St. Paul Podcast

Luke uses an unexpected and challenging parable by Jesus to underscore one of the central themes of the gospel—the urgency of the choice we face to live by Kingdom values or by those of this worldly life. Preaching text: Luke 16:1-13 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Rev...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on counting. When life leaves us feeling lost—whether through our own mistakes, painful circumstances beyond our control, or overwhelming doubt and isolation—it's easy to believe we don't matter. No matter what messages the world sends about our worth, we are precious enough to be sought after and carried home with care and love. We also can remind others of the...

In two Jesus parables about lost things that are found, Luke teaches the reason for the Jesus community to extend care and concern to those on the fringes of society. Preaching text: Luke 15:1-10 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used a...

Mark Niethammer preaches about choices. Many daily decisions are clear — we know right from wrong. Others are harder to discern, falling into life's gray areas rather than absolutes. Choosing life isn't always obvious or easy. We all stand on one side of the river, looking toward an unknown future, called to choose life and care for creation and our neighbors. Preaching text: Deuteronomy...

The writer of Deuteronomy looks far back into Israel's past to portray Moses instructing the Israelites about life in the land. In the writer's own day, sitting in exile after losing the land, the offer of life and prosperity is a renewal of God's faithful promise, with a fresh invitation to bear witness to that grace. Preaching text: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Bible for Worship is a week...

Maddy Tyler preaches on honor. What does honor look like in our modern world today? We're trapped by presumptions, snap judgments, and self-importance, constantly navigating assumptions. Jesus flips this: rather than worldly rankings, everyone sits at the highest place of honor—no one lower.   Preaching text: Luke 14:1, 7-14 

Luke uses a communal banquet scene as the setting for Jesus to teach what true glory is, and how it differs from acclamation and success in simply human terms. Preaching text: Luke 14:1, 7-14 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St...

Katy Warren preaches on noticing. The goodness of God is all around us, waiting for us to notice. There is so much power in seeing and noticing God all around us. We can be consumed by so many distractions around us, that we miss what’s right in front of us. We are sometimes more concerned with the proper order of things that we forget to live with love and compassion as our first and crucial impu...

In one of the dramatic episodes that Luke portrays of Jesus in a synagogue, we hear the core value of life affirmed and re-affirmed — affirmed from within Jewish life for all of God's people.  Preaching text: Luke 13:10-17 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised C...

Mark Niethammer preaches on divisions. The world that God dreams of isn’t just going to happen. It’s going to take work on our part. It will force all of us to change and that will not be easy. Sometimes division comes from this change and is necessary for us to become more fully who God intends for us to be. For this world to heal and deep peace to flood in, truth has to be spoken to power and th...

Luke portrays the profound importance of understanding God's power over the worldly forces of death as a fire and division that splits communities and families. In Jesus' mouth, the words bring reassurance about God's ultimate power even over those divisions. Preaching text: Luke 12:49-56 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the ba...

Peter Pettit preaches on reframing. Without the larger context, we look at things only from what we know but there is a bigger frame. Greatness in God’s frame doesn’t mean we become God, it doesn’t mean we have all the answers or have to make it happen by ourselves. Greatness in God’s frame means living with the godly virtues right where it is that God has led you. Seeing in a larger frame is seei...

With a look back to the earliest ancestors of the people of Israel, Genesis tells a story that reorients a desperate community from their difficult situation to a source of hope and promise that is far beyond what the threats in their lives can reach. Preaching text: Genesis 15:1-6 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on...

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on looking outward toward others. Our desire for more is often a need to fill a hole we have in ourselves. When we focus on only ourselves, we live lives which are isolated and insular. It is not our things which bring us contentment. A ‘toward’ life, turning outward toward others, protects us from this insular living which isolates us.   Preaching text: Luke 12:13-21 

A dramatic encounter leads to a parable with a dramatic confrontation in this story from Luke. Together, they can help us understand what we might do with any parable. Preaching text:  Luke 12:13-21 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is use...

Katy Warren preaches on prayer. Many of us desire to have a rich prayer life but are wondering what to pray, how to pray, wondering if we’re doing it right or if anyone is listening to the words we’re saying. If your prayers feel unanswered or the thought of even figuring out what to pray for feels daunting, it doesn’t mean you’re not a faithful person. We don’t just speak the words, we live them....

Luke frames the familiar prayer that Jesus taught in particular ways to encourage a community living through difficult times with the promise that God's gift of the spirit is certain, is present, and is the daily nourishment and forgiveness needed for kingdom life today. Preaching text: Luke 11:1-13 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the b...

Mark Niethammer preaches on distractions. In today’s world, distractions are constant and often unavoidable. But how often do they keep us from doing what truly matters? We're called to choose what’s better in each moment—to be fully present, attentive to the joys, sorrows, and needs of those around us. It’s easy to tune people out, to let lesser things consume our time, and to miss the oppor...

In an exchange between Jesus and a familiar friend named Martha, Luke addresses a key question of discipleship and the many needs out of which the world calls to gospel ministers. Preaching text: Luke 10:38-42 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary a...

Mac Mullins preaches on roots during his final weekend as pastor in residency. These days, it feels like the foundation of our lives is hanging on by a thread. Safety and security often feel far away. Our gift is our life in Christ and it is eternal. We are firmly and deeply rooted in God.  Preaching text: Colossians 2:6-10 

The author of Colossians confronts a perennial question of faith, offering people of every era a clear standard for knowing whom and what to follow in a faithful life. Preaching text: Colossians 2:6-10 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is...

Maddy Tyler preaches on being shaped by others. Putting yourself out there takes a lot of courage, vulnerability, and faith. We are the sum of all the people we get to meet in our lives and we are changed by all of those people. Big or small, good or bad. We are always in this cycle of receiving. A routine of someone else’s becomes more than a routine, it becomes a memory of that person. What does...

Mac Mullins preaches on drawing boundaries. When two deeply held priorities clash, we must decide which matters more—ours or God's. God's priorities, rooted in selfless love, always take precedence. Following God requires courage and the willingness to let go of everything else. Not everyone is ready for the boundaries of love God draws.   Preaching text: Luke 9:51-62

Luke tells of Jesus sending out 72 people "to every place where he himself intended to go"; through this story, we learn how we all can pave the way for Jesus to arrive in any home, town, or heart. Preaching text: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates wi...

John, the gospel writer, sets two scenes in mirror relation to one another to demonstrate the power of forgiveness for reconciliation and to underscore the kind of leadership to which Jesus calls those who love him. Preaching text: John 21:15-19 Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates...