Sermons from Church of the Incarnation, Dallas

How should Christians speak to those with whom we disagree, especially in a time of deep political and social division? As followers of Jesus, we are called not to pursue victory at any cost, but to serve God through lives marked by honesty, mercy, love, and perseverance. That begins with allowing Scripture to form our hearts, examining our own motives, and approaching every conversation with the prayer that God might open both our hearts and the hearts of those we meet.

"God's invitation is not a reward for our worthiness. It is a gift of his grace."

The grace we receive from God is not earned or bought. It is given freely to all. But accepting that grace comes with the responsibility to change the way that we live, love, think, and treat others.

Preceding grace finds you in your unworthiness and invites you into a life you never imagined you could have. But God's grace doesn't just welcome you. Pursuing grace tracks you, protects you, and refuses to let you go. All that God asks in return, is that we allow ourselves to be transformed.

"We are never without the presence of angels."

The redemption of our world includes the reality of both angels and demons. Each play their own part in the human world, in both events and in personal struggles. When we call on "angels and archangels and all the company of heaven" we are declaring the geographic, cosmic reality that we are always surrounded by angels and are reminded that all our blessings are brought to us as a gift from God.

What does spirituality look like in our modern world? Are there forces outside of ourselves that we can harness and use? As we celebrate the feast of St. Michael and All Angels we're reminded that the unseen world is real, but it belongs to God and is not ours to control.

"Not one of us in here can outsource repentance."

God holds each of us personally responsible to hear his word and turn our lives towards him.  You do not have to be trapped by your decisions of yesterday. All you have to do is turn towards God and allow yourself to be transformed.

Why does God want us to be like the tax collectors and the prostitutes? The gospel call us to be honest about our lives, have faith in God, and repent for what we have done or not done. In doing so, we become like the tax collectors and the prostitutes, who saw the truth in Jesus and changed their lives. It does not matter what we have done before, or how late we turn to God. What matters is that we change our minds and turn towards him.

The parable of the laborers in the vineyard reveals a God whose generosity cannot be measured by our own human standards, who welcomes the one who arrives first and the one who comes at the very last hour with the same abundant grace. None of us receives more of God’s love because of our accomplishments, our faithfulness, our family, or our past. Even when we feel unworthy or disqualified, Christ chooses us, calls us his own, and invites us into the joy and freedom of a new life in his service.

What does baptism mean, and what difference does it make in our lives? God’s love does not depend upon our understanding or our ability to earn it; God claims us as beloved children and welcomes us into the family of faith. When we pass through uncertainty, suffering, fear, and seasons when we feel overwhelmed, God does not promise that the waters will disappear, but promises something greater: “I will be with you.”

What does it mean to forgive from the heart? Forgiveness does not always mean reconciliation or returning to a relationship as it was, but it does open a path toward healing, both for ourselves and for others. We cannot truly forgive others without first coming to terms with the astonishing forgiveness God has already offered us in Christ. Through the practice of confession, prayer, and honest examination of our own hearts, we can grow in the strength to forgive as we have been forgiven.