Sermon Study Guide | Series: Come All Ye Faithless | Sermon: Come All Ye Anxious | Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 | Date: December 14, 2025

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Update:

We’ve developed a daily Advent reading plan on YouVersion! Come All Ye Faithless is an honest journey through the stories of Scripture for those who feel hopeless, joyless, anxious, or lonely. Across twenty-five days, this devotional invites you to slow down, reflect, and encounter the God who meets us where faith feels thin.

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Each day includes Scripture, a short reflection, and a prayer to help you discover that hope grows in silence, joy emerges through surrender, peace is born in trust, and love is revealed in presence.

Because the invitation of Christmas isn’t just for the faithful—it’s for all of us.

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CONNECT - “A Personal Reflection”

This section is designed to help you relate personally to the theme of the sermon. It encourages you to reflect on your own life experiences and how they connect to the message.

We all have those moments where life feels like it’s stuck in a “Code Red”—everything is urgent, and peace feels just out of reach.

In this busy holiday season, what is the anxiety that’s weighing most heavily on your heart? Are there specific areas of life—family, finances, work, health—where the pressure feels more real than God’s presence? 

Take a moment to reflect honestly and share with the group or in your journal.
You’re not alone—and the first step toward peace is naming the pressure.

ENGAGE - “Exploring the Scripture”

This section invites you to dive into the biblical passage, discuss its meaning, and apply it to your life through thoughtful questions.

Read Matthew 1:18–25 together and reflect on the following

• Joseph’s life was upended by Mary’s pregnancy. Which of the “three arteries of pressure” mentioned—disruption, perception, or responsibility—can you relate to most right now?
  
  
• The angel reminds Joseph of his identity (“Son of David”). Why do you think God begins with identity before instruction? How does God’s truth about you challenge the labels your anxiety tries to give you?
  
  
• The angel didn’t fix Joseph’s problem but gave him a promise. What are some promises of God that bring you peace when you feel overwhelmed? (Consider verses like Romans 8:28, John 14:27, Isaiah 41:10)
  
  
• Consider the phrase “You can be righteous, responsible, and completely miss God.” 
  
  • When has this been true in you or someone else’s life? What does it look like to release control in order to step into God’s plan?
    
    
• Discuss this quote from Steve Cuss: “Anxiety grows in the gap between what we cannot control and what we refuse to trust God with.” 
  
  • When have you experienced this? What’s in that gap for you right now?
    
    

APPLY - “Putting the Scriptures into Action”

This section challenges us to take what we’ve learned and implement it in practical ways in our daily lives.

• What’s one area of your life where you’ve been acting like the “General Manager of the Universe”? Where is God inviting you to resign and release control this week?
  
  
• Try writing your own “resignation letter” to God. (Example: “God, effective immediately, I resign from managing outcomes I can’t control. I trust You with ______.”)
  
  
• In practical terms, what does it look like this week to pull God’s promises closer than your pressure? Could it mean memorizing Scripture, setting boundaries, starting a practice of stillness, or asking someone for help?
  
  
• Who in your life needs to see peace lived out? How can your calmness and trust be a witness to others during a high-pressure season?
  
  
• Commit to reading the Come All Ye Faithless daily devotional plan on YouVersion (Bible app) from today until Christmas Day
  
  • Don’t worry if you miss a day, just catch up so you can stay on-track! 
    
    • Think practice over perfection.
  • Note: YouVersion is a mobile app so you’ll need to install it on your phone or tablet to access the reading plan.
    
    • Use the link above or search “Menlo Church” in the Bible app
  • Share with a friend! If you’re someone who has seen God’s faithfulness break through a long season of silence, who else might benefit from a daily spiritual centering?

PRAY - “Seeking God’s Guidance”

This section offers a short prayer to help us center our hearts and invite God to work in our lives through his scripture.

Father, we are tired of trying to fix everything.

We confess that we often trust our anxiety more than we trust you. Teach us how to live in the peace that comes from your presence—not from perfect circumstances. 

Help us to let go of the weight we were never meant to carry and to take hold of your promises instead. 

Remind us that you are Immanuel—God with us—and that even in the pressure, we are not alone. 

Thank you for meeting us in the middle of the mess with love, truth, and peace. Amen.