SJLC Sermons

A sermon on Matthew 25's parable of the ten bridesmaids that connects the midnight call to everyday waiting—sleepless parenting, global anxieties, and the tasks of life. Using personal stories, the preacher explains that the "oil" is Christs love placed in our hearts through baptism and urges listeners to live faithfully, keep their lamps lit, and let their light shine while they wait.

This episode centers on an All Saints Day sermon that opens with the Beatitudes from Matthew and a reading from Revelation 7, calling the congregation to remember the faithful departed, confront mortality, and reaffirm hope. The preacher uses the tradition of lighting candles as a tangible glimpse of heaven and tells the true story of St. Nikolai Church in Leipzig, where small weekly candlelight p...

On Reformation Sunday, the speaker explores how artificial intelligence challenges the Church and our understanding of what it means to be human. Drawing on scripture, the Reformation, and Pope Leo. The sermon contrasts the temptation of technological optimization with the gospel message that God alone saves. Listeners are urged to embrace their created limits, value slow joy and meaningful toil,...

This episode features a sermon on Matthew 22 about giving to Caesar and giving to God, exploring what belongs to the world and what belongs to God. The speaker shares a personal childhood story of stealing coins and later confesses the lesson learned: faithful giving comes from transformed lives and gratitude, not from seeking status. The message encourages generous, joyful giving in response to G...

This episode reflects on Matthew and Philippians 2, urging listeners to adopt the mind of Christ by learning to notice and care for the people around them. The preacher offers practical invitations—look up, look around, look again—and a prayer asking God to open our eyes so our attention becomes a simple, loving ministry in daily life and in the church community.

This episode reflects on Matthew 20's parable of the laborers in the vineyard, where a landowner pays all workers the same wage, highlighting God's abundant grace and the reversal of human expectations. Linking the parable to the Lord's Prayer—"Thy kingdom come"—the speaker urges listeners to pray and work for a world shaped by God's generosity, forgiveness, and love.

This sermon expounds Matthew 18, where Jesus teaches Peter to forgive not just seven times but seventy-seven, and tells the parable of the unforgiving servant. It contrasts the costly, freeing work of forgiveness with the inward torture of retribution, challenges modern cancel-culture attitudes, and urges listeners to embody mercy as the foundation of community.

This sermon explores what it means to call the church a family: the mess, conflict, and cost of living together as disciples. Drawing on Matthew 18 and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, it emphasizes reconciliation, God’s promise to be present when believers gather, and the sustaining power of grace in community.

This episode explores Jesus' turning point with his disciples after Peter confesses him as the Messiah: a surprising prediction of suffering, a sharp rebuke, and the radical invitation to "deny yourself and take up your cross." Through reflections on expectations, the contrast between divine and human values, and a closing quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the speaker urges listeners to embrace cros...

This episode examines Matthew 16, exploring how people across history have named Jesus—from theological creeds and early church thinkers to historians and poets. It then focuses on Jesus’ personal question to the disciples, highlighting Peter’s confession and the call for each listener to let that answer transform their life and actions.

This episode unpacks Matthew 15, contrasting outward rituals with inward holiness as the preacher reads Jesus’ teaching that what defiles comes from the heart. It recounts the Canaanite woman’s bold faith and her daughter’s immediate healing as a demonstration of Jesus’ outward-reaching love. Through a personal canoe story about accepting "wet feet," the speaker illustrates that following Jesus me...

This episode reflects on Matthew 14 and the story of Peter walking on the sea, exploring how fear confronts disciples and what it reveals about our trust. Through personal stories and scripture, the message encourages listeners to call out to Jesus in moments of doubt—"Lord, save me"—and to find courage and perseverance in faith.

This episode examines Jacob’s night-long struggle at the Jabbok River, using the biblical story to reflect on faith amid doubt, grief, and uncertainty. The preacher explores how wrestling with God can lead to new identity, blessing, and deeper trust. The sermon emphasizes that God is present in the darkness, that wounds may remain yet be transformed into signs of grace, and that clinging to God th...

A reading from Matthew 13 introduces Jesus' parables—the mustard seed, yeast, hidden treasure, the pearl, and the fishing net. The preacher reflects on how the kingdom of heaven often appears in small, ordinary things and moments, urging listeners to notice God's presence in daily life, in the sacraments, and in relationships. The episode closes with a prayer asking God to open our eyes to recogni...

This episode features the Gospel reading of Matthew 13 and Jesus' parable of the wheat and the weeds, followed by a sermon exploring its meaning. The preacher explains the symbols—Son of Man, the world, children of the kingdom, the weeds sown by the evil one—and addresses hard questions about evil, suffering, and judgment. Using a folktale from Zen Shorts about an old farmer and the word "maybe,"...

This sermon explores Jesus' parable of the sower, focusing less on soil types and more on the reckless generosity of the sower—God—who scatters grace, hope, and stories without counting the cost. It invites listeners to receive these kingdom stories, to sow compassion and mercy without expecting visible results, and to trust that growth is ultimately God's work.

In this episode the Pastor Dan reads Matthew 11 and reflects on Jesus’ invitation to “take my yoke,” explaining how a well‑fitting yoke is gentle, tailor‑made, and shared. He shows how Christ’s humility and the cross transform symbols of subjugation into signs of rest, companionship, and salvation. The sermon then connects that message to American history—Yorktown, the Declaration of Independence,...

Pastor James Demmel unpacks Jeremiah 28, recounting the dramatic clash between Jeremiah and Hananiah and the danger of prophets who promise easy peace. He contrasts false consolation with the truth of the cross, showing how God’s will often comes through suffering and patient trust. The sermon emphasizes discernment in hearing Scripture, the call to submit to God’s timing, and the hope found in Go...

This episode reflects on Matthew 10, where Jesus warns that following him may bring division, denial, and even death, while calling disciples to courageous faith and sacrifice. Amid the hard truths, the sermon highlights repeated reassurances—"do not be afraid," the sparrows and counted hairs—affirming God’s care and the hope that makes the cost of discipleship worth it.

This episode reflects on Matthew 9 where Jesus heals, shows compassion for the crowds, and sends out the twelve disciples with a mission to proclaim the kingdom and heal the sick. We connect the Gospel call to Vacation Bible School, describing VBS as a moment when the church equips and sends out "unfinished" disciples into an imperfect world, trusting the Spirit and the gifts of love, joy, peace,...

In Mercy Makes Room, we explore how Jesus consistently chose mercy over exclusion and relationship over judgment. From sharing a table with Matthew and other outcasts, to restoring a forgotten woman and raising a little girl to life, Jesus reveals the heart of God—a mercy that welcomes, heals, and makes room for everyone. This message challenges us to see people as Jesus sees them, to move beyond...

On Holy Trinity Sunday the sermon explores the mystery of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, drawing on Matthew 28 and Hebrews to show how the triune nature of God models perfect community and love. It emphasizes that Christian discipleship, sanctification, and communal life flow from this triune pattern — calling believers to faith, hope, and love and urging them not to neglect meeting together...

This episode reflects on John 20 and Acts 2, contrasting the quiet, tender resurrection appearance with the explosive, world-changing events of Pentecost. A pastor’s personal anecdote about a baby named Peter frames a deeper look at Apostle Peter’s dramatic transformation from an ordinary fisherman into a bold preacher filled with the Holy Spirit. Through the story of Pentecost, the message highli...

This episode covers a Graduation Sunday service at St. John’s featuring the Gospel reading from John 17 and a closing reflection on Acts about spreading the gospel. The pastor encourages the congregation to be authentic and pass faith to the next generation. Three graduating seniors then deliver brief sermons: Connor reflects on choices, success, and finding God’s calling; Meredith shares about tr...