A Life Reformed: The Shepherds
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
The lives of the shepherds were, at least for a moment, reformed following a similar path that we have articulated during our Wednesday Advent services: God’s call, confusion, obedience, persistent seeking that involved movement, and giving God glory. Then we don’t hear from the shepherds again. We can only speculate what happened, but it does give us a significant question with which to wrestle: What does it take for God’s reforming of our lives to continue?
Identify a way that you may be “exiting the scene” of God’s reforming work in your life and figure out how to get back into God’s narrative of reforming your life. .
Lessons: Luke 2:8-20
Outcast
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Greg Osborne, Student Ministries Director
In Bible accounts, Leprosy caused many people to be outcast. While people we interact with probably don’t have leprosy the chances are that we might treat them as if they do for one reason or another. As followers of Jesus we are called to resist the temptation to treat others differently and love everyone.
Jesus Makes Us Great
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
As followers of Jesus we rest in the assurance that Jesus has made us great, which moves us to live lives of thankful and humble service. We live in a culture driven by hype. As followers of Jesus we can lead people to reset their understanding what it means to be great to reflect the values of Jesus, thankful and humble service to others.
A Life Reformed: Mary
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
Mary followed a similar path that we articulated last Wednesday: God’s call, confusion, obedience, persistent seeking that involved movement, and giving God glory. Mary’s life was reformed. When the Holy Spirit plants (conceives) in us the seed of faith to trust Jesus, he is born into us and we become blessed even as Mary was blessed. As Mary is now called the Blessed Virgin Mary, so now we are we called Blessed. We then travel a similar path.
After hearing this sermon, we hope you will rest in the assurance that, through Christ, God has chosen you and God’s call is “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Consider how you could “sing” this truth this week.
Lessons: Luke 1:26-56
A Personal Reformation
Wednesday, December 4, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
John the Baptist called the people of his generation to repent. This sermon will invite each of us to wrestle with this question: What is the reformation to which God is personally calling me?” The challenge in preaching on one’s personal reformation to everyone is that the reformation that God desires to bring into each person’s life is unique to them. One size does not fit all.
A Life Reformed: Joseph
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
During the Wednesday Advent services we will see a similar path to Jesus that those gathered around manger of Jesus experienced: God’s unilateral and gracious call, confusion, obedience, persistent seeking that involved movement, and giving God glory. This path results in lives that are reformed and the path of lives are changed.
What step of being more persistent in seeking the Lord do you need to take to more clearly see God’s work in your life and the world?
Lessons: Matthew 1:18-25
Are You Ready?
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
The New Testament was written by people who believed that they were living in the last days and that Jesus would soon return. Because of this, there is a fair amount of apocalyptic writing in the New Testament, including what the N.T. writers chose to report of the teachings of Jesus. Jesus teaches us to live our lives as though we are about to meet him face to face.
Be Most Thankful for What You Cannot Lose
Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
“God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” We cannot lose our salvation because it is God who “calls us through the Gospel, enlightens us with his gifts, and sanctifies and keeps us in true faith.” Faith creating and faith keeping are all God’s work. God is the one who made the covenant with us and through the death of Jesus, God has kept both sides of the covenant. While everything else we hold dear passes away, the eternal life God has given us can never be taken away. For this we are most thankful.
When you give thanks tomorrow, say out loud that what you are most thankful for is your eternal salvation that you cannot lose.
Your Generosity Brings Reformation
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
God uses our sacrificial generosity to make an eternal change in us and in the lives of others. This sermon will give a report of how God has used our generosity to change lives. One big way we hope to grow the reformation God is bringing through us is by the calling of an associate pastor. This sermon will report the growth in mission that we hope an associate pastor will bring, where we stand in being able to afford adding an associate pastor to our staff, and what offering is needed to sustain this move forward.
A Reformation of Generosity
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
God works in all areas of our lives to reform us to be imitators of Jesus. The religious word for this is sanctification, which means the process of becoming holy. One of the most influential areas of our lives is our wealth. God moves a follower of Jesus to be sacrificially generous. When God works in us to become sacrificially generous, a very significant step has been taken to reform us into imitators of Jesus. Greed loses its hold on us and our hearts are freed to more wholly love God and our neighbor. That is why sacrificial generosity is described as a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” This step into generosity is often obvious to those around us.
Reformation
September 25 - November 6, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown, David Drees, Andy Tune, Dr. Joy Schroeder
This series will kick off our year-long celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. The first five Sundays will teach the theological pillars (solas) of the Reformation, summarized in this statement: We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone as revealed in God’s Word alone and all to the glory of God alone. With the five pillars in place as our theological foundation, on Reformation Sunday we will wrestle with this question: “What is the reformation to which God is calling you personally and St. Luke corporately?” This kick-off series will conclude with Dr. Joy Schroeder preaching on All Saints day.
Always Be Ready
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Emily Brown
Paul calls us to always be ready to give a defense to anyone for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Through unpacking the story of the woman at the well, we will gain a better understanding of the nature of God, his ability to overcome any barrier, and his desire for us to share our faith and make disciples of all nations.
The Most Scandalous Parable
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
The parable of the Unjust Steward may be the most difficult of Jesus’ parables to interpret, let alone find a life application.
The good news as interpreted from this parable is incredibly good news and gives us a Savior that is considered “unjust” by the moral bookkeeping standards of the world but is a real Savior that we can connect with as one scoundrel to the other. Jesus becaue a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the law.
The Sabbath Rest
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
The Sabbath rest that God graciously commanded us to practice is for our benefit and yet, in our culture, we have so thoroughly turned our back on God’s gracious weekly plan for our lives. God intends that our practice of Sabbath rest and worship be a weekly reminder to us of the eternal experience of refreshment that we will enjoy in the paradise that Jesus has prepared for us.
What Holds You Back?
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
The examples of Jesus and the apostles (like Paul), the command of Jesus, the testimony of Christ followers over the last 2000 years, and the work of the Holy Spirit within us compels us to “boldly and without hindrance” preach the kingdom of God and teach others about Jesus. What holds us back from doing this? What is at stake in our reluctance? How can we overcome our reluctance?
Jesus on Wealth Inequity
Sunday, August 7-14, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
We are being told that the gap between the rich and the poor is growing and that wealth inequity is increasing. One sign of this may be the growing number of self-storage places where people store up their stuff. If this is true, is the growing wealth inequity just and what would Jesus say about it?
Fullness
July 3 - 24, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown and Rev. Dr. Cheryl Peterson
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. Colossians 2:9-10
During the first four Sundays of July, we will learn from Paul’s letter to the Colossians what it means that Jesus is our fullness. We will learn that Jesus is forever enough and, when we are brought into his fullness through faith, we are made enough and our lives are truly and eternally full.
Giving Our All Even If It's a Little
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Greg Osborne
In our lesson today, we see a woman who humbled herself before the Lord. She gave all she had because of her love for the Lord. Today we will dig into this story and look at how this "sinful" woman showed us what it means to lay it all down at the feet of God.
Amazing Faith
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Youth Pastor Greg Osborne
Faith is something that is vital for a relationship with God. In our scripture lesson we will read about how a Centurion has faith that amazes Jesus. Today we will look at faith how we can strive to have a faith that amazes Jesus.
Lessons: Luke 7:1-10
The Extraordinary Fruit of Faith-filled Suffering
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
We all suffer and the longer we live, the more we will suffer. According to Romans 5:1-5, one who trusts in Jesus will experience a progression of profound, extraordinary, surprising and God-given benefits when suffering is endured with faith; suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character, hope.
After hearing this sermon we hope when you suffer, you will continue to practice the faith through spiritual disciplines (coming to worship, participating in a life group, reading the Bible, prayer, etc) in order to press forward in faith where you will experience perseverance, character, and hope.
The Pursuit
Sunday, May 15, 2016
David Drees
While Pentecost seems like God’s conlussion of the work on the Cross, it is really far deeper. The pursuit of the “Hound of Heaven” as Francis Thompson calls Jesus, was after us from the beginning. Today we will focus on three things: We lost it all, He did it all, We get it all.
Lessons: Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2: 1-21, John 14: 15-18, 25-27
New Clothes
March 27 - May 8, 2016
David Drees & Pastor Steve Brown
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, our old self is put to death and we are raised to a new life in Christ. During the Easter Season we will learn specific ways that we live out the new life that is ours through the resurrection of Jesus. One way to understand this transformation is that we take off our old clothes and Jesus clothes us with a new fresh set of clothes. The passage from Colossians 3:12-15 lists specific character traits and behaviors that come with our new set of fresh threads. During each Sunday of the Easter season we will explore one of those character traits or behaviors.
The Seven Last Words of Christ
Good Friday, March 25, 2016
St. Luke Preachers
This sermon is lead by members of our congregation. Each St. Luke Preacher gives us a brief meditation based on the seven last words of Christ.
Forgiveness Requires a Death
Maundy Thursday, March 24, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
Brené Brown helps us understand that in order for forgiveness to happen something has to die. To forgive is a grief process where something has to die in order for new life to come forth. To truly forgive we have to grieve something. It may be a relationship as we have known it, the hope that something will be same as it once was, that a person you care about does not have the capacity to hurt you or wouldn’t hurt you, being right, or something else. But only through killing something off can beautiful new life come forth. The willingness to kill something off and grieve it makes forgiveness the ultimate act of love. This is what God did for us in Jesus and what we are called to do for others.
After hearing this sermon, we hope that you will accept that Jesus died so that he could forgive you. Identify and kill off what you must to forgive others.
Lessons: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Colossians 3:12-13, Matthew 26:17-28
Emptied
Palm/Passion Sunday, March 20, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
This recording begins with a narrative reading of the passion story. The sermon starts at 15:48.
One of the most vivid pictures that the Bible gives us for understanding what happened to Jesus when he suffered and died is found in Philippians 2:7 where it says that Jesus “emptied” himself. Jesus emptied himself of his eternal perfection so that he could be filled with our broken rebellion and death. Now that we have been emptied of our broken rebellion and death, Jesus now fills us with his eternal perfection. Such a joyous exchange!
After hearing this sermon, we hope that you will, in faith, accept Jesus empting of your broken rebellion and death and his filling you of his eternal perfection.
Lessons: Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14-23:56
No Ordinary Meal
March 13, 2016
David Drees
What happened this night was no ordinary evening, for a variety of reasons… And what Jesus shows us is if any voice tells you to moderate our love for Jesus, do not listen. Let your affections for Jesus be lavish. If any voice tempts you to want to be rich in money, do not listen. Jesus is your riches, and all that money can buy cannot compare to him. If any voice tells you that his death is anything less than the triumph over death, do not listen. No ordinary meal indeed!
Lessons: Isaiah 43:16-21, Philippians 3:7-14, John 12:1-8
Who Is My Neighbor?
February 28 - March 6, 2016
David Drees & Pastor Steve Brown
The question seems simple enough, God says love your neighbor… so who is that? I sure would hate to mess that up! But the simplicity of the Greatest Commandment, makes that question completely unneeded. The better question, isn’t to ask “who should I love” but instead ask Jesus “Who am I?” You see the famous parable of the Good Samaritan is less about who represents our neighbor and more to do with, what kind of people are we?
Be Rich 2016
February 14 - 21, 2016
Pastor Steve Brown
Isaiah 58:1-7 so clearly describes many American Christians and what is God’s response to our eager efforts to “for God to come near” us. Fasting (giving up something for Lent) as often been a part of the Lenten disciplines that we do to come nearer to God. According to Isaiah 58, true fasting is “to loose the chains of injustice, and untie the chords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke, to share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.” This passage will be tied directly into what we are doing in the Be Rich Campaign.
How Does Faith Grow?
January 3 - February 7, 2016
“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
– Philippians 3:12b
This sermon series will teach spiritual formation as described in Andy Stanley’s book, Deep & Wide, but within the structure of the St. Luke Discipleship Path; We learn God’s love in worship, live God’s love in life groups, and unleash God’s love when we serve, invite, and give to meet the hopes and hurts of others. Spiritual formation is what happens when someone is in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Simply stated, faith is what grows in a growing relationship with Jesus. A person’s confidence in God grows so that he or she is able to increasingly trust God no matter what life throws at them. This active, death-defying, out-of-the-box and amazing confidence in God honors God and equips the Christ follower to embark on extraordinary acts of ministry to advance God’s mission and face life’s celebrations and trials with remarkable peace. Faith grows through these catalysts: Practical Biblical Teaching (Learning God’s Love in Worship); Providential Relationships (Living God’s Love in Life Groups); Private Disciplines; Personal Ministry (Unleashing God’s Love when we serve, invite, and give to meet the hopes and hurts of others); and Pivotal Circumstances.
Wrestling with God
Wednesdays in Lent
February 10 - March 16, 2016
We all “wrestle” with God over particular issues or experiences in our lives and the lives of others. It could be our own suffering or the suffering of others. Our wrestling with God over these matters is a reflection of the brokenness we have because of our sin. The great truth about God is that he strives with us through our wrestling with him. God does not abandon us. The account of Jacob wrestling with God recorded in Genesis 32 will be the theme passage for Wednesdays in Lent.