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

Sin and Death Undone

A sermon for the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, by Fr. Dan Suelzle.

This past Sunday’s sermon draws upon Isaiah’s vision of a future feast on Mount Zion where God will eternally defeat death, which is the consequence of sin. While sin and death are enemies too great for mankind to conquer, Jesus began fulfilling this promise in His earthly ministry. He takes Isaiah’s promise, where sin, suffering, and death are undone, and instantiates it in the present. We see this in the Cana miracle where His powerful Word healed the nobleman’s dying son, offering a “glimpse” of victory over death. However, this sign ultimately pointed to the greater work of Christ’s death and resurrection. He took our sin upon himself, and the grave gladly swallowed him up. But the grave could not contain him and he forever remains the one with authority over death itself. This Word of Christ remains powerfully present in the Church as Christ continues to speak—through absolution, Baptism, and the Eucharist—to deliver forgiveness and eternal life, assuring us that our enemies of sin and death have been vanquished. Listen to the entire sermon below.

allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

The Birthday of Blessed Mary

The Nativity of the Virgin (detail). Tempera on Panel by Andrea di Bartolo (1389-1428)

Today, Christ’s holy Church celebrates the birthday of Saint Mary, the Blessed Theotokos. The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, though, is not ultimately about Mary herself, but about God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises through her, culminating in the birth of Christ. From the first promise in Eden that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent, God’s people lived in expectant hope, even amid sin and unfaithfulness. Through generation after generation of flawed yet chosen people, God wove the golden thread of His promise, leading to Mary’s birth as a sign that salvation was near. In her womb, by the Holy Spirit, the promised Savior took on flesh to redeem the world. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection fulfilled God’s plan begun in Eden, and even now He continues to keep His promises through Word and Sacrament as we await His final return. Thus, celebrating Mary’s nativity is a way of rejoicing in God’s steadfast faithfulness and His work of salvation for us in Christ. Listen to Father Suelzle’s entire sermon below.