Blessed Are You—Even Now
Epiphany 4A | Matthew 5:1–12 | Numbers 6:24–26

We often think of blessing as evidence that life is going well—health, stability, success, peace. But in the Beatitudes, Jesus speaks blessing in places we would least expect: poverty of spirit, grief, mercy-weariness, persecution, longing, and quiet endurance.

In this sermon for Epiphany, Rev. Dr. Alix Pridgen invites us to hear Jesus’ words not as imperatives to strive toward, but as pronouncements that reshape reality itself. These are not “be-attitudes” or conditions for future favor. They are declarations spoken in the present tense:
Blessed are you… for yours is the kingdom of God.

Through rich biblical reflection and a deeply human story of an overlooked grocery store worker who is seen, helped, and named as worthy, this sermon explores how blessing works—not as denial of suffering, but as God’s promise spoken within it.

Listeners are reminded that:

The kingdom of God meets us where our strength runs out

Mercy is costly, and Jesus knows that cost

Longing for justice is itself holy

Every word of blessing bends the world closer to God’s future

The sermon closes by calling us into the sacred work Jesus entrusts to us: to bless what is with the promise of what will be, trusting that every word of mercy allows heaven to lean closer.

Blessed are you. Not someday. Not when things improve. But now.

In a world that insists on dividing us—by politics, class, geography, and identity—this sermon asks a piercing question straight from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “Has Christ been divided?” Rev. Dr. Alix Pridgen invites us to step out of the noise of competing allegiances and into the deeper truth of the Gospel: unity is not something we manufacture, defend, or negotiate. Unity is God’s gift.

Drawing from Scripture, real‑life stories, and the rich imagery of quilt‑making, this message explores how the Holy Spirit stitches our mismatched lives into a single, grace‑made tapestry. Unity is not consensus. It’s not perfection. It’s a courageous way of being that chooses relationship over rivalry, presence over avoidance, and hope over fear.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Why division feels so natural—and why it steals more than we realize

What Paul’s challenge to Corinth has to say to our fractured world

How God weaves the loud and the quiet, the broken and the brave, into one Body

Practical, everyday practices for living as a people shaped by reconciliation

Whether you’re wrestling with relational fractures, longing for healing, or simply trying to stay rooted in a polarized world, this sermon offers a compassionate reminder: Christ is not divided. And by grace, neither are we.

“We are many—but made one.”
“We are pieces—but God is the One who stitches.”
“We are held—before we know how to hold one another.”

We’re used to a God who visits.

A God who shows up for a season, a service, a holy day—and then politely stays out of the way. But the Gospel of John tells a different story. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God didn’t stop by. God moved in.

In this episode, we sit with the unsettling and hopeful truth that God has taken up residence in the middle of ordinary life. Not just in sanctuaries and sacred moments, but in kitchens and waiting rooms, in unfinished conversations and unresolved grief.

A God who moves in notices things. Jesus walks past the rooms we’ve carefully curated and opens doors we hoped would stay shut. He touches pain we’ve learned to live with and sits with people we’ve learned to avoid.

And yet—this nearness is not a threat. It is grace.

Because a God who dwells among us is close enough to hear the sigh that never becomes a prayer, close enough to shine light without shame, close enough to hold what cannot be fixed.

Christmas, John reminds us, is not something we pack away with the decorations. When Monday comes—when the calendar turns and life resumes its weight—Jesus is still here.

“A decree goes out. Not a conversation. Not a question. Not a community forum. A decree. A registry. A journey demanded. A law passed in an office far away from those it would affect.
No one asked if Mary was tired.
No one asked if Joseph was worried.
No one asked where they’d sleep… or what they’d eat… or who would be there when the baby came.
Empire never asks those questions.”

John the Baptist is usually pictured waist-deep in the Jordan—wind in his hair, fire in his voice—calling the world to repent and get ready. But in Matthew 11, John isn’t outdoors. He’s chained in an underground dungeon, and the waiting has begun to press on everything he thought he knew. Advent 3A 2025 Advent 3A 2025

From the dark, John sends his question to Jesus: “Are you… the one who is to come, or should we wait… for another?” It’s not the question of someone trying to walk away—it’s the question of someone trying to hold on. Advent 3A 2025

Jesus doesn’t give John a timetable. He gives him a testimony—an invitation to look for God’s kingdom breaking in through mercy you can touch, in ordinary places where God keeps choosing life. And then comes a word of blessing for all who are waiting, questioning, and still showing up. Advent 3A 2025 Advent 3A 2025 Advent 3A 2025

Scripture: Matthew 11 Advent 3A 2025
Sermon: “Are You the One?” — The Rev. Dr. Alix D. Pridgen Advent 3A 2025

In this episode:
• When the future you imagined may not arrive
• A brave, honest faith that asks real questions
• Where to look for God’s “evidence” when nothing feels fixed
• “Blessed are you…”—a word for the weary and the waiting

This Advent 2A message explores Isaiah’s stunning vision of a world remade in peace—a world where wolves nap beside lambs, children play safely near vipers, and creation remembers the harmony it was made for.

Pastor Alix begins with a chilling story from Howard Thurman: a baby girl gently stroking a rattlesnake while the adults look on in breathless silence. From childhood encounters with Louisiana cottonmouths to the modern fear of “two-legged predators,” the sermon names the anxiety we carry in a world that feels perpetually on alert.

Yet woven throughout are shimmering, real-world moments when a different story breaks through—unlikely friendships between animals, a neighbor offering help on a stairwell, glimpses of tenderness where we least expect them.

Advent invites us to lean toward the world God is bringing to birth: a restored creation, a peace that isn’t fragile, and a God who is already shaping something new.

“Christ the King Sunday isn’t about power—it's about presence. On a hill with three crosses, a dying man whispers, ‘Jesus, remember me,’ and the dying King replies, ‘Today you will be with me.’ Maybe that’s where the kingdom really begins: in remembering, in mercy, in hope stronger than despair.”

In this episode, we explore Jesus’ unsettling words from Luke 21:5–19 — words that refuse to calm our fears, yet offer us something far deeper than comfort. When the world feels chaotic and the headlines keep tightening the chest, Jesus doesn’t promise escape. He promises presence. He reframes crisis as calling: “This will give you an opportunity to testify.”

In Luke 20:27–38, Jesus refuses the Sadducees’ small and defensive questions and opens a world shaped by resurrection rather than fear. This episode explores how we still cling to familiar categories—maps too small for the life God is giving us—and how changing the question can change everything. From lost hikers in the Rockies to a city transformed by imagination to students rediscovering real connection, we trace the fingerprints of resurrection in ordinary places.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of the way forward, this is a word about the God who speaks in the present tense—and meets us on every road that leads toward life.

Title: Two Prayers, One Mercy
Scripture: Luke 18:9–14 | Romans 3:21–28

Description:
Two men step into the temple — one sure of his goodness, the other barely able to lift his head.
Only one goes home right with God.
In this episode we explore what happens when our need to perform gives way to the grace that meets us in honesty.

From the Pharisee’s proud prayer to the tax collector’s seven-word cry, this story leads us straight to the heart of the gospel: mercy that covers us all.
It’s a word for anyone tired of pretending, anyone longing to know that grace still reaches the real, imperfect you.

Takeaway:
Mercy is not a prize for the good; it’s a gift for the honest.

Listen for:
• The difference between self-righteousness and truth-telling
• What “hilásthēti” really means — and why it matters
• How Reformation grace still frees us today