Sermon Brainwave from Working Preacher

Love your neighbor as yourself sits at the heart of Jesus’ answer about the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:34-46.

Cody Sanders, Karoline Lewis, and Matt Skinner help preachers get ready for the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost. They ask why the struggle lives between knowing and doing. They show how Leviticus 19 roots neighbor love in God’s own holiness. The hosts reflect on Moses’ intimate friendship with God in Deuteronomy 34. They linger with the tree planted by streams of water in Psalm 1. Then they unpack Paul’s tender “gospel of God” in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8.

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What did Jesus really mean by "render unto Caesar"?

Matt Skinner and Cody Sanders dig into Matthew 22:15-22 for the 21st Sunday after Pentecost, October 18, 2026. They unpack the trap, the coin, and what Jesus means by giving back to God. Jesus refuses a false choice and asks whose image is on the coin. The hosts explore the coinage of God's kingdom: mercy, justice, and righteousness. They also turn to Isaiah 45 and Cyrus, God's anointed. Exodus 33 reveals a migrant God who journeys with the people. Psalm 96 calls all creation to worship. Finally, the hosts launch a five-week series in 1 Thessalonians and its rich vision of hope.

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The parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22:1-14 is one of the toughest texts preachers face.

Karoline Lewis, Matt Skinner, and Cody Sanders explore it for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost, October 11, 2026. They examine Jesus' anger at religious leaders and the wide-open invitation to both good and bad. They also explain why preachers don't need to tie a parable up neatly. Next, they explore Isaiah 25's feast, the golden calf in Exodus 32, Psalm 23, and Philippians 4.

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Karoline Lewis, Matt Skinner, and Cody Sanders dig into the texts for October 4, 2026, the 19th Sunday after Pentecost. The hosts weigh new titles for the parable of the wicked tenants and warn against anti-Jewish readings. They explore Isaiah's vineyard song and Psalm 80, a rare lament in the lectionary. They also hear the Ten Commandments as a gift of freedom, not a list of rules. Paul's call to count everything as loss in Philippians 3 rounds out the conversation.

Find episodes, commentaries, and links at workingpreacher.org/brainwave.

Matt Skinner, Karoline Lewis, and Cody Sanders unpack Matthew 21:23-32, where Jesus confronts the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem. They explore what Jesus's "non-answer" about his own authority reveals about power, hypocrisy, and who really enters the kingdom.

The team also digs into Ezekiel 18 as trauma literature, Exodus 17's cry for water in the wilderness, and the radical humility of Philippians 2. Together, these texts ask a haunting question: Is the Lord among us or not? This conversation offers preachers fresh angles on authority, repentance, and unity as resistance for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost. Listen in for insightful exegesis and practical preaching insight.

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The parable of the workers in the vineyard raises an uncomfortable question: what if God's grace isn't fair?

On this episode of Sermon Brainwave, Karoline Lewis, Cody Sanders, and Matt Skinner dig into Matthew 20:1-16 and explore why this story about a generous landowner makes us so angry. They unpack fairness, retributive justice, and what it means to see as God sees. The conversation also covers Jonah's fury at God's mercy, Exodus 16 and the daily bread that sustains a hungry people, Psalm 145's unsearchable greatness, and the opening chapter of Philippians. Preachers will find fresh angles on prophetic preaching, grace that offends our sense of power, and the four-week journey into Philippians that begins this week.

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Peter asks Jesus a simple question: how many times should I forgive? Jesus answers with the parable of the unforgiving servant, and the answer gets uncomfortable fast.

In this episode of Sermon Brainwave, Cody Sanders, Karoline Lewis, and Matt Skinner dig into Matthew 18:21-35 for the 16th Sunday after Pentecost. They explore why forgiveness is never a one-time decision and why the parable's financial imagery still stings today. The team also connects this hard teaching to Genesis 50, Exodus 14, Psalm 103, and Romans 14, tracing a single thread of forgiveness, patience, and community across all four texts.

They wrestle honestly with the parable's violent ending and its risk of being misapplied to survivors of abuse. This episode gives preachers real tools for handling one of Matthew's toughest parables with honesty and care.

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What happens when preachers get their first-ever shot at Feast of Creation texts?

Matt Skinner, Karoline Lewis, and Cody Sanders dig into Season of Creation preaching for this brand-new addition to the lectionary. They explore John 1's cosmic logos, wrestle with chaos and order in Genesis 1, and unpack Genesis 2's dust-formed humanity. The team connects Psalm 148's cosmic praise to Paul's Areopagus speech in Acts 17. They challenge preachers to move beyond creation care language toward genuine relationality with the wider web of life. Scholars like Ellen Davis and Rabbi Julia Watts Belser inform the conversation throughout. Preachers gain fresh angles on humanity's place within creation, not above it.

Watch for practical insights you can bring straight into your Season of Creation sermon. Subscribe for weekly lectionary commentary from Working Preacher's Sermon Brainwave team.

• Find Out More About the Feast of Creation

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Church conflict is inevitable, but how should Christians actually handle it?

In this episode, hosts Cody Sanders, Karoline Lewis, and Matt Skinner dive into Matthew 18 explained through the lens of accountability, reconciliation, and protecting the vulnerable. They unpack why Jesus pairs this teaching with the parable of the lost sheep and what that reveals about who the text is really trying to protect. The conversation also covers Ezekiel 33's watchman imagery, the Exodus 12 Passover narrative, Psalm 119, and Romans 13's call to put on the armor of light.

Whether you're preaching this Sunday or just want a richer grasp of these lectionary texts, this discussion offers practical, pastoral insight you can bring straight into your sermon prep.

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What does it really mean to take up your cross and follow me?

On this episode of Sermon Brainwave, Karoline Lewis, Cody Sanders, and Matt Skinner dig into Matthew 16:21-28 for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost.

They unpack Peter's stinging rebuke, get behind me Satan, and wrestle with how self-denial can be twisted into self-obliteration when it's ripped from Christian community. The hosts also explore Jeremiah's raw prophetic complaint, Moses and the burning bush as an everyday encounter with God, and Paul's practical call in Romans 12 to overcome evil with good.

This conversation offers preachers a grounded, honest take on discipleship, suffering, and hope.

Listen now for fresh insight on take up your cross and follow me, then head to https://www.workingpreacher.org/podcast-type/sermon-brainwave for full commentaries and more preaching resources.

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During Working Preacher's fall fundraising campaign, we're celebrating our website's upcoming 19th birthday! Thank you for your generous support of Working Preacher.

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