St. Luke Columbus

We sit at a very unique, and special time in human and gospel history: namely, with the questions of the prophets and kings answered by the reality and work of Jesus. This perspective causes a heightened appreciation for the scriptures, confidence in ministry/reaching out, and urgency and focus on how we use our time, energy and resources. In light of where and when we sit, we encourage you to evaluate how you tell yourself the story of your life, and how it aligns or maybe is at times sideways to the larger story that God is writing, and completing. What could you shift to align more of your life with the grander, and better story God is carrying forward--and thus experience more joy.   Lessons: Psalm 39:4-6, 1 Peter 1:10-12, Luke 10:21-24

We live out our purpose in our work, volunteering, and leisure. We experience real, deep, and lasting peace in our purpose when it becomes outwardly focused. When we see our primary purpose is to unleash God’s love to meet the hopes and hurts of others, we are living the purpose God wants us to live and we experience his peace in our purpose.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will evaluate your purpose in life. If it is primarily self-focused, is it giving you real, deep, and lasting peace? Make one change in how you spend your time in order to live out the purpose to serve, invite, or give to meet the hopes and hurts of others. After a time of doing this, evaluate whether you are experiencing more peace in your purpose.   Lessons: Philippians 2:1-8, 1 Peter 4:7-10, Luke 6:17-19, 9:1-6   Sermon Outline  

The peace that Jesus gives is real, deep, and lasting. To have this peace with God (Up) requires that one’s god be able to deliver such peace. Learning and accepting the eternal and grace-filled love of the one true God brings this peace.   To maintain our experience of peace with God requires regularly putting ourselves where God breathes his love into us. It is within this active and passionate spirituality that I have real, deep, and lasting peace about myself, my time, and my future.     We hope you will accept and dwell in each moment the grace-filled love of the one true God and continually put yourself where you experience God’s grace-filled love.   Lessons: Isaiah 26:3-4, Romans 5:1-5, John 14:25-31   Sermon Outline

Lessons: Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Matthew 11:25-30

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

Only Jesus, the Prince of Peace, brings real, deep, and lasting peace. Jesus said the peace he gives us is not the fleeting and superficial peace that the world gives, but his peace calms our fearful and troubled hearts and surpasses all human understanding (John 14:27, Philippians 4:7). It is God’s shalom in our lives. We begin to experience this peace when we trust Jesus and this peace grows in us as we learn and live by his ways. Understand that you can have real, deep, and lasting peace in your life and put yourself in a place for God to pour that peace into you. Lessons: Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:1-20

Leprosy isn’t something that our culture deals with as much today, but it was a disease that was very prevalent during Biblical times. This disease caused many people to be ignored and treated as an 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.   Lessons: Luke 17:11-19, Leviticus 13:42-46, Matthew 8:1-4

After the recent election, let’s reset our understanding of what is true greatness and how it is that we become great. In the gospel lesson, as Jesus reflects on John the Baptist, Jesus teaches that real greatness comes to those who are in the kingdom of heaven, where we are made great by the work of Jesus. 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.     After hearing this sermon, we hope you will identify where you are getting caught up in the empty hype of what it means to be great. Quietly commit yourself to live by the values that Jesus teaches foster authentic greatness.   Lessons: Matthew 11:2-11; Romans 8:15-17, 28-30; Mark 10:35-45   Sermon Outline

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

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 here. At this point in a person’s life, does that person need a reformation that is primarily the law (driving him to repentance), the gospel (setting her free from her bondage), or an exhortation for living a life more pleasing to God? The sermon will guide us to determine what is the personal reformation that each of us needs in our current season of life. One must be in prayerful discernment over this question because the evil one wants to convince us that what we need to hear is something opposite of what God knows we need the most.   After hearing this sermon, we hope you will fearlessly and honestly determine the reformation yo

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

“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. Lessons: Romans 11:25-32, 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 10:22-30

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.    Lessons: Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44

God uses our sacrificial generosity to make an eternal change in us and in the lives of others.    Lessons: Malachi 3:10, 2 Corinthians 8:1-7, Luke 10:1-9, 17-21   Sermon Outline

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.   Lessons: 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Ephesians 5:1-5, Matthew 6:19-24

On this All Saints Sunday, as we continue our Reformation quincentennial commemoration, we recall that the 16th century reformer Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the All Saints Church in Wittenberg on the eve of All Saints Day in 1517. Guest preacher Joy Schroeder will talk about the life of Martin Luther and his message of justification by grace through faith. Luther's Small Catechism

With the five pillars in place as our theological foundation, we will wrestle with this question: “What is the reformation to which God is calling you personally and St. Luke corporately?”   Lessons: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 5:13-16   Sermon Outline

God’s work in Christ is 100% responsible for everyone’s salvation. Through his Holy Spirit, God alone is the author and perfector of our faith, therefore even our saving faith is 100% God’s work. Further, all our good works (sanctification) are the work of God, the Holy Spirit, working in us. Because of all of this, to God alone be the glory!     Lessons: Psalm 115, Colossians 1:9-14, Mark 3:20-21, 31-35   Sermon Outline

Martin Luther described how the Word of God, for us as Christians, gives our lives their true meaning.  In effect, Scripture as God’s Word interprets our lives, to reveal to us what they mean and bestow a new significance on them, in the light of Christ.  A wonderful example of this is the story of Jacob at the Jabbock Brook.   Lessons: Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 121, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, Luke 18:1-8

We live in an increasingly pluralistic culture. While this causes conflicts, it is good and enjoyable to experience the diversity of people and cultures around us. With this growing plurality comes the tension in our belief that eternal salvation comes through faith in Jesus alone. Anyone with a shred of Christ’s love in them hopes that all people will be saved, but the New Testament teaches that there is assurance of salvation only through faith in Jesus. We are motivated by the holy discontent that even one person would spend eternity separated from God. This motivates our evangelical mission to reach all people who yet do not trust in Jesus.   If you have not yet done so, trust in Jesus for your salvation. If your hope or tolerance has moved you to drift into believing there is universal salvation for all people, regardless of their beliefs, then you are invited to reset your thinking that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone. Let that motivate your evangelical behavior.     Lessons: Acts 4: