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This week, we’re invited to reflect on where we are stuck, weary, or struggling to keep going by returning to the birth of Jesus and the very different responses it provoked. 

Drawing from Isaiah 49 and Matthew 2, we’ll explore how Jesus’ birth fulfills God’s promise of a servant who would reveal God’s glory, bring salvation to the nations, and draw even kings to attention. The Magi respond to the birth of Jesus with courage and movement, leaving everything familiar to worship the true king, while Herod responds with fear and violence, desperate to protect his throne. Together, their reactions reveal that Jesus’ arrival is not neutral—it demands a response.

This challenges the common assumption that Jesus simply wants to improve our lives. Like Herod, we often sense—rightly—that Jesus’ kingship threatens our control. Jesus does not want to merely reside in our lives; he wants to reign over them, claiming authority over our decisions, relationships, finances, work, and future. This is not bad news but good news, because Jesus is far more fit to be king than we are. 

Jesus is coming for our crowns, and giving them to him is the way out of being stuck and leads to true life.

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A higher vantage point changes everything. What once felt overwhelming begins to make sense. What felt hopeless begins to open toward possibility. When God gives us a glimpse of the bigger picture, it doesn’t just change how we see the world—it changes how we live in the world.

Isaiah 49:1-7 and Matthew 1:18-23, though separated by centuries, belong to the same story. What God promises in Isaiah—the calling of a servant to bring hope and salvation—begins to take flesh in Matthew with the birth of Jesus. God’s people are given a vision for the future so that they can live with hope in the present.

Through Scripture, God gives us a view from the top, allowing us to see His unfolding plan across time. From the promises of the prophets to the fulfillment in Christ, God reveals His Son has come to save us from our sin by being with us—Emmanuel. We are invited to lift our eyes above our immediate circumstances and see the bigger picture of God’s redemptive plan. With this vision, we can be confident that God is at work and His promises are true, giving us hope for the future and informing the way we live today.

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Psalm 1 invites us to picture a life that truly flourishes—not because circumstances are easy, but because it is rooted in God’s love and shaped by the steady practice of meditating on His Word. The psalm portrays someone who refuses to be guided by voices that diminish life and, instead, finds joy and clarity in God’s presence. Like a tree deliberately planted beside streams of water, this person becomes resilient, grounded, and fruitful. 

This image echoes Joshua 1, where God urges Joshua to step forward with courage by holding tightly to the Book of the Law. His strength came not from his own effort but from staying close to God’s instruction and trusting the assurance of God’s constant presence.

These truths speak directly into our weary seasons—those moments when we feel drained, uncertain, or spiritually dry. With Advent, we are reminded that God meets us exactly in those places. “Emmanuel, God with us” is more than a title; it is a promise of God’s nearness. As we abide in Christ, we receive the hope, peace, joy, and love our hearts long for, even as we wait for the One who has come and who remains faithfully with us.

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The Bible’s temple imagery reveals the unfolding story of God’s glory—a story He has been writing from the beginning and continues through His people today. God’s presence once dwelled in the temple, then took on flesh in Jesus, and now God’s Spirit dwells within us, making the church the living temple He sends into the world. In this week’s sermon, we explore passages from both the Old and New Testaments to better understand who we are and what we are called to do.

With his last words in 2 Samuel, David depicts a life shaped by God as dawn’s first light and refreshing rain, a presence that renews and helps others flourish. Romans 8 shows how this life becomes possible. We are children of God and have been made heirs with Christ, invited to participate in his mission and embody his character. The story of God’s glory continues through us today as He forms us into people who reflect His goodness and carry His presence wherever we go.

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As David prepares God’s people for the building of the temple—an assignment he himself will not fulfill—he gathers them around a vision bigger than their own lives. He reminds them that the work is great because it is the Lord’s. Their giving, serving, and devotion are not the start of God’s work but a response to it.

David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:10–20 is a confession of God’s greatness and sovereignty: “Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.”

On Vision Sunday, we step into that same posture. We remember that God is the author of every good work. We offer ourselves, our resources, and our devotion not to build our own kingdom, but to join God in His work—in Dallas as it is in heaven.

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After years of hardship and struggle, David finally experiences peace. The battles are over, the throne is secure, and his home is established. From this place of stability and success, David desires to honor God by building Him a house—a temple worthy of His name. But God gently reminds David that He doesn’t need anything from David; what He desires most is a heart that remains faithful. Rather than allowing David to build Him a house, God promises to build one through David—an enduring “house,” a royal line that will find its fulfillment in Christ.

It’s natural to cling to God out of need or desperation. But what happens when the pressure lifts? When life finally settles and success arrives, our hearts face a new kind of test. Will we continue to depend on God, or will comfort make us forget the One who brought us here?

Isaiah speaks to this same truth. God’s people were searching for strength in their own strategies and alliances, yet God calls them back to quiet trust:

In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength. —Isaiah 30:15

Both David and Israel needed the same reminder—and so do we: true faithfulness isn’t found in what we do for God, but in staying near to Him.

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In 2 Samuel 11, David—the man after God’s own heart—makes a series of devastating choices that spiral into deeper sin. What begins as a private temptation leads to adultery, deceit, and ultimately, the death of an innocent man. David’s story reminds us that sin is never isolated. Our choices ripple outward, wounding others, damaging relationships, and distorting the trust God calls us to live in.

Instead of confessing, David tries to cover up what he’s done. The more he hides, the more harm he causes. But when the prophet Nathan confronts him, David finally stops running. In Psalm 51, we hear his broken, honest confession: “Have mercy on me, O God… Create in me a clean heart.” In that moment, David learns that the only way forward is not by managing appearances but by coming clean before God. Sin always leaves a mess—both in us and around us—but grace offers a way to clean up. Confession doesn’t erase consequences, but it opens the door for healing and restoration. God’s grace not only forgives the sinner; it can begin to heal the people and places our sin has affected.

When we stop covering up and start cleaning up, we discover that God’s grace is bigger than our biggest mess.

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Before David was a king, he was a shepherd. In the quiet fields, he learned to guide, protect, and care for sheep—lessons that would later define how he led God’s people. Psalm 23 reveals that before David could lead others, he first had to be led by God.

David knew what it meant to depend on the Shepherd who restores, guides, and provides. His leadership flowed from intimacy, not authority—from being cared for, not from striving to control. Centuries later, Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd—the One who knows his sheep by name and lays down his life for them. Jesus leads not through power or position, but through love and service.

To lead like Jesus, we must have a willingness to follow—learning what it means to be led by the Shepherd. We cannot lead others well if we are not first following well.