November 30, 2025
LINK TO SERMON ON YOUTUBE
(May expire after about 2 years)
TEXT: Isaiah 2:1-5; 9:6
TOPIC: Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor
SERMON SUMMARY:
Our Wonderful Counselor: The Wisdom That Creates and Redeems
I invite you to do pause for a moment and take a few deep breaths. Notice where you are, how you feel, and what you are carrying—gratitude, worry, peace, discouragement?—and notice any way in which you are aware of God’s presence with you right in the midst of those feelings and thoughts.
I believe our God is a wonderful counselor who knows exactly who you are and what you need in ways I never could. His wisdom takes several beautiful forms throughout Scripture that I want us to explore together.
First, God's wisdom is seen in creation itself. As Proverbs tells us, through wisdom God created everything. This isn't just ancient history—God continues creating what is not even in our lives today. Through Jesus Christ, He brought forth redemption itself, something entirely new.
Second, God has a sovereign plan that no one can thwart. As He told Isaiah, what He purposes, He will do. His plan of redemption and grace in our lives cannot be stopped by any human power or wisdom.
Third, God's wisdom gives us guidance and teaching—sometimes in ways that seem foolish to the world. I think of my student from Ethiopia who read the Sermon on the Mount for the first time and said, "This is crazy! Who would do this?" He understood something we often miss: God's wisdom doesn't always look like what we expect.
All of this wisdom is embodied in Jesus Christ. He was there at creation, participated in the sovereign plan by surrendering His glory, and taught with supernatural knowledge that touched hearts with both truth and tenderness. The same Wonderful Counselor who created all that is, who came as a baby into human history, and who will come again at the end of time, is here with us now as our Wonderful Counselor.
Is God inviting you to trust His wisdom over your own plans right now? Our wonderful counselor comes to us today by His Spirit, ready to create what is not yet, carry out his plans, and guide us into life.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:
What are you currently carrying—gratitude, worry, hope, or discouragement—that you need to allow God to notice with you?
Is there an area of your life where God is inviting you to follow His "foolish" wisdom instead of relying on human effort or conventional thinking?
What might God be asking you to surrender or let go of so He can create something new in your life that doesn't yet exist?
The Rev. Dr. Jessica Duisberg serves as an Assisting Priest and Parish Administrator at St. Luke's Anglican Church in Montrose, CA. Ordained in 2014, she has assisted churches in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and C4SO as well as the Diocese of Western Anglicans, her current home. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching, a Master of Divinity, and a Ph.D. in Practical Theology with a focus on the intersection of attachment theory and adaptive leadership. While she loves serving specific congregations, her greatest joy comes from offering Immanuel Prayer Ministry and training others to do so. She also loves hiking along a mountain stream, reading a good novel, and laughing with her husband, David.
For over a century, the congregation of St. Luke’s has followed Jesus Christ through ancient forms of worship and spiritual growth presented in a contemporary style. St. Luke’s celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024. The original stone building, made of stones from the local mountains, still stands on Foothill Blvd in La Crescenta—though the Anglican congregation has moved to a new building just a few blocks away near downtown Montrose. Retaining its biblically faithful foundation and liturgically rich worship service through the move, this long-standing Los Angeles church also carries on a tradition of warm welcome for newcomers. St. Luke’s is part of the Diocese of Western Anglicans, Anglican Church in North America, and the Global Anglican Communion. We invite you to join us online or in person this Sunday!
