SPLC Sermon Podcast

Jesus says “Βe opened,” and a deaf man instantly hears and speaks plainly. This sermon traces how Christ’s living Word still creates what it commands: He opens ears and looses tongues to confess, turning hearers into confessors in daily life.  On Kickoff Sunday, we rejoice that Jesus gives these gifts through Word and Sacrament: calling children into Sunday School, confirming youth for a lifetime...

In this sermon, we hear how humility doesn’t earn anything; it’s simply the empty hand that receives everything from Christ, who atoned for our sins with His own blood. Key Takeaways: Humility is not a virtue that merits grace; it’s the posture that receives Christ’s atoning mercy by faith. The Pharisee’s self-trust leaves him unforgiven; the tax collector’s contrition is answered with God’s verdi...

In this episode from St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, we meditate on Luke 19, where Jesus weeps over Jerusalem for missing the time of God's coming in Him. This sermon highlights the tragedy of forfeiture but proclaims the joyful Gospel: Christ still visits us in His Word and Sacraments, delivering forgiveness, life, and eternal hope by grace alone through faith. Key Tak...

Dive into this sermon from St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, where Pastor Karl Grant unpacks the parable of the unjust steward from Luke 16. Challenging common misconceptions about money and evil, the message urges believers to see worldly wealth as God's entrusted resources, not for selfish craving but for shrewd, urgent service to others. Key Takeaways: Worldly resource...

In this funeral sermon for Fern Mae Hillman, Pastor Karl Grant explores how God's love in Christ triumphs over dementia, loss, and death. ------------------------ Takeaways God's love in Christ Jesus is unbreakable, overwhelming every trial through His victory on the cross. Even when dementia erases memories, the Lord never forgets His redeemed children. Faith clings to Jesus' gospe...

In this sermon from St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, Rev. Karl Grant warns us about the reality of false teachers who appear as harmless sheep but seek to lead us away from Christ. As we navigate a world filled with deceptive influences, from social media to TV preachers, this message calls us to test teachings against Scripture, know the catechism deeply, and gather regularl...

Amid a hungry crowd in the wilderness, Jesus invites His disciples to offer what little they have (seven loaves and a few fish) and miraculously multiplies it to satisfy everyone, with leftovers to spare. This story reminds us that when we recognize overwhelming needs, like a church building project or even daily stewardship, Jesus doesn't leave us to solve them on our own. Instead, He calls...

In this sermon we explore how Christians relate to the Ten Commandments after being justified by faith in Jesus. Key Takeaways: The law first accuses us of sin, showing we cannot justify ourselves before God, but points us to Christ as our only Savior. Justified by faith in Jesus' death and resurrection, we are freed from sin's power and receive His perfect righteousness as a gift. Chris...

This sermon for the 4th Sunday after Trinity proclaims the good news that all creation groans alongside us, eagerly awaiting freedom in the new heaven and earth. Our present sufferings pale in comparison to the redemption awaiting us. Through faith alone in Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit as a foretaste of this glory, empowering us to support one another in the community of saints. Join us for a...

Jayne's story reminds us that while our bodies fade like dust, our inner selves are daily renewed by grace alone, leading to eternal glory where sorrow gives way to joy in the presence of our Savior. Listen to find encouragement in God's promises, as the Holy Spirit works through Word and Sacrament to sustain us until we see Jesus face to face. This episode points to the cross and empty...

The most familiar of Jesus' parables has never really been about the prodigal son at all. Every surprise rests on the Father who sprints into scandal, pleads with the self-righteous, and insists that joy fill the whole town.  TAKEAWAYS The Father absorbs our public shame and shields us in Christ’s cross. Prideful record-keeping isolates; grace gathers the community in shared joy. Absolution i...

What happens when you're invited to the greatest banquet in history and you decline? This week's sermon is on Luke 14:15–24. We examine the hidden danger of respectable excuses, the joy reserved for "outsiders," and why when God calls us by the gospel, we all must accept His invitation! --------------- Takeaways - The banquet is God’s eternal plan, not a last-minute potluck; yo...

The next awkward moment with that church member you “just can’t stand” is probably an invitation from God to showcase His grace. This sermon walks through our sinful resistance to loving fellow believers, the love of Jesus that overcomes it, and the Spirit’s ongoing work that keeps us serving side-by-side. You can do nothing apart from Jesus, so the risen Lord pours His power into word, water, bre...

How can a blazing coal, a late-night Pharisee, and humming humidifiers all teach us to treasure Sunday worship when the lake is calling? Isaiah’s awe-struck cry, Uzzah’s sudden death, and Nicodemus’ moonlit questions expose how lightly we weigh God’s holiness ... and how quickly we “vacation from church.” Yet the Lord still meets us in mercy: baptism’s new birth, the Supper’s living coal, the Word...

Ever wonder why your pulse quickens when a casual chat turns toward Jesus? This Pentecost sermon uncovers the surprising power behind that nervous flutter: the same Spirit who set tongues of fire ablaze still rests on ordinary believers, turning everyday words into Acts 2 witness. Pastor Karl traces the arc from Babel’s confusion to the burning bush and finally to Jerusalem’s crowded streets, show...

What if the prairie church you call home was never meant to be a safe country chapel but a lighthouse whose beam reaches far beyond the crop fields? Memorial Day visitors and a story about John Atrops reopen our congregation’s founding vision and Jesus’ promise that His Spirit makes witnesses. Our pioneers built the sanctuary first because worship fuels mission; now it is our turn to shine. Hear w...

Is your prayer life a 911 call or a chat with Mom? In this sermon on John 16:23–33, we hear how the risen Jesus hands us the master key of His name, turning prayer from last-second rescue line into daily lifeline. Because the Father loves those who trust his Son, every concern, big or small, gets heard; durable joy replaces anxiety even when trouble hits. Learn a simple one-minute habit that can g...

Is the Holy Spirit only at work when emotions spike, hands rise in worship, and tongues are loosed in "heavenly prayer languages"? In John 16:5–15, Jesus comforts his discouraged friends by promising a Helper who will keep His voice alive and launch ordinary believers into extraordinary witness. This sermon shows why Christ's visible exit is actually our greatest advantage, how the...

In John 16, Jesus doesn't deny that sorrow is real. Instead, He acknowledges it head-on! But He also promises: "Your sorrow will turn into joy." Christ carries us through pain not by removing it, but by being with us in it. And the joy He gives? It doesn't erase the sorrow. It reframes it. Because our joy is built on the resurrection promise: Because Jesus lives, so will we.  -...

You’ve felt it—that cold moment when fear whispers, “Maybe you don’t belong.” Shame, exhaustion, or silence from heaven makes you wonder if Jesus has forgotten your name. But into that fear, Jesus speaks: “I am the Good Shepherd.”   This sermon explores the comfort of knowing that you are not forgotten, not forsaken, and not alone. You belong to Jesus because He already claimed you before time beg...

What happens when fear locks the door — but Christ comes through anyway? In this sermon for Quasimodogeniti (the Second Sunday of Easter), we explore how Jesus still invades locked rooms and hidden fears with His wounds, His Word, and His Spirit. From the stunned disciples to the doubting Thomas, to us today, Christ meets fear with forgiveness, doubt with proof, and death with new life. Are you hi...

Have you ever considered that the King of Kings delights most not in reigning, but in serving? In this moving sermon, we are drawn into the upper room where Jesus humbly washes His disciples' feet, shattering pride and redefining greatness through selfless love. We see that unless Jesus stoops to cleanse us—our guilt, shame, and hidden filth—we have no part with Him. This powerful act points...

Can you imagine a king whose greatest triumph was to be broken for you? In this Good Friday sermon, you’re invited to truly behold your King — bloody, bruised, crowned with thorns, reigning from a cross. Pilate’s mockery, “Behold your king,” becomes an accidental prophecy as Jesus willingly carries your guilt, your shame, and your record to the cross. This is no accident or tragedy but the gloriou...

What if the resurrection isn't the ending you expected, but the beginning of something even bigger? This Easter message from Mark’s Gospel doesn’t tie everything up neatly. Instead, it leaves us breathless, summoned forward into a life reshaped by Jesus' living Word. The women at the tomb don’t meet Jesus face to face but are sent ahead with a promise: He’s alive, and He's already w...

What kind of king rides into a city on a borrowed donkey… to die? On Palm Sunday, the crowd welcomed Jesus with loud Hosannas and grand expectations. But Jesus came to reign in a way no one expected. In this sermon, we open our Holy Week series, The King Revealed , by following Christ’s humble procession into Jerusalem. We’ll reflect on why He came, what He came to do, and what His reign means for...