St. Martin United Church of Christ - High Ridge, MO

Luke gives us an opportunity to see ourselves in the two men who hang on crosses on either side of Jesus Christ. What choice will you make? Will you praise Christ? or, will you rebuke Christ? God doesn't want to save anyone against his or her will, so you are free to decide. Come along with me as we discuss eternal life and discipleship in Luke 23:33-43.

What will eternal life be like? What about my marriage? Are relationships different in heaven than they are here on earth? the Bible doesn't say much on this topic and Jesus says even less. But what Jesus does say about the subject should cause churches to think again about marketing strategies. Have churches gone too far is trying to welcome families with children ? What about single adults? wido...

Once again, Jesus does the unthinkable and proves he really means it when he says he has come to save sinners. Along the way, there might be some implications on our current government shutdown, the SNAP program, and healthcare debate as we take a look at Luke 19:1-10.

Can you really tell who is righteous? Just look in the mirror? Or look at one's words and deeds and it will be crystal clear, right? Maybe it's time to tell the truth about ourselves. Maybe it's time to admit that we need a church to evaluate us. Some prayer chains are just that chains, which keep us bound to our old selves and imprisoned to sin. This week we explore Luke 18:9-14 . Something tells...

In Luke's Gospel (Luke 17:11-19), it's the foreigners who get all the credit. Story after story features a foreign born man or woman who does what Jesus wants his disciples to do! Jesus lifts up these foreigners as examples for all disciples to follow. So, shouldn't we be careful how enthusiastic we are about closing down our national borders to foreigners? I get it, no we don't want to let in cri...

Do you hesitate when it comes to answering God's call? Are you worried you don't have enough faith to make things happen? Then, these sayings from Jesus in Luke 17:5-10 might help you see things differently.

Meet a Rich Man and a Poor Man, Lazarus, as they confront the chasm that separates them in this life and in the afterlife. Father Abraham and all the prophets can't help the Rich Man or his brothers. Where's the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ in this story? Well, it seems injustice can't co-exist with love and mercy for ever, so you better decide which side your own today, especially if you are p...

What's the best way to get ahead in this world? Beating people over the head with more rules and regulations? Or, by making friends through acts of mercy and grace? Life is so much better when you have friends you can count on in a crisis. In today's Gospel, Luke 16:1-13, Jesus shares a parable that helps us think about our priorities in life.

What is one person's life worth to God? We like to group people into sinners, or co-conspirators and write some people off as hopeless. Yet, the power of God's love is so unmatched that you wouldn't believe who this God can save! So, come along for this sermon and you might just join the celebration of eternal life! Based on Luke 15:1-10.

Something is missing in today’s culture, the willingness to make commitments and sacrifices for others. Today’s passage from Luke 14:25-33 is a challenge meant to bring out the best in us.

When someone needs immediate medical attention, then we spring into action. So, why don't we react the same way when the emergency is a mental, ethical, or spiritual crisis? In this message, we'll explore Luke 13:10-17 as Jesus shows up to help a long standing member of the synagogue suffering from a "bent back" which seems to have no known cause. The President of the synagogue is upstaged by Jesu...

Are churches ready to welcome and invite strangers? Or, have churches installed home security systems that keep strangers out in favor of stability and comfort? The world is full of hurting people but they need courageous Christians willing to take risks in caring for their needs. In this message, I explore Luke 12:32-40 and the need for our churches to reclaim their role as life saving institutio...

How do you measure the good life? Is happiness fundamentally about the accumulation of assets? There are 23 million storage units in the United States. Each year over 155,000 units are auctioned off for an average price of $425.00. Thankfully, Jesus gives us good news in Luke 12:13-21. Jesus doesn’t use storage units to determine our value and neither should you. Come and explore your worth to God...

Growing up in the church meant memorizing the Lord’s Prayer. Unfortunately, I also learned to say it as fast as possible so I could get it done and out of the way! But if we are honest, who wants to slow down and really listen to Jesus’ model prayer? It’s really a “Self Assessment” aimed at getting us to think about the blessings of God and our shortcomings. If we took our time with the Lord’s Pra...

Martha and Mary exemplify two forms of spirituality, I’ve been told, Martha is active and Mary is passive (Luke 10:38-42) . Listening to Jesus is the goal, right? Well, not exactly. In today’s message I’ll tell you about a Jesus who seems to be expanding boundaries again and yielding to no one. Mary wants to be welcomed as a student of God’s word and Jesus doesn’t kick her out, or confine her enth...

The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:26-37) is so well known that we might easily dismiss its revolutionary message. Be careful who you hate because when you end up in the ditch yourself you might need a Good Neighbor to take care of you and that person might just be an LBGT person, an Immigrant, or a person of color. That’s right, no pulling punches in this message! Your life might depend on the wideness...

Have you ever been called “self-centered”? Naaman, the commander of a foreign army, had a hard time submitting to the prophet Elisha’s remedy for a debilitating disease. Naaman was expecting the 5-Star treatment but instead he was given a prescription over the phone. Naaman almost let his pride stand in the way of receiving God’s healing. How is God actively working in our world today, in ways tha...

DEI programs are under attack in our culture today. In today's podcast sermon, we will explore this topic through the lens of Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 , The Mission of the Seventy-Two. I'll make the argument that Christ affirms diversity, equality, and inclusion as core values of God's reign for all Christians regardless of their political leanings. In fact, these core values are the key ingredients to...