Faith Lutheran - Sharpsburg

A king throws the wedding banquet of the century, and the invited guests refuse to come. In Jesus’ parable from Matthew 22, the king doesn’t cancel the party but sends his servants to the street corners to invite anyone they find. That’s us: once outsiders, now guests, because someone brought us the invitation of a lifetime. And now God sends us out to invite others, good or bad, until his banquet hall is full.

Vicar Lindemann’s sermon preached at Faith on October 11, 2026

Intro/Outro Music: “Depth of Field” by David Hilowitz

If this life were all there is, how would you live? In this sermon on Philippians 3, which opens the new series "The Beginning of the End," we follow Paul in picturing the life of faith as a race, one we've already won because Jesus ran it perfectly and hung his medal around our necks. So we run free from guilt over what's behind us and free from comparison with those beside us. We keep our eyes on the finish line, where our Savior waits, because our citizenship is in heaven.

Pastor Behm’s sermon preached at Faith on October 4, 2026

Intro/Outro Music: “Depth of Field” by David Hilowitz

When the leaders of Jerusalem challenge Jesus' authority in the temple, he answers with a parable about two sons: one who refuses his father but later goes to work in the vineyard, and one who says "Yes, sir" but never goes (Matthew 21:23–32). The hard truth is that we have been both sons. But there is a third Son who said yes and went all the way to the cross (Philippians 2), and his obedience gives us a righteousness we could never perform. That's why the message of the kingdom has always been not "obey" but "believe," and why forgiven sinners gladly walk into the Father's vineyard.

Pastor Schroder’s sermon preached at Faith on September 27, 2026.

Intro/Outro Music: “Depth of Field” by David Hilowitz

How can I know what God wants me to do, and how can I be sure I'm keeping in step with his plans? In this sermon on Matthew 22, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus by asking which commandment is the greatest, and his answer to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind shows how far we fall short and how much we need a Savior. Before God asks anything of us, he first loves us: Jesus kept the greatest command in our place and gave himself on the cross for our forgiveness. Freed from guilt, we get to serve God with joy, and there's no hidden revelation to search for, only the people right in front of us to love today.

Pastor Behm’s sermon preached at Faith on September 20, 2026

Intro/Outro Music: “Depth of Field” by David Hilowitz”

Drawing on Peter's question about how often to forgive and Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18), the sermon contrasts our grudging, conditional forgiveness with God's radical, limitless grace. God has cancelled an incalculable debt of sin through Christ's death on the cross–not merely showing mercy, but wiping the slate clean and remembering our sins no more. Because we've received that kind of forgiveness, we're called to extend the same grace to those who've hurt us, releasing them (and ourselves) from the prison of the past.

Pastor Schroeder’s sermon preached at Faith on September 13, 2026

Intro/Outro Music: “Depth of Field” by David Hilowitz

We build gods we're comfortable with — laid-back about sin, easy to please. Then we open Scripture and meet the real one: holier than we expect, and far more merciful than we deserve. Through the story of Jonah and Nineveh, this message uncovers a God who takes sin seriously enough to warn a violent empire of judgment — and loves deeply enough to forgive it the moment it turns back, no conditions attached. Mercy that isn't earned. Just given.

Pastor Schroder’s sermon preached at Faith on September 6, 2026

Intro/Outro Music: “Depth of Field” by David Hilowitz

Peter made the boldest confession in the Gospels: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And then, moments later, he tried to talk Jesus out of the cross. This sermon on Matthew 16:21-26 sets Peter's glory-first way side by side with Jesus' cross-first way, and asks which one is actually shaping your life.

Pastor Behm’s sermon preached at Faith on August 30, 2026.

Intro/Outro Music: “Depth of Field” by David Hilowitz

Who is God and what is he really like? In Exodus 34, God himself answers that question by revealing that he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. That mercy of God reaches its fullest expression in Jesus Christ. Through Christ, Baptism, and Holy Communion, God continues to assure sinful people that he has forgiven them, loves them, and will never leave them.

Vicar Lindemann’s sermon preached at Faith on August 23, 2026.

Intro/Outro Music: “Depth of Field” by David Hilowitz

A Canaanite woman with no claim on Israel's Messiah begs Jesus to heal her daughter…and Jesus says nothing at all. The disciples want her gone. What follows is one of the most surprising exchanges in the Gospels, and it ends with Jesus calling this woman’s faith “great.” This sermon on Matthew 15 asks what it means that the only person who rightfully belonged at God's table gave up his seat to bring us there.

Pastor Behm’s sermon preached at Faith on August 16, 2026.

Intro/Outro Music: “Depth of Field” by David Hilowitz

A three-year-old jumps the second his father says "jump." That's the faith Jesus holds up as the model, but trust gets an edge of skepticism as we age. This message looks at the disciples caught in a midnight storm on the Sea of Galilee, and why Jesus came to them walking on the very water they feared most: to show that nothing in this world is outside his control.

Pastor Schroeder’s sermon preached at Faith on August 9, 2026.

Intro/Outro Music: “Depth of Field” by David Hilowitz