[Sermon] Under Construction: Trusting God’s Better Plan

Mark Reay, Trinity Member

December 21, 2025 + Fourth Sunday of Advent

In this sermon, Trinity member Mark Reay reflects on fear, disruption, and trust through the lens of Advent’s promise. Drawing on Isaiah’s reassurance and Joseph’s quiet obedience in Matthew, Mark shares personal stories of unexpected change—an accident, a job loss, and moments when carefully made plans unraveled. Rather than offering tidy answers, he invites listeners to see fear not as failure, but as a place where God meets us and reaches out a steady hand. This message reminds us that God often calls before we feel ready and that loss can become an invitation to deeper clarity and purpose. Even when we feel unfinished or unsure, God remains present, guiding us step by step. We are, as Mark reminds us, still under construction—and held securely in God’s care.

Sermon Transcript

From YouTube's automatic captions, lightly edited by AI for readability.

Well, good morning, and good day to those joining on the live stream. It’s good to be together. If we haven’t met, I’m Mark Ray. My family and I have been a part of Trinity for more than 17 years. I currently serve on the church council. My wife Vianne plays percussion in the worship band, worship band. She was joined by our twin adult sons, Andy and Michael. They started here at Trinity Preschool, and now they’re on the tech team when they’re not at school. So this place is home for us.

When Pastor Hector asked me to do this, I thought it was going to be like three minutes, like a ministry moment. Piece of cake. But then I found out he meant this. So I panicked. I tried to get out of it, but between Pastor Hector and Vyianne, I got nudged into yes. So this is a reflection. This is what I’m learning. I’m not here to teach you anything. I’m just here to share what I’m learning.

But before anything else, let’s pray.

So, loving God, open our hearts and our hearing today. Meet us in what we’re carrying, our plans, our hopes, and our fears. Help us hear your voice in scripture and in ordinary life. Teach us to listen with trust and to hold our plans lightly and see your grace in what surprises us. In Jesus name. Amen.

So today’s readings are circling one theme, and fear, and what we do next. Pastor Hector mentioned this last week. God is not rebuking us for being afraid, but he’s inviting us to name our fear and bring it into the light. I think I got that right. Sometimes “do not be afraid” is less like a command and more a question. What are you afraid of?

And that fear theme shows up immediately in Isaiah. “I pulled you from all over the world, called you from every dark corner of the earth.” This is God talking to a people who feel scattered, displaced, like life is happening to them. You are my servant, serving on my side. Before anything else, you’re not abandoned. You’re not forgotten. And I’ve picked you. I haven’t dropped you.

And that line hits me because when I got asked to do this, my first instinct was basically, “Nope, not me.” But “I’ve picked you” feels like God saying, “I’m not surprised by your fear, and I’m not letting go.” These are not words for people who feel safe. And right into that fear, God says something really simple. Says, “Don’t panic. I’m with you.” Not be tougher. Just, you’re not alone. There’s no need to fear, for I am your God.

The fear might be there, but that’s not the only voice in the room. I’ll give you strength. Strength for the next step, not for the whole future. And I’ll help you. This is permission to ask for help, from God, from the people around us. And I’ll hold you steady. Keep a firm grip on you, because even when I’m shaky, his grip is not.

So God doesn’t shame fear. He shows up inside it.

So that was God speaking to a whole nation in fear. But in Matthew, God speaks to one fearful person. So Joseph has a plan. It’s a good plan. Got engaged, begin married life, the future. And then circumstances blow up. Mary’s pregnant. So he comes up with another plan. This is what people do. I’ll take care of things quietly. He’s not reckless. He’s trying to do the right thing here with the information that he has. So that’s Joseph’s backup plan.

But while he’s trying to figure a way out, at the very moment he’s trying to figure a way out, God comes to him in a dream. And right in the middle of that, God just interrupts and said, “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate.” And that’s the fear-not moment. But it’s not a lecture. It’s a nudge. Just don’t flinch.

Mary’s pregnant, Spirit-conceived. Joseph didn’t know that. And God was already at work in a way that Joseph couldn’t even see. And then Joseph woke up and he did exactly what God’s angel commanded. Faith isn’t always fireworks. Sometimes it’s just obedience, maybe on a Tuesday. So he just moves forward.

So Isaiah is reassurance to a whole people, and Matthew is reassurance to just one person. And that’s why these readings hit me, because I’ve had moments like this too. Moments of crisis. I’ve had a few seasons where my plans got totally rearranged. One was physical. One was identity-level.

And the first one happened on what was supposed to be a simple family moment. So I had an accident last year, but it was more than an accident. What got blown up was not just my body, but it was the role as a father that I pictured for myself.

So we were coming up on a big family transition. Michael was moving to Los Angeles for school. Before the move, we wanted to have one family beach moment together. So we went to Ocean Shores. And Andy, Michael, and I, we rented mopeds like we’ve done before. And we’re riding on the beach, soft patch of sand, out of nowhere, I lost control and went down.

Well, Michael also lost control and went down, but he just bounced right up and he’s fine. My face was pretty swollen, and I was a mess. My arm was in a sling for months. So I had a concussion, subdural hematoma. Doctor’s orders: no driving, no screens.

So in that instant, everything changed. So the very next week, I was supposed to rent the U-Haul, oversee logistics, do my fair share of the driving to get Michael set up. That was my dad-role moment. But suddenly I couldn’t.

And that’s when that twist happened. So I’m thinking, can they even drive a U-Haul by themselves? You can’t rent a car at 20, but can you rent a U-Haul? By the way, if you’re wondering, you can rent a U-Haul when you’re 20 years old. Michael goes down and he rents it. We loaded it up, and Andy and Michael drove on their own to California.

I was bummed. I wanted to be there. I wanted to show up the way I’d pictured. But they got the road trip of a lifetime. It was a real step into adulthood for them. So what felt like a loss to me was an unexpected gift for them.

And while they were gone, I spent time on the back patio just staring at the trees. No screen. Less work. Less stress. No work, really. Less stress. Sometimes doing nothing is doing something. I needed to heal and recuperate. So I didn’t choose that stillness, but I sure needed it.

So that was one kind of disruption. And then this year was another one. It was about work and identity.

So my work has always pulled me toward digital accessibility. And by accessibility I mean building software for people with disabilities so that they can actually use it, because when their software isn’t accessible, people get locked out of school, work, healthcare, basic life. It’s really, really important.

So I’ve been doing this kind of work for about ten years, and it matters to me deeply. But in the last year or two at Microsoft, I got pulled away from doing that work. I was put on other things. I didn’t really want to leave the company because, you know, I’m fine. I like what I’m doing, even though I missed the work I felt most called to.

And then May happened. In May, after nearly 20 years at Microsoft, they eliminated my position. I lost my job. It was a hard blow. It was ego-bruising. It’s not fun when people you work for tell you they don’t want you there anymore.

So I had this question: what am I if I’m not Mark at Microsoft?

So the day after I left, I reached out to a person I had known for a long time. She’s the CEO of a company that just does digital accessibility. And long story short, I work there now. I spend every day working on what I enjoy the most. And I have more direct impact. It’s a smaller company, so everything I do is more pivotal.

So the question came back: who am I if I’m not Mark at Microsoft? And I realized I was wrong about my identity. And my identity was never really lost. I’m not Mark Microsoft. I’m Mark, champion of digital accessibility.

So it wasn’t a new identity, but it was a continuation of my calling. It wasn’t that God might have a better plan, but God did have a better plan. And our identity is found in Christ, not our job title.

So it kind of reminded me. So basically, we have Isaiah, a nation in crisis. Matthew, one person in a moment where everything changed for him. Me, accident, job loss. And all of us, everyday life, like being asked suddenly to speak in front of you all.

There’s a line in Proverbs: the human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps. Some people say, “Man plans and God laughs.” I kind of prefer, “We plan and God smiles.” Not mocking, but more like a parent watching their kids struggle, knowing there’s a better way, but knowing that struggle will form them and help them to grow.

And what’s wild about this is it’s not just in these big moments. It’s in the tiny moments too. It’s the little struggles and fearful moments we have every single day where we grow. And maybe those little moments are even more important, because they happen so often.

So here are three things I’m learning. Not lessons I’m trying to teach, just what I’m learning, sometimes slowly. And church talks always seem to come with three things. So here are mine.

Lesson one: God calls us before we’re ready. Because if we were already ready, would we even need the call? Isaiah, “Don’t panic. I’m with you,” before anything changes. Joseph, the message comes before he has the whole picture. And me, asked to do this before I felt ready. Readiness is not the prerequisite. It’s about trust and faith.

Number two: loss can be invitation. It can be an invitation to something different or even something better. In the accident, my role changed as a father. And in the job loss, my identity got shaken, but my calling got clearer. And Joseph is right there too. The disruption becomes an invitation, and he’s told not to hesitate. So the detour often turns out to be the destination.

And with the third lesson, faith is showing up. So Joseph woke up and he did it. He took the next faithful step. For me, it was about recovery, one day at a time. Sometimes faith was just doing the next thing in front of me.

So I want to be fully transparent with you. I am not living this perfectly. I struggle with this stuff basically every day. But I’m sharing it because it’s what I’m learning.

Some of you know my dad was a preacher. And there’s something he used to say in his sermons often, often enough that I really remember it. He would say, “We’re all under construction.” And being under construction doesn’t mean you’re failing. It just means God’s not finished with us yet. We’re not disqualified. We’re human.

And I really, really hope my dad is able to hear me speaking today. And I hope he’d be smiling. I’m sure he would be.

So let me close the way I started. Turn it back to God, because God meets us in fear, redirects our plans, and asks us to show up anyway.

So let’s pray.

God of belonging, thank you for carrying us, carrying us when we feel cast out. Thank you for the family, friends, colleagues, and our siblings in Christ who bear your presence when we cannot see you clearly. Teach us to trust you in uncertainty, to savor the gifts of each season, and to rest our identity not in work or performance, but in Christ alone. And remind us that we’re still under construction, but never unfinished in your eyes. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen.