In Matthew 20, Jesus tells a parable that makes us uncomfortable: workers who labored one hour receive the same pay as those who worked all day in scorching heat.

This sermon explores how God actively pursues those the world has written off, gives full rewards that defy our sense of fairness, and defends his sovereign right to be lavishly generous. Through the lens of Israel's wilderness wandering and the rock that provided water to rebellious people, we see a picture of Christ struck for our sake. Whether you're an "11th hour" believer or have been faithful for decades, this message challenges us to embrace God's scandalous grace.

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

In Matthew 17, Peter, James, and John witness Jesus transfigured on the mountain. Their terrified response reveals something about human nature and God's holiness.

But Jesus doesn't leave them cowering in fear. He touches them and speaks words that echo through the centuries: "Rise and have no fear." This Transfiguration Sunday message explores why God's glory terrifies us, how Christ veils that same glory in flesh to make himself touchable, and the incredible promise that we too will be clothed in the glory that would otherwise destroy us.

Through the mystery of the incarnation and the cross that lies ahead, Jesus transforms the terror of God's presence into the hope of sharing in his divine nature forever.

Scripture References

• Matthew 17:1-9 (primary text - the Transfiguration)
• Exodus 34 (Moses' shining face)
• Genesis 1:3 ("Let there be light")
• Colossians 2:9 (fullness of deity dwells bodily in Christ)
• Psalm 2 (messianic king)
• Isaiah 42 (suffering servant)
• 2 Peter 1 (eyewitnesses of his majesty)

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Running out of wine at a first-century Jewish wedding was a social disaster that people would remember forever. But when this crisis strikes at a wedding in Cana, Jesus steps in to perform his first miracle. Yet this isn't simply about keeping a party going; it's a sign that points to something much greater.

Instead of just solving the immediate problem, Jesus creates an overwhelming abundance, turning 120–180 gallons of ceremonial washing water into the finest wine anyone had ever tasted. The miracle demonstrates God's superabundant grace and points forward to Jesus' ultimate "hour": His death and resurrection. Through this first sign, we see how Jesus restores not just a wedding feast, but the spiritual fortunes of God's people.

This sermon explores how we live in the overflow of God's grace today through Word and Sacrament, receiving far more than we need so we can share generously with others.

Takeaways

• God's grace comes in overwhelming abundance. It's always more than we need so we can share with others who are struggling.
• Jesus transforms the old covenant's ceremonial requirements into the joy of the gospel, fulfilling the law.
• The timing of this miracle on "the third day" points forward to Jesus' resurrection and the ultimate restoration he would accomplish through His death.
• We experience this abundant grace regularly through ordinary means: confession and absolution, Scripture reading, preaching, and Holy Communion.
• Living in God's overflow means getting filled up through worship and Word, then being sent out to love others, returning again when we're empty.

Scripture Index

• John 2:1-11 (primary text - Wedding at Cana)
• Amos 9:11-15 (restoration of David's fallen tent, mountains dripping wine)
• Amos 9:13 (plowman overtaking the reaper)
• John 1 (law through Moses, grace and truth through Jesus Christ)
• Various references to Jesus' "hour" throughout John's Gospel
• General references to Old Testament Levitical purification laws

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Main Takeaways

• Epiphany is usually a season of impressive miracles, but this text reveals Jesus’ glory in quiet submission to authority.
• Jesus’ statement, "I must be about my Father’s business," anticipates His future suffering and death.
• Jesus fulfills the Law actively, sanctifying the Sabbath and the Fourth Commandment where we have failed.
• Christian vocation involves honoring the office of authority, regardless of the person holding it, in submission to God's will (Rom 13:1).
• Jesus offers His lived history of obedience in exchange for our history of sin.

Scripture Index

• Luke 2:41–52: The account of the boy Jesus in the temple and His return to Nazareth.
• Luke 9:22: The first prediction of the Passion, linking the divine necessity ("must") to the cross.
• Exodus 12: The context of the Passover feast and the sacrificial lamb.
• Romans 13:1: The apostolic instruction that all authority is instituted by God.

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Main Takeaways

• While ancient tyrants (Pharaoh, Herod) destroyed life to secure political power, modern culture destroys life to secure the idol of individual autonomy.
• Children are only a "burden" in the sanctifying sense: they crush the sinful ego and force us to serve a neighbor who cannot repay us.
• Jesus functions as the True Israel, entering the "house of bondage" to succeed where the corporate son (the nation) failed.
• Matthew uses Jeremiah 31 to demonstrate that the return from the "land of the enemy" (Assyria/Death) has already begun in Christ’s return from Egypt.
• The Red Sea of the font and the Real Presence in the Supper press the benefits of Christ’s victory into the lives of our children.

Scripture Index

• Genesis 46: Jacob stands at the edge of the Promised Land, terrified that leaving for Egypt will void God's promises.
• Exodus 1: Pharaoh recognizes that the multiplication of children is a source of national power and a threat to his control..
• Matthew 2: The Flight to Egypt and the Massacre of the Innocents serve as the fulfillment of Hosea's prophecy and the recapitulation of Israel's history.
• Hosea 11:1: The prophet foretells that God calls His Son out of Egypt, identifying Jesus as the faithful Son..
• Jeremiah 31: The weeping of Rachel is cited not merely to describe grief, but to invoke the subsequent promise of resurrection and return from exile.
• Romans 8: Paul affirms that death cannot separate the baptized from the love of God in Christ.

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Main Takeaways

• We must reject the "Return on Investment" mindset that reduces life to temporary utility rather than eternal legacy.
• The Exodus Tabernacle provided proximity to God, but the Incarnation provides the intimacy of "God with us" in the flesh.
• Christ’s birth refutes the error that the spiritual is good while the physical is irrelevant; He sanctifies the material world.
• Sanctification involves becoming "living stones," requiring us to address sin in our lives.
• Our vocation is to mirror Christ’s sacrifice by bearing the burdens of our households with joy and presence.

Scripture Index

• Genesis 1:28: The mandate to tend creation calls us to leave a legacy, not just seek temporary gain.
• Exodus 3, 40: The Exodus leads to the Tabernacle, where God’s holiness was present yet unapproachable by Moses.
• John 1: The Word became flesh and "tabernacled" among us, bridging the gap that the tent could not.
• 1 Peter 2: The church is described as a spiritual house where believers are built together upon the foundation of Christ.
• Isaiah 9: The Lord’s zeal accomplishes our salvation through the birth of the child in Bethlehem.

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Main Takeaways

• We gather on Christmas Eve not just for tradition, but to conspire against the forces of darkness.
• Like C.S. Lewis’s "Turkish Delight," worldly nostalgia is an addictive distraction, not a cure.
• God’s invasion began with a baby parachuting deep behind enemy lines.
• In a culture addicted to outrage, Christian rebellion looks like sanity and joy.
• Faithfully living out our vocations is how we hold territory that Christ has conquered.

Scripture Index

• Isaiah 9: The prophecy of the Light shining on those in deep darkness and the Child who breaks the yoke.
• Genesis 19: A reference to God's judgment on Sodom, contrasted here with the quiet arrival of Christ.
• Luke 2: The narrative of the shepherds witnessing the glory of the Lord in the fields.
• Ephesians 2:2: Paul’s description of the spiritual forces occupying the "air" around us.
• Philippians 4:4: The apostolic instruction to rejoice, which serves as our weapon against despair.

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

This sermon, from the Fourth Sunday in Advent, treats the right way to prepare to receive Christ at Christmas.

Main Takeaways

• True preparation requires humility. We prepare for Jesus by confessing, like John, that we are not the Christ.
• Find your identity in Scripture. We must look to God’s Word to see that we are beloved, forgiven heirs.
• God’s majesty draws us in as children, not as fearful slaves.
• Feast on the Word. Attend worship on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to fully celebrate the Incarnation.

Scripture Index

• John 1:19-28 – The priests ask John the Baptist who he is, and he admits he is not the Christ.
• Deuteronomy 18 – A reference to the great Prophet that God promised to send like Moses.
• Isaiah 40:3 – John explains he is just a voice crying out in the wilderness.
• Colossians 2:13 – God’s Word promises that you are forgiven.
• Isaiah 43:25 – God promises to forget your sins for His own sake.
• Colossians 3:12 – The Bible calls you God’s beloved people.
• Ephesians 1:1 – God declares that you are saints.
• Romans 8:17 – You are heirs and brothers of King Jesus.
• Ephesians 2:5-6 – You are seated right now with Christ in heaven.
• Genesis 3 – The promise of a Savior starts here and runs through the whole Old Testament.

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At St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, God has gathered a congregation where all ages are present, from newborns to grandparents. We are united in Christ through the historic liturgy. Children are a visible and joyful part of our life together, with active Sunday School and youth ministries woven into the fabric of our community. Here, every generation receives the saving benefits of Christ through His Word and Sacraments. Whether you’re listening nearby or far away, you’re welcome to join us in person or online.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May
  • 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship
• June–August
  • 9am Worship

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship