Scatter the Darkness with St. Paul Lutheran Church - Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin

"Leviticus: Atonement" | Leviticus 16 & Hebrews 9 | Leviticus Summer Series Every year on the 4th of July, we celebrate a one-time event that changed the course of history. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays — our lives are shaped by moments we return to again and again because of what happened once. The people of Israel had a moment like that too. Once a year, on the Day of Atonemen...

"Leviticus: Cleanliness" | Leviticus 11 & Mark 7 | Leviticus Summer SeriesYou can follow every rule. Eat all the right things. Show up every Sunday. Say all the right words. And still have a heart that is far from God. That's exactly what Jesus exposed when the religious leaders confronted him about purity laws — and it's exactly what Leviticus 11 quietly points toward. The i...

"Leviticus: Favoritism" | Leviticus 9-10 | Leviticus Summer SeriesThere's nothing quite like a campfire on a summer evening — the way it draws people together, slows everything down, and flickers in a way that's almost mesmerizing. But fire doesn't stay peaceful when it's mishandled. In Leviticus 9 and 10, we see both sides of that reality in one of the most jarring back-...

"Leviticus: Priests" | Leviticus 8 & 1 Peter 2 | Leviticus Summer SeriesAt his ordination, a mentor leaned in and said: "Never forget the weight of the stole placed on your shoulders." That weight — the calling to teach, pray, serve, and bring God's presence to His people — wasn't new in 2020. It goes all the way back to Leviticus 8, when Aaron and his sons were set...

"Leviticus: Offerings" | Leviticus 1 | Leviticus Summer SeriesMost people give up on Leviticus. It's weird, it's detailed, and it's full of animal sacrifices and rules that feel completely foreign. But here's what you might be missing: Leviticus is actually one of the most grace-filled books in the entire Bible. It's about a holy God who refuses to stay distant — and who personally provides the wa...

"Everyday Spaces: Spiritual Conversations Are Everywhere" | John 4:5-26 Jesus didn't have to pass through Samaria. There were other routes to Galilee. But He went anyway — right to a well, right to a woman everyone else had written off — and started a conversation that changed her life. He cared purposely. He asked thoughtfully. He responded with grace. And He ended with hope. That&#...

"Everyday Spaces: Give Them Jesus" 🌍 John 14:15-17 Here's a simple question: Who did you bless this week? Who did you pray for? Who did you listen to? Who did you share a meal with? It sounds simple — and it is. But paired with intention and purpose, that question can spark conversations that are genuinely transformational. Because when the God of the universe makes His home in you,...

"Everyday Spaces: Loving God = Loving Others" Matthew 22:35-40 | Everyday Spaces SeriesZacchaeus was wealthy, powerful, and completely empty inside. So he climbed a tree just to catch a glimpse of Jesus. And instead of walking past, Jesus stopped, looked up, and said, "Come down — I'm coming to your house today." No lecture. No conditions. Just an invitation to share a meal...

"Everyday Spaces: Blessed to Be a Blessing" Luke 5:1-11 Peter had been fishing all night. Empty nets. Exhausted crew. Nothing to show for it. And then Jesus — a carpenter, not a fisherman — tells him to try again. In the middle of the day. In the deep water. Everything about it went against logic. But Peter's response changed everything: "Master, we toiled all night and took not...

"Real Truth. Real Life. Sent With Power" Acts 1:1-11 If you've ever lived in Wisconsin, you know the Midwest Goodbye — that two-minute farewell that somehow turns into a two-hour event on the porch. Nobody just leaves. You linger, you talk, you wave from the driveway. And honestly? That's exactly what the disciples did when Jesus ascended into heaven. They just... stood there, st...

"Real Truth. Real Life: Second Chances" John 21:1-19 In this message, we meet Peter at his lowest — stuck in his failures, wondering if Jesus is done with him. He's gone back to fishing, back to what he knows, because he isn't sure he's qualified for anything more. And then Jesus shows up on the shore, makes breakfast, and asks him the same question three times: "Do you...

"Real Faith. Real Life: Breaking Bread - Burning Hearts" Luke 24:13-35 In this message, we walk the road to Emmaus with two disciples who had just watched their hope die on a cross. Jesus is risen — but they don't know it yet. He joins them on the road, and they don't recognize Him. Their grief, their shattered expectations, their unbelief... it all keeps them from seeing what&#3...

"Real Truth. Real Life. From Doubt to Devotion" | John 20:24-29 | Real Truth. Real Life. SeriesIn this message, we dive into the story of Thomas — the disciple who wasn't there when Jesus first appeared after Easter. When the others told him they had seen the risen Lord, Thomas refused to believe. Unless he could see and touch the wounds himself, he would never believe. We often call...

"Real Faith. Real Life: From the Empty Tomb" 🌅 Luke 24:1-12 | Easter SundayChrist is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! In this Easter message, we stand with the women at the empty tomb. They came expecting to find Jesus' body—instead they found angels who asked: "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen." We all have problems. Anxiety. St...

"Look Up and See Your King" 🌴 Zechariah 9:9-12 & Matthew 21:1-11 | Palm SundayIn this Palm Sunday message, we hear God's invitation echoing through the centuries: "Look up! Here comes your King!" In Zechariah's day, Israel returned from exile but lay in ruins. Five centuries later, they groaned under Roman oppression. Two thousand years later, we still walk with he...

In this final message of our Red Letter Challenge Lenten series, we face the hardest principle: GOING. Many Christians are comfortable serving, helping, volunteering—but when it comes to TALKING about Jesus with someone, we freeze. "What would I say?" "What if I say the wrong thing?" "I'm not a pastor—that's YOUR job." Moses felt the same way when God called h...

"Red Letter Challenge: Giving" | Matthew 6:19 -34In this message, part of our Red Letter Challenge Lenten series, we begin with a shocking statement: "You are rich!" How does that hit you? If you make $40,000/year, you're in the top 4% globally. If you make $48,000, you're in the top 1%. We have a quality of life few in history have experienced. Yet we live in denial about our wealth. Our garages...

"Red Letter Challenge: Serving" | Luke 10: 25-37 In this message, part of our Red Letter Challenge Lenten series, we explore the parable of the Good Samaritan—and whether serving others feels like a "dirty job." A lawyer asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" as if there were people he WASN'T called to love. A man lay beaten and dying on the Jericho road. A priest pas...

"Red Letter Challenge: Forgiving" | John 8:1-11 In this message, part of our Red Letter Challenge Lenten series, we face Jesus' hardest words: forgive. Chapter 1 of the book "Things I Wish Jesus Never Said" (that will probably never get written): Forgiveness. I love that Jesus forgives ME—but forgiving OTHERS? That's the problem. When we withhold forgiveness, we feel li...

"Red Letter Challenge: Being" 📕 Luke 14:25-33 In this message, part of our Red Letter Challenge Lenten series, we encounter some of Jesus' most shocking words: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother... he cannot be my disciple." Wait—HATE our families? Carry our cross? Renounce ALL we have? This isn't the gentle devotional challenge we expec...

"Red Letter Challenge: Get Going" 📖 Matthew 7:24-27 In this message introducing our new Lenten series, we're launching a 40-day journey focusing on the red letters—the actual words of Jesus. There are no shortcuts to discipleship. No quick fixes, no microwave gourmet meals, no get-rich-quick schemes that actually work. Jesus said, "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and act...

"I Can Only Imagine: When Jesus Comes Again" 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 & Revelation 21-22 In this final message of our "I Can Only Imagine" series, we explore what the Bible says about the resurrection and the new creation. Death isn't the end of the story—if it were, God's project would be incomplete, unfinished. Instead, Jesus rose as the "firstfruits" show...

"I Can Only Imagine: Today in Paradise" | Luke 23:32-43 In this message, part of our "I Can Only Imagine" series, we explore what happens the moment a believer dies. A criminal hanging on a cross next to Jesus had nothing to offer—no good works, no time to make amends, just faith in the suffering Messiah. He asked, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."...

"I Can Only Imagine: If I Should Die" ✝️ Psalm 23 & John 10:27-28 In this message, part of our new "I Can Only Imagine" series, we tackle the heaviest question of all: What happens when we die? We spend billions on the funeral industry, obsess over fitness to postpone the inevitable, and consume entertainment filled with death—yet we're terrified to talk about it. When...

"The Generous Life: A Little Boy's Lunch" 🍞🐟 Mark 6:30-44 | Stewardship SeriesIn this message, part of our "The Generous Life" stewardship series, we witness one of Jesus' most famous miracles—feeding 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. The disciples saw a crowd and a problem: "Send them away to buy food." Jesus saw the same crowd with compassion: &q...