeat of death itself.

Against a merely sentimental celebration of Christmas—one that offers fleeting emotional comfort—the true and lasting significance of the Nativity resounds in our ears: God the Son has come to dwell among us. Christmas is not a temporary feeling but a reality-changing event with ongoing consequences. In Christ’s real, gracious presence—especially as He comes to us now in His Word and Sacraments—what sin has hindered is truly being restored.

Echoing John the Baptist’s witness to “the One who stands among you,” the sermon calls hearers to recognize Christ present in the midst of His Church: restoring joy and peace, renewing bodily life with the promise of resurrection, uniting us as one Body, and reconciling us to God through forgiveness and the gift of faith.

Because of this, Christmas changes everything. The faithful prepare not for a fleeting holiday, but for the enduring mercy of God made flesh—who continues, throughout the year, to grant forgiveness, life, and salvation to His people. Listen to the full sermon below.

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.