Sermons from Church of the Incarnation, Dallas

What does it mean to walk by faith during Lent?

On this Second Sunday of Lent, Pastor Shawn Torres reminds us that salvation is not a transaction. We cannot buy the blessings of heaven with the currency of earth. God’s Kingdom operates on faith — not merit, performance, or religious resume.

From Abraham’s departure in Genesis 12 to the psalmist’s confidence in Psalm 121, and from Paul’s teaching in Romans 4 to Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in John 3, we see the same unchangeable truth: we are justified by grace through faith.

Faith demands departure.
Faith depends on a helper.
Faith discards human effort.
Faith delivers new birth.

It is not the intensity of our faith that saves us — it is the object of our faith. Jesus Christ alone.

“Thanks be to God, whose glory it is always to have mercy.”

📖 Scripture: Genesis 12:1–4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1–5, 13–17; John 3:1–17
🕊️ Preacher: Pastor Shawn Torres
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

🙏 Connect with Incarnation
Learn more at https://incarnation.org/

Journey through Lent with us: https://incarnation.org/lent-2026/

Lent is not a self-improvement plan.

In a culture that constantly tells us to become the “best version of ourselves,” Scripture zooms out to reveal something far larger. Romans reminds us that sin and death are not merely mistakes we make — they are powers that have gripped the world. We are not only their captives, but often their accomplices.

But the story does not end there.

Jesus does not come to make us slightly better. He comes to set us free. Entering into the territory held by sin and death, Christ overthrows their dominion through the cross and the empty tomb. What we demand is a miracle — and in Christ, that miracle has come.

Lent is about seeing again what God has done to reclaim the world He made.

📖 Scripture: Romans 5; Matthew 4:1–11
 🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Cody Turner
 ⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

🙏 Journey with us this Lent
 Explore resources, services, and events: https://incarnation.org/lent-2026/

🙏 Connect with Incarnation
 Learn more at https://incarnation.org/

Human history collapses into two names: Adam and Christ.

In Romans 5, the Apostle Paul tells the story of the world through two men—one whose disobedience brought sin and death, and one whose obedience brings righteousness and life. There are no conditions. No imperatives. No “ifs.” Only the objective reality of grace.

This message explores the depth of our solidarity in sin, the universality of grace, and the astonishing freedom found in Christ’s obedience transferred to us. As Lent begins, we enter the wilderness not in fear, but in the security of what Christ has already accomplished.

Grace is not earned. It is given. And it changes everything.

📖 Scripture: Romans 5:12–19
 🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Jordan Griesbeck
 ⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

🙏 Journey with us this Lent
 Explore resources, events, and services: https://incarnation.org/lent-2026/

🙏 Connect with Incarnation
 Learn more at https://incarnation.org/

Ash Wednesday begins the 40-day journey of Lent — a season of prayer, fasting, repentance, and renewal as we prepare for Holy Week and the resurrection of our Savior.

In this message, Cn. Oliver Lee reminds us that ashes are not decoration. They are declaration. They declare who we are, whose we are, and what we are:

• We are dust — fragile and finite
• We belong to God — beloved children
• We are sinners — in need of mercy and grace

Jesus warns us in Matthew 6 not to perform righteousness for recognition, but to practice relationship with the Father who sees in secret. Lent is not about earning salvation. It is about renewing relationship.

This sermon explores:
• Why giving, prayer, and fasting must flow from sincerity
• The danger of storing up earthly treasure
• How repentance deepens joy
• Practical ways to walk faithfully through Lent 2026

As we receive ashes, we are invited not to perform repentance — but to practice it.

Walk through Lent with us.

Learn more about Lent at Incarnation:
https://incarnation.org/lent-2026/

📖 Scripture: Joel 2:1–2, 12–17; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:20–6:10; Matthew 6:1–21
🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Cn. Oliver Lee
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

🙏 Connect with Incarnation
Learn more at https://incarnation.org/

On Ash Wednesday, we hear Jesus’ call from Matthew 6: “Go into your room. Shut the door. Pray to your Father who sees in secret.”

In a world obsessed with image, performance, and being seen, Rev. Griesbeck reflects on what it means to remove the mask and stand honestly before God. Ash Wednesday confronts our need for recognition and invites us instead into the freedom of being fully known — and fully loved — by the Father.

This sermon explores:
• The temptation to live for public approval
• Why performance eventually exhausts us
• The hidden cost of spiritual “looks maxing”
• The freedom found in being seen by God alone
• The grace marked on our faces in ashes

Ash Wednesday is not about spiritual performance. It is about repentance, truth, and grace. It is a day for actors to lay down their masks — and for sinners to receive mercy.

We invite you to walk through Lent with us.

Learn more about Lent at Incarnation: https://incarnation.org/lent-2026/

📖 Scripture: Joel 2:1–2, 12–17; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:20–6:10; Matthew 6:1–6
🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Griesbeck
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

🙏 Connect with Incarnation
Learn more at https://incarnation.org/

We live in a world obsessed with filters — projecting polished versions of ourselves while hiding what feels weak or unfinished. But God does not invite us to hide. He invites us to behold.

On Transfiguration Sunday, Pastor Shawn Torres walks us through Matthew 17 and reminds us that the glory of Christ is not given for entertainment, but for empowerment. When Jesus’ face shone like the sun and the Father declared, “This is my Son… listen to Him,” the disciples were given more than a spectacle. They were given strength for what lay ahead.

The mountain was not the destination — it was preparation.

As we enter the valleys of real life and prepare for Lent, this sermon calls us to fix our eyes on Jesus, listen to His voice above every competing voice, and trust that His glory will strengthen us to bear our cross.

Is His glory changing the way we carry ours?

📖 Scripture: Matthew 17:1–9; 2 Peter 1:16–21; Psalm 99
 🕊️ Preacher: Pastor Shawn Torres
 ⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

 🙏 Connect with Incarnation
 Learn more at https://incarnation.org/

There are moments when God feels close — when prayer is powerful and His presence unmistakable. And there are seasons when we feel nothing at all.

On Transfiguration Sunday, Bp. Brewer reflects on Matthew 17 and reminds us that God’s glory does not depend on our feelings. When Jesus’ face shone like the sun and heaven broke into earth, the disciples were given a glimpse of what is always true: the spiritual is stronger than the physical, and Christ is who He says He is.

As we prepare to enter Lent, this sermon invites us to trust that even in the valleys — in silence, weakness, and uncertainty — God is active, present, and holding us fast.

No matter what we feel, His glory is always there.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9; 2 Peter 1:16-21
 🕊️ Preacher: Bp. Brewer
 ⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

 🙏 Connect with Incarnation
 Learn more at https://incarnation.org/

Every time the Church gathers, God draws us into a clearer space — a place where heaven and earth meet, where our vision is sharpened, and where we are reminded of the one sign that truly matters.

Drawing on C.S. Lewis’s The Silver Chair, Rev. Cody Turner reflects on how Christ and Him crucified stands at the center of Christian life. The cross not only reveals God’s love for the world; it shapes our desires, exposes competing loyalties, and calls us into a cruciform way of living.

As we return to the “thick air” of everyday life — filled with noise, confusion, and divided allegiances — the Church sends us out remembering this sign, trusting the Holy Spirit to root it deep within us, for the life of the world.

📖 Scripture: Isaiah 2:1–5; Romans 13:8–14
 🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Cody Turner
 ⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

🙏 Connect with Incarnation
 Learn more at https://incarnation.org/

Is there anything better to talk about than Jesus?

In worship, God invites us into more than observation — He invites us into encounter. As the Church gathers around Word and Sacrament, our attention is drawn away from inward rumination and toward the living Christ, who makes Himself known by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Reflecting on the Apostle Paul’s proclamation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, Bp. Brewer calls us to receive rather than impress, to enter rather than observe, and to open our hearts to the sacrificial love revealed at the cross. In Jesus, God has spoken His final word — a word of forgiveness, restoration, and life.

When we turn our eyes upon Jesus, hearts are warmed, joy is restored, and lives are changed.

📖 Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:1–5
 🕊️ Preacher: Bp. Brewer
⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

🙏 Connect with Incarnation
 Learn more at https://incarnation.org/

Are the Beatitudes beautiful words — or do they actually mean something in a broken world?

In this sermon, Rev. Jon Jordan invites us to hear the Beatitudes not as moral advice or self-help teaching, but as Jesus’ announcement that a new world is breaking in. Spoken into a first-century world shaped by violence, power, and fear, the Beatitudes declare that those who live by God’s kingdom values now are already blessed.

Drawing on Matthew 5 and the prophet Micah, this sermon explores what it means to live faithfully between two worlds — the world as it is, and the world as it will be when God sets all things right.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 5:1–12, Micah 6:8
 🕊️ Preacher: Rev. Jon Jordan
 ⛪ Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX

🙏 Connect with Incarnation
 Learn more at https://incarnation.org/