Here is a link to read Mother Shelley’s Advent Letter to family and friends of The Church of the Ascension.
Listen to the sermon preached by the Rev. Ed Chinery on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 21, 2025.
This week, the rector reflects on Advent’s invitation to hope when circumstances feel bleak or overwhelming. Drawing on Isaiah’s story of King Ahaz and Matthew’s account of Joseph, she explores the tension between realism and trust—between protecting ourselves from disappointment and daring to imagine what God might do. These texts challenge us to notice where cynicism or caution keeps us from hope, and to consider the risks of faithful dreaming. Advent asks whether we can trust that God is truly with us, even in the messiness and brokenness of our world.