SJLC Sermons

This episode reflects on Matthew and Philippians 2, urging listeners to adopt the mind of Christ by learning to notice and care for the people around them.

The preacher offers practical invitations—look up, look around, look again—and a prayer asking God to open our eyes so our attention becomes a simple, loving ministry in daily life and in the church community.

This episode reflects on Matthew 20's parable of the laborers in the vineyard, where a landowner pays all workers the same wage, highlighting God's abundant grace and the reversal of human expectations.

Linking the parable to the Lord's Prayer—"Thy kingdom come"—the speaker urges listeners to pray and work for a world shaped by God's generosity, forgiveness, and love.

This sermon expounds Matthew 18, where Jesus teaches Peter to forgive not just seven times but seventy-seven, and tells the parable of the unforgiving servant.

It contrasts the costly, freeing work of forgiveness with the inward torture of retribution, challenges modern cancel-culture attitudes, and urges listeners to embody mercy as the foundation of community.

This sermon explores what it means to call the church a family: the mess, conflict, and cost of living together as disciples.

Drawing on Matthew 18 and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, it emphasizes reconciliation, God’s promise to be present when believers gather, and the sustaining power of grace in community.

This episode explores Jesus' turning point with his disciples after Peter confesses him as the Messiah: a surprising prediction of suffering, a sharp rebuke, and the radical invitation to "deny yourself and take up your cross."

Through reflections on expectations, the contrast between divine and human values, and a closing quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the speaker urges listeners to embrace cross-shaped love, service, and the reshaping of true priorities.

This episode examines Matthew 16, exploring how people across history have named Jesus—from theological creeds and early church thinkers to historians and poets.

It then focuses on Jesus’ personal question to the disciples, highlighting Peter’s confession and the call for each listener to let that answer transform their life and actions.

This episode unpacks Matthew 15, contrasting outward rituals with inward holiness as the preacher reads Jesus’ teaching that what defiles comes from the heart. It recounts the Canaanite woman’s bold faith and her daughter’s immediate healing as a demonstration of Jesus’ outward-reaching love.

Through a personal canoe story about accepting "wet feet," the speaker illustrates that following Jesus means stepping into messy relationships and serving others, trusting in Christ’s cleansing love and the waters of baptism rather than focusing on external purity.

This episode reflects on Matthew 14 and the story of Peter walking on the sea, exploring how fear confronts disciples and what it reveals about our trust.

Through personal stories and scripture, the message encourages listeners to call out to Jesus in moments of doubt—"Lord, save me"—and to find courage and perseverance in faith.

This episode examines Jacob’s night-long struggle at the Jabbok River, using the biblical story to reflect on faith amid doubt, grief, and uncertainty. The preacher explores how wrestling with God can lead to new identity, blessing, and deeper trust.

The sermon emphasizes that God is present in the darkness, that wounds may remain yet be transformed into signs of grace, and that clinging to God through struggle reveals God’s steadfast hold on us.

A reading from Matthew 13 introduces Jesus' parables—the mustard seed, yeast, hidden treasure, the pearl, and the fishing net.

The preacher reflects on how the kingdom of heaven often appears in small, ordinary things and moments, urging listeners to notice God's presence in daily life, in the sacraments, and in relationships.

The episode closes with a prayer asking God to open our eyes to recognize the kingdom hidden in ordinary days.