December 28, 2025 | Speaker: Jason Coker | Scripture: Isaiah 63:7–9

Episode Summary In this final sermon of the Christmas season, Jason explores the profound difference between seeking God's power and resting in God's presence. Drawing from a lament in Isaiah 63, he challenges us to look beyond the "fantastical" and "miraculous" to find salvation in the quiet, empathetic nearness of God. By examining the subtle but powerful differences in ancient Hebrew translations, we discover a God who doesn't just watch our suffering but is afflicted with us—offering a model of justice rooted in deep empathy. As we close out a difficult year, we are invited to cultivate a "practice of the presence" that sustains us for the future.

Key Takeaways

• The Twelve Days of Christmas: Christmas isn't just a single day of overwhelming consumption; it is a season ("Christmastide") that stretches out the experience of grace, teaching us that God's goodness often fills the space rather than arriving in a single flash.

• Presence Over Power: While we often desire God to show up with miraculous power to fix our problems, Isaiah reminds us that it is God's presence—not merely angels or messengers—that truly saves us.

• The God Who Suffers With Us: A closer look at the Masoretic text of Isaiah 63:9 reveals a God who is "afflicted in our affliction." This empathy transforms our understanding of justice: God acts on our behalf because God feels our pain.

• Practicing the Presence: In a world filled with struggle (and looking back on a "rough" 2025), cultivating a daily awareness of God's presence is a vital survival mechanism that connects us to the ultimate source of compassion and resilience.

Memorable Quotes

"The goodness of God, the grace of God, the majesty of God doesn't come in a flash... Instead, it stretches out. It fills the space."

"It was no messenger or angel, but his presence that saved them."

"If God's presence is made possible by God's empathy... That changes everything."

"We cultivate an awareness of God's presence... to connect us with the source of empathy and compassion and justice."

Resources

• Oceanside Sanctuary Website

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• (00:00:00) - Common Table
• (00:01:53) - Reading of Isaiah, Chapter 63
• (00:03:54) - Why Should We Put Up the Christmas Tree Until Christmas Eve?
• (00:09:39) - God's Presence in the Christian Church
• (00:16:46) - Do We Really Want God's Presence?
• (00:28:18) - I Want to Know God More
• (00:29:08) - Crucified Word

December 21, 2025 | Speaker: Jason Coker | Scripture: Isaiah 7:10-16

Episode Summary In this final week before Christmas, Jason Coker continues our Advent series by exploring the tension between our desire for control and the "slow work" of God. Drawing from the story of King Ahaz in Isaiah 7, Jason illustrates how we often cloak our lack of faith in religious language when we are afraid. Through a nostalgic story about a hidden BMX bike and the visceral imagery of pregnancy, this message challenges us to trust that God’s promises are gestating even when we can’t see them. Ultimately, we are reminded that the name Immanuel is a promise that God is with us not just in the destination, but in the long, often painful process of waiting.

Key Takeaways

• The Illusion of Control: Just as we wrap gifts to show the recipient they aren't in control of the grace they receive, God's timing is independent of our efforts to force a "quick fix" salvation.

• Trusting the "Slow Work": Quoting Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Jason emphasizes that God’s purposes often move at the pace of a pregnancy—slowly, involving both signs of hope and periods of discomfort.

• The Trap of False Piety: We see in King Ahaz how easy it is to use "spiritual" excuses to avoid truly trusting God, opting instead to rely on our own power and political alliances.

• Presence Over Rescue: The salvation God offers may not be the immediate rescue we want, but it is the presence we need—the "God with us" who remains through the dark, the waiting, and the fulfillment.

Memorable Quotes

• “Wrapping presents is a kind of symbolic way of demonstrating that you are disconnected from control of the very good things that you receive. That’s how grace works.”

• “Always trust in the slow work of God.” — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

• “My imagination when I appeal to God is so impoverished compared to what God actually delivers.”

• “God is with us in the pregnancy of God’s promises, God is with us in the deliverance, and God is with us in the raising up and the maturing of those promises.”

Resources This Weekly Sermon Podcast is A Production of The Oceanside Sanctuary Church in Oceanside California. Click here to support our work or Learn more about us.

• (00:00:00) - Advent Series
• (00:01:37) - Isaiah 7: The Birth of Jesus
• (00:04:40) - Christmas Gifts That You Didn't Get
• (00:09:31) - Isaiah chapter 7, The Israel story
• (00:14:55) - Isaiah 7: Ask a Sign of the Return of the Israel
• (00:25:58) - God's Deliverance

December 14, 2025 | Speaker: Jason Coker | Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10

Episode Summary In this week's sermon, Jason Coker leads us through the third week of Advent, focusing on the theme of Joy. Drawing from the poetic imagery of Isaiah 35, where the desert blossoms like a crocus, Jason explores how joy often emerges as an organic byproduct rather than something we can force. He shares a personal story of holding his new granddaughter to illustrate the practice of savoring the moment. This message invites us to balance the spiritual work of "preparing" with the faith of "letting go," and challenges us to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives so we don't miss the beauty blooming right in front of us.

Key Takeaways

• Joy is an Organic Byproduct: You cannot simply decide to "have joy." It comes as a result of engaging in the rhythms of preparing (doing the work) and letting go (surrender).

• Hope in the Desert: Isaiah 35 offers a vision of reversal—where the dry wilderness blooms—reminding us that even when things seem to be falling apart, restoration is possible.

• Awakening and Surrender: We live in a paradox where we must do our part to plant and water the seed, but ultimately surrender control over the growth.

• The Discipline of Noticing: Beyond working and surrendering, we must cultivate the spiritual practice of slowing down to notice and savor beauty when it appears.

Memorable Quotes

• “We live between the act of awakening and the act of surrender.” — John O'Donoghue

• “Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” — Dallas Willard

• “In the experience of beauty, we awaken and surrender in the same act.”

Resources

This Weekly Sermon Podcast is A Production of The Oceanside Sanctuary Church in Oceanside California. Click here to support our work or Learn more about us.