In the final parable of the central section of Luke's gospel, the theme of discipleship — what it means to live as God's people, which has shaped the central section since near the end of chapter 9 — is distilled into a memorable punchline.

Preaching text: Luke 18:9-14

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Mark Niethammer preaches on stepping back to see the bigger picture. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by life's challenges. God provides hope and perspective when daily struggles threaten to consume us, if we try to remember to look beyond immediate obstacles and connect with God’s larger story of grace and purpose, even in the face of fear, debt, family pressures, and uncertainty. Coming together in community can help us see past adversity and trust in a journey that's bigger than ourselves. 

Preaching text: Psalm 121

Katy Warren preaches on gratitude. Gratitude is fundamentally connected to faith and shapes our entire perspective on life. Each day presents a choice between negativity and thankfulness, recognizing life itself—every breath, every moment, every heartbeat is a gift. Gratitude is not just good manners but a restorative way of living that flows from trusting God and acknowledging that nothing we have is truly our own doing.  

Preaching text: Luke 17:11-19

The seemingly unrealistic confidence of the psalmist finds a welcome and reassuring place in its placement within the Book of Psalms, as a person beset by deceit and war-mongering is invited to "come up" to the hill of God's temple under God's protection and blessing.

Preaching text: Psalms 121

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

With the story of Jesus healing ten men and having only one return to praise God and give thanks, Luke opens the third part of his gospel's Central Section, where the character of life as a follower of Jesus is developed. The theme of this third part is thankfulness for God's blessings.

Preaching text: Luke 17:11-19

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on action. Confidence and faith grow through taking action rather than waiting until we feel ready. We build faith by doing the hard things that intimidate us, not by waiting for certainty. True faith isn't about having all the answers in our minds—it's about trusting God through relationships and taking action now instead of postponing what we're called to do.  

Preaching text: Luke 17:5-10

In a pair of brief, challenging sayings, Luke shows Jesus counseling caution to those who follow him. The character of faith and the kingdom life that we live in faith are just as subject to misunderstanding as the lures of the world.

Preaching text: Luke 17:5-10

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Maddy Tyler preaches on compassion. We all carry wounds—loss, broken relationships, devastating diagnoses—that leave us desperately seeking relief and wholeness. When we're consumed by our own pain, we often forget to help others who are suffering alongside us. But there's hope: God's compassion for us creates endless opportunities to extend that same compassion to others.  

Preaching text: Luke 16:19-31

In a vivid parable of stunning reversals, Luke shows Jesus underscoring the centrality of two things: generous compassion toward our neighbors and God's teaching to biblical Israel as the place to learn it.

Preaching text: Luke 16:19-31

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Katy Warren preaches on our gifts. You have been entrusted with gifts from God and carry the responsibility to use them wisely to bring compassion and peace into the world. While God remains gracious even when you fall short, you are called not to squander these treasures but to be a faithful steward of the life you've been given. 

Preaching text: Luke 16:1-13 

Luke uses an unexpected and challenging parable by Jesus to underscore one of the central themes of the gospel—the urgency of the choice we face to live by Kingdom values or by those of this worldly life.

Preaching text: Luke 16:1-13

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on counting. When life leaves us feeling lost—whether through our own mistakes, painful circumstances beyond our control, or overwhelming doubt and isolation—it's easy to believe we don't matter. No matter what messages the world sends about our worth, we are precious enough to be sought after and carried home with care and love. We also can remind others of their value of being God’s own. 

Preaching text: Luke 15:1-10

In two Jesus parables about lost things that are found, Luke teaches the reason for the Jesus community to extend care and concern to those on the fringes of society.

Preaching text: Luke 15:1-10

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Mark Niethammer preaches about choices. Many daily decisions are clear — we know right from wrong. Others are harder to discern, falling into life's gray areas rather than absolutes. Choosing life isn't always obvious or easy. We all stand on one side of the river, looking toward an unknown future, called to choose life and care for creation and our neighbors.

Preaching text: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

The writer of Deuteronomy looks far back into Israel's past to portray Moses instructing the Israelites about life in the land. In the writer's own day, sitting in exile after losing the land, the offer of life and prosperity is a renewal of God's faithful promise, with a fresh invitation to bear witness to that grace.

Preaching text: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Maddy Tyler preaches on honor. What does honor look like in our modern world today? We're trapped by presumptions, snap judgments, and self-importance, constantly navigating assumptions. Jesus flips this: rather than worldly rankings, everyone sits at the highest place of honor—no one lower.  

Preaching text: Luke 14:1, 7-14 

Luke uses a communal banquet scene as the setting for Jesus to teach what true glory is, and how it differs from acclamation and success in simply human terms.

Preaching text: Luke 14:1, 7-14

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Katy Warren preaches on noticing. The goodness of God is all around us, waiting for us to notice. There is so much power in seeing and noticing God all around us. We can be consumed by so many distractions around us, that we miss what’s right in front of us. We are sometimes more concerned with the proper order of things that we forget to live with love and compassion as our first and crucial impulse.   

Preaching text: Luke 13:10-17 

In one of the dramatic episodes that Luke portrays of Jesus in a synagogue, we hear the core value of life affirmed and re-affirmed — affirmed from within Jewish life for all of God's people. 

Preaching text: Luke 13:10-17

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Mark Niethammer preaches on divisions. The world that God dreams of isn’t just going to happen. It’s going to take work on our part. It will force all of us to change and that will not be easy. Sometimes division comes from this change and is necessary for us to become more fully who God intends for us to be. For this world to heal and deep peace to flood in, truth has to be spoken to power and the divine love in each person must be lifted up.  

Preaching text: Luke 12:49-56 

Luke portrays the profound importance of understanding God's power over the worldly forces of death as a fire and division that splits communities and families. In Jesus' mouth, the words bring reassurance about God's ultimate power even over those divisions.

Preaching text: Luke 12:49-56

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Peter Pettit preaches on reframing. Without the larger context, we look at things only from what we know but there is a bigger frame. Greatness in God’s frame doesn’t mean we become God, it doesn’t mean we have all the answers or have to make it happen by ourselves. Greatness in God’s frame means living with the godly virtues right where it is that God has led you. Seeing in a larger frame is seeing in faith.  

Preaching text: Genesis 15:1-6  

With a look back to the earliest ancestors of the people of Israel, Genesis tells a story that reorients a desperate community from their difficult situation to a source of hope and promise that is far beyond what the threats in their lives can reach.

Preaching text: Genesis 15:1-6

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.

Sara Olson-Smith preaches on looking outward toward others. Our desire for more is often a need to fill a hole we have in ourselves. When we focus on only ourselves, we live lives which are isolated and insular. It is not our things which bring us contentment. A ‘toward’ life, turning outward toward others, protects us from this insular living which isolates us.  

Preaching text: Luke 12:13-21 

A dramatic encounter leads to a parable with a dramatic confrontation in this story from Luke. Together, they can help us understand what we might do with any parable.

Preaching text:  Luke 12:13-21

Bible for Worship is a weekly introduction to the scripture passage that is likely to be the basis for the sermon on the following weekend. It correlates with the Revised Common Lectionary as it is used at St. Paul. With Peter A. Pettit, teaching pastor.