This Advent sermon explores Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth as a profound invitation to spiritual wakefulness, discernment, and trust in God’s unexpected work. Although the passage appears to be a Christmas reading, the message centers on Advent themes: staying awake, preparing our hearts, and recognizing the divine presence in daily life. The Rev. Theresa Newell highlights how Matthew, writing decades after Jesus’ resurrection, weaves an overture of themes that will unfold throughout the Gospel—scandal, divine intervention, misunderstanding, and ultimately the promise of “God with us.”

At the heart of the message is Joseph, whose quiet courage and spiritual attentiveness model what it means to seek God’s light in dark and confusing moments. Faced with Mary’s unexpected pregnancy and the emotional turmoil it must have caused, Joseph refuses to act from anger or fear. Instead, he pauses, reflects, and listens. His righteousness is revealed not in rigid legalism but in compassion, humility, and openness to God’s guidance. Because Joseph has cultivated a life of prayer and repentance—continually turning toward God—he is able to recognize the angel’s message, trust it, and act on it.

The sermon calls listeners to embrace Joseph’s Advent posture: staying awake to the Holy Spirit’s nudges, practicing discernment, and preparing room for God’s presence in everyday life. With practice, prayer, and openness, we too can receive divine guidance, live into our calling, and become people who reflect God’s love in the world.

This sermon was preached on the 4th Sunday of Advent, December 21, 2025, at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington.

All are welcome to fully participate at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer:

✅All races.

✅All religions.

✅All countries of origin.

✅All sexual orientations, including LGBTQ+.

✅All genders.

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In the Gospel reflection, Jesus asks, “What did the people go out into the wilderness to see?” The crowds were not searching for a reed swayed by the wind or a figure of wealth and status. Instead, they sought truth, healing, and wholeness. Drawn by a deep awareness of brokenness—both personal and societal—the people went to hear John the Baptist, who called them to self-examination, repentance, and preparation for the coming of Christ.

John’s message was not one of comfort or convenience but of transformation. He urged people to confront their shadow selves, the hidden parts of their identity suppressed by fear or societal judgment. By opening their hearts to God’s forgiveness and grace, they could experience reconciliation and renewal. John pointed beyond himself to Jesus, the one who would baptize with fire and the Spirit, bringing restoration to individuals and justice to communities.

This call resonates today. Just as the first-century crowds longed for wholeness, modern society struggles with division, inequality, and repression of authentic identity. Yet God declares all creation good—our emotions, gifts, and differences are essential to the flourishing of the whole. Jesus’ ministry demonstrates the fruits of the Spirit: healing, harmony, and good news for the poor.

The wilderness journey reminds us that true wholeness comes not from power or approval but from opening ourselves to God’s Spirit. In Christ, brokenness is healed, communities are reconciled, and the fullness of God’s goodness is revealed again and again.

This sermon was preached on the 3rd Sunday of Advent (Year A), December 14, 2025, by the Rev. Theresa Newell, Priest in Charge, Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington.

All are welcome to fully participate at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer:
✅All races.
✅All religions.
✅All countries of origin.
✅All sexual orientations, including LGBTQ+.
✅All genders.

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This Advent sermon explores the powerful contrast between the season’s hopeful biblical visions and the urgent call to repentance proclaimed by John the Baptist. While readings from Isaiah, Psalms, and Romans describe a world transformed by divine wisdom, peace, and harmony—wherevulnerability disappears and enemies dwell together—John’s bold cry from the wilderness interrupts with a challenging message: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” The sermon explains how Matthew portrays John as a prophetic truth-teller in the lineage of Elijah, a figure whose life symbolizes divine disruption, openness, and transformation. Through images of locusts, honey, and fire, John represents the spiritual turning required for entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

The message emphasizes repentance not as guilt-drivenreflection but as ongoing inner conversion—a softening of the heart and awakening to God’s Spirit. Drawing on biblical symbolism, the sermon describes the heart as the meeting place with God, capable of being hardened, open, or set aflame. True repentance requires self-examination, honesty, and the courage to release fear, shame, cultural expectations, and the “inner critic” that obscures one’s authentic self. John exposes false spiritual security, urging listeners to abandon masks, rigidity, and avoidance in favor of openness to God’s transformative presence.

Ultimately, the sermon points to Christ as the one whobaptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire, separating the life-giving fruit within us from the chaff of fear and illusion. By opening our hearts, embracing repentance, and aligning with the Spirit’s movement, we prepare the way for God’s reign and allow our hearts to be set ablaze with divine love. Amen and alleluia.

All are welcome to fully participate at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer:
✅All races.
✅All religions.
✅All countries of origin.
✅All sexual orientations, including LGBTQ+.
✅All genders.

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Advent is a season of anticipation, preparation, and spiritual awakening. In this reflection, we are reminded of Jesus’ words: “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” Advent calls us to live in the “in-between”—between good and evil, between the present reality and God’s ultimate kingdom, between what has already been revealed in Christ and what is not yet fully realized.

This message emphasizes the importance of prayer, spiritual discipline, and attentiveness to God’s presence in everyday life. While daily tasks—work, family, errands—are not wrong, they can lull us into spiritual sleep if they consume us entirely. Advent challenges us to stay awake, to notice God’s light breaking into the world through acts of kindness, beauty increation, and the love of community.

Grounding ourselves in scripture, prayer, and reflection helps us walk in the light of the Lord, even in dark times. Advent is not only a season of expectation but also of repentance, calling us to recognize and turn away from what is inconsistent with God’s peace and goodness. By re-centering on Christ, we prepare our hearts to welcome Him anew.

This Advent, consider practices that keep you spiritually awake—whether posting reminders of God’s truth, meditating daily on His light, or engaging in prayer that opens your heart to transformation. Stay awake, be ready, and make room for Christ to be born within you.

This sermon was preached on the 1st Sunday of Advent (Year A) by the Rev. Theresa Newell, Priest in Charge, Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington, on Sunday, November 30, 2025.Everyone is welcome to participate fully at Church of the Redeemer: ✅All races.✅All religions.✅All countries of origin.✅All sexual orientations, including LGBTQ+.✅All genders.Advent reflection on keeping awake for Christ’s coming

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Christ the King Sunday invites us to reconsider what ittruly means to call Jesus “King.” In the Gospel, the title is usedmockingly—“If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself”—yet Jesus transformsthe meaning of kingship. Unlike earthly rulers who preserve their own power,Christ reveals kingship through sacrifice, service, and love. By refusing tosave himself, Jesus shows us a leader who saves others, offering comfort andreassurance even in suffering and death.

This message echoes the covenantal call of the OldTestament, where God desired to be Israel’s true ruler, and the propheticwarnings of Jeremiah, who envisioned a kingdom rooted in righteousness. Jesusembodies this relational, Trinitarian way of living, inviting us intoreciprocity, forgiveness, and authentic community.

To proclaim “Christ is King” is to embrace a kingdom not ofdomination but of love, where power is used for others. It challenges us toreorder our lives and society to reflect God’s covenantal kingdom ofreciprocity, service, and grace.

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This sermon was preached on the Last Sunday After Pentecost (Year C), November 23, 2025, at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington. The preacher was the Rev. Theresa Newell, Priest in Charge.

All are welcome to participate fully at Redeemer.
✅All races.
✅All religions.
✅All countries of origin.
✅All sexual orientations, including LGBTQ+.
✅All genders.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

In this powerful sermon, we journey with Jesus as he sets his face toward Jerusalem, confronting the domination systems of religion, politics, and empire with a radical vision of the Kingdom of God. This kingdom is not built on power and control, but on relationship, reciprocity, and shared abundance between God, creation, and humanity.

The message reminds us that earthly structures—temples, governments, even the comforts of daily life—are temporary. Yet the relational kingdom of God endures. Drawing on scripture, prophetic tradition, and personal testimony, this sermon calls us to persistence in faith, even in the face of persecution, uncertainty, and loss.

Jesus assures his disciples that endurance will gain their souls, and that wisdom will be given even when opposition arises. We are invited to choose life, to choose love, and to embody Christ’s presence in the world. Through hardship, illness, or destruction, we can be heroes in our own stories Christ-bearers who bring light and love into the world.

As Frederick Buechner once said: “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” This sermon echoes that truth, urging us to endure, to trust, and to live abundantly in God’s eternal kingdom.

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Choosing the Right Model of God: From Judgment to Creation

This sermon explores how models shape our decisions—fromweather forecasts to spiritual beliefs. Models simplify reality, but they’re inherently incomplete. One widely used theological model is the “Santa Claus model” of God: a divine judge who rewards the good and punishes the bad. Foundin creeds and scripture, this model offers moral clarity but risks distorting divine mystery when taken as literal truth.

Through readings from Job, Psalms, Thessalonians, and theGospel, the sermon critiques this model’s limitations. Job’s suffering challenges the fairness of divine judgment. Paul’s early followers misinterpret the urgency of Christ’s return, abandoning daily responsibilities. The Sadducees question resurrection, clinging to Torah law. Jesus responds byreframing God not as judge, but as creator—one who brings life that cannot be uncreated.

This “creating life” model shifts focus from punishment topossibility. It invites believers to partner with God in cultivating life, justice, and renewal. Rather than asking “Why did this happen?” we ask, “What can God create now?” Jesus’ resurrection becomes the ultimate affirmation that death cannot undo divine creation.

The sermon encourages listeners to discern which model bestguides their actions today. It calls for less reliance on retributive frameworks and more engagement with life-giving ones. Supported by community, tradition, and Spirit, we’re invited to co-create with God—bringing hope, healing, and transformation to our lives, churches, and world.

All Saints Day Reflection: Living Virtuously Through the Spirit of God

On All Saints Day, we honor the communion of believers—past, present, and future—marked by the Holy Spirit andunited in Christ. This sermon explores the original meaning of"saint" as all who follow Jesus, and challenges us to pursue virtuous and godly living as described in Luke’s Beatitudes.

Jesus calls the poor, hungry, grieving, and excluded “blessed,” not for their suffering, but for their gratitude, openness to God, and freedom from material attachments. Drawing from Christian and global wisdom traditions, the message emphasizes that true love—especially toward enemies—is not sentimental but Spirit-empowered. By embracing the rule of love and living from the image of God within, believers can transform victim narratives and embody Christ-like generosity.

The sermon invites us to seek justice, love deeply, and remain open to the Spirit’s power to change hearts and lives.

This was preached on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington, by the Rev. Theresa Newell, Priest in Charge.

All are welcome to participate fully at Redeemer.
✅All races.
✅All religions.
✅All countries of origin.
✅All sexual orientations, including LGBTQ+.
✅All genders.

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