St. Paul Lutheran Church Sermons: Recent Episodes
St. Paul Lutheran Church
St. Paul Lutheran Church of Villa Park, Illinois, welcomes everyone -- we share our sermons with those who cannot attend or who just want to hear it again.
While Herod broods over his plan to stabilize power through terror, Jesus speak of caring for those terrorized in life like a mother hen brooding over her chicks. While this divine image of "God the Hen" is surprising, the love it projects...
Our Lenten journey can be a disorienting walk in the wilderness, but our God knows exactly what it feels like to be hungry, weary, and vulnerable.
Lent isn’t a season of "Should" & "Shouldn't," a time of strict rules and restrictions. God's grace and this season is bigger than that. Instead we find space to explore the fullness of God's intentions for us in...
We all love new and shiny things, and the disciples are no different. As Jesus (and Moses) radiate with God's glory, they lose track of its purpose in their lives. God's glory is that which transfigures us and prepares us for a life of service.
Jesus gives us the "Golden Rule": treating others as we wish to be treated and loving our enemies. We may not like what we hear, but if we follow this direction, we will break the cycles of hatred that often define this world.
The beatitudes in Luke are more than a series of spiritualized blessings, they're an actualized call to action. With each "blessing" and "woe," we are called to see beyond ourselves so that we don't end up being "so...
The church loves the discipleship-as-fishing metaphor, but not pastor. The key to the calling of the disciples this day is to recognize what God is up to as we’re sent to “catch people” with God’s love.
Jesus is driven to the edge of a cliff by an audience that didn't like his sermon on God's Good News. The truth is that Good News isn't necessarily easy news, especially for those comfortable with their places of privilege and prestige.
As Jesus reads from Isaiah 62 in the Temple, he's proclaiming his mission statement for his earthly ministry. We carry on this Spirit-led mission today, through proclamation in both word and action.
As Jesus turns water into wine, he reveals the abundance of God’s glory. We mustn’t be reluctant to ask for God’s glory to be revealed in our lives.
God draws everyone home in the waters of baptism, calling us by name and joining us together as God's beloved family.
Our Lessons & Carols service is bookended by readings from Genesis and Luke, both of which start with the words "In the beginning..." The birth of Jesus is a new beginning for all of creation, one rooted in peace for all of creation.
John's gospel is special in that it tells the story of incarnation without the "usual" trappings of the nativity. It welcomes Jesus as the Word, which is certainly good news for us all. Merry Christmas!
This time of year is deeply rooted in memories and tradition, and we sometimes lose sight of the new beginning that Christ's birth offers. "This day" something incredible happens in Bethlehem, and the world will never be the same again!
It's easy to think or sing about what we want for Christmas. The prophetic witness of Elizabeth and Mary helps us recognize that through Jesus, what we really want for Christmas is something we already have.
John's sermon in the wilderness continues with some pretty harsh words, but at the bottom of it all is indeed good news. The good news God offers isn't always what we expect, but thankfully, nothing can get in its way.
We hear the voice of John crying in the wilderness a message of preparation and repentance. Repentance is how we prepare for a divine guest this time of the year.