Sermons from Church of the Incarnation, Dallas

On Good Shepherd Sunday, Rev. Dorothy Budd reflects on Jesus’ words in John 10 and the deep comfort of belonging to Christ’s flock.

Through the familiar promises of Psalm 23 and the Gospel of John, this sermon reminds us that Jesus knows each of His sheep by name, leads us through dark valleys, seeks us when we wander, and carries us close to His heart.

If you are walking through grief, fear, uncertainty, or hardship, this message offers hope in the voice of the Good Shepherd who never leaves nor forsakes His own.

📖 Scripture: John 10:22–30, Psalm 23
🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Dorothy Budd
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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Many of us know what it feels like to walk with Jesus and not recognize Him—to pray and feel silence, to worship and feel numb, to search for God in the dramatic and come up empty.

But Scripture draws our attention somewhere else.

From the psalmist lifting the cup of salvation, to Peter proclaiming the precious blood of Christ, to the disciples at Emmaus—God reveals Himself not in spectacle, but in something far more tangible. At the table.

This sermon invites us to stop chasing God on our own terms and instead come to where He has promised to be. In the breaking of bread, Christ makes Himself known. Here, grace is freely given—yet it comes at an infinite cost.

Come and receive.

📖 Scripture: Luke 24:13–35, Psalm 116, 1 Peter 1:17–23, Acts 2:42
🕊️ Preacher: Pastor Shawn Torres
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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On the road to Emmaus, two disciples walk away in disappointment—carrying the weight of shattered hopes and unanswered questions. But the risen Christ draws near, not after they’ve figured everything out, but right in the middle of their confusion and grief.

This sermon reflects on where we go when life feels unbearable—and how, even there, Christ comes to meet us. In Scripture and in the breaking of bread, He opens our eyes, rekindles hope, and sets our hearts on fire.

Emmaus is not just a place long lost to history. It is the place we run to—and the place where Christ finds us.

📖 Scripture: Luke 24:13–35
🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Jordan Griesbeck
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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Doubt is not the end of faith—it can be the beginning of a deeper one.

On the Second Sunday of Easter, we encounter Thomas, often remembered for his doubt. Yet his story reveals something more: an honest struggle that leads to a profound confession—“My Lord and my God.”

God does not reject our questions or our wrestlings. He meets us in them. Through the witness of the resurrection, we are invited to move from honest doubt to honest faith—trusting not what we can see, but the One who is alive.

📖 Scripture: John 20:19–31
🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Cn. Oliver Lee
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just something we celebrate—it is a reality that transforms everything.

Through the power of Christ’s resurrection, we are given new birth into a living hope. Baptism is not merely symbolic, but a declaration that we have been raised to new life, filled with the Holy Spirit, and sent into the world with purpose.

Because Jesus is alive, nothing in our lives has to stay dead. Fear can become faith. Doubt can become devotion. And our lives become vessels of His hope, sent to reflect His love in the world.

📖 Scripture: Acts 2; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1:3; John 20
🕊️ Preacher: Pastor Shawn Torres
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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On Good Friday, we stand at the foot of the Cross and ask the question:

Who is responsible for the death of Jesus?

Was it Peter?
Was it Pilate?
Was it the crowd?

Scripture will not allow us to remain spectators.

Drawing from Isaiah 53 and the witness of the New Testament, this sermon confronts us with the truth that the Cross is not only something that happened long ago—it is something in which we are personally involved. Christ died not only for us, but because of us.

And yet, this is not a message of despair.
It is a message of redemption.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin…”
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In the suffering and death of Jesus, our sin is laid upon Him—and through His sacrifice, we are forgiven, restored, and healed.

As we reflect on the Passion, we are invited into repentance, gratitude, and renewed trust in the saving work of Christ.

📖 Scripture: Isaiah 53; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:8
🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Cn. Oliver Lee
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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To understand Good Friday, we must tell two stories.

The first is a story of a garden—
and a tree that promised life, but brought sin and death.

The second is the story of another tree—
the Cross—where sin and death reach their climax.

In this sermon, Rev. Cody Turner reflects on how these two trees are connected. From Eden to Golgotha, Scripture reveals the depth of human rebellion—and the even greater depth of God’s mercy.

The Cross, once a sign of humiliation and death, becomes the place where God enters into the very worst of human history and transforms it. What was meant for death becomes the beginning of new creation.

The tree of death becomes the tree of life.

As we behold the Cross, we are invited not only to see the cost of sin, but to worship the God who held nothing back—who poured Himself out for the life of the world.

📖 Scripture: Genesis 3; John 19; Isaiah 53
🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Cody Turner
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathers with His disciples for the Passover meal—and does something unexpected.

He gives them bread and wine, declaring, “This is my body… this is my blood.”
And then He rises from the table, takes a towel, and washes their feet.

In these two acts, Maundy Thursday reveals the heart of the Christian life:
union with Christ and friendship with Him.

This sermon reflects on the intimacy of the Eucharist, where Christ gives Himself fully to His people, and the humility of foot washing, where the Lord of all becomes a servant. Together, they invite us into a relationship that is not distant or abstract—but deeply personal.

Jesus does not only call us servants.
He calls us friends.

As we enter the Triduum, we are invited to receive that friendship—to stop pretending, to be known fully, and to walk closely with Christ through these holy days.

📖 Scripture: [Insert Gospel reading – likely John 13:1–17 or Last Supper texts]
🕊️ Preacher: Bp. Greg Brewer
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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On Maundy Thursday, we pass through the gate of the Triduum—the three holy days that stand at the center of the Christian year.

Here, at the table of the Last Supper, Jesus reveals the kind of God we encounter in the days to come: a God who serves, who stoops, and who loves even His enemies.

Peter will deny Him.
The disciples will fall asleep.
Judas will betray Him.

And still—Jesus washes their feet.

This sermon reflects on the startling truth at the heart of Maundy Thursday: that Christ not only feeds and serves those who fail Him, but commands us to do the same. Drawing on the witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we are invited to see that obedience and belief are inseparable—that we come to know Christ more deeply as we begin to love as He loves.

As we enter the Triduum, this night shapes everything that follows:
the Cross on Good Friday,
the silence of Holy Saturday,
and the joy of the Resurrection.

🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Jordan Griesbeck
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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“Why are you weeping?”

On Easter morning, Rev. Jordan Griesbeck invites us into the surprising, disruptive reality of the resurrection. Not a scolding. Not a metaphor. Not just an idea—but an event that happened.

Through the story of Mary Magdalene at the tomb, we see how easily we settle into routines and expectations—believing that death is final, that broken things stay broken, that nothing truly changes. But Easter overturns all of it.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the great surprise: the moment where what we thought was impossible becomes reality. If Christ is alive, then the world is no longer closed. God is active, present, and able to interrupt our lives with grace, joy, and new life in ways we could never predict.

Because He lives, even death itself does not have the final word.

📖 Scripture: John 20:1–18
🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Jordan Griesbeck
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

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