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

Sinners Called by Christ

On the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Sept. 21), Fr. Jerome Leckband reminded us that Matthew’s story is not one of a flawless saint but of a sinner called by Christ. Sitting at his tax booth, Matthew heard Jesus’ words, “Follow me,”—words that are spoken to every sinner, including us.

Matthew’s Gospel begins with a genealogy full of sinners, showing how God works through the broken to fulfill His promises. It also proclaims Jesus as Immanuel—God with us, a promise repeated at the Gospel’s end: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Fr. Leckband reflected on Caravaggio’s painting The Calling of Saint Matthew, where the tax collector wrestles between clinging to his money and rising to follow Christ. This moment captures discipleship: leaving behind false masters to follow the true Lord. Following Jesus means daily dying to sin and rising with Him—a journey lived out in our vocations as spouses, parents, workers, citizens, and members of Christ’s Church.

Just as Matthew was called into a unique service as apostle and evangelist, we too are called to serve Christ where God has placed us. And through it all, Jesus remains God with us—in His Word, in Baptism, in the Supper, and in His Church—until He comes again. Listen to the entire sermon below.