Show Notes
When the Pharisees asked Jesus whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, they weren't really interested in His answer. Instead, they were hoping to ensnare Him. But they failed, because Jesus gave an answer that sidestepped their treachery.

This exchange about Church and State still teaches Christians how to live as citizens of two kingdoms. In this sermon on Matthew 22:15-22, preached the Sunday after the 2026 midterm elections, Pastor Karl Grant walks through what Jesus commands.

First, Christians owe the government their taxes, their honor, their obedience in everything that is not sin, and their prayers.

Second, we owe God ourselves. The Apostles' Creed confesses that He created us, redeemed us, and sanctifies us, so we belong to Him three times over.

The sermon closes with practical counsel: the morning and evening prayers from the Small Catechism, memory work with the family, and going to sleep at once and in good cheer after commending everything into God's hands (instead of doomscrolling in bed).

Key Takeaways

1. Christians owe the government taxes, honor, obedience, and prayers, because God governs us through it, even through rulers we did not choose.
2. Christians honor the office no matter who fills it, and obey the laws in everything that is not sin.
3. No law and no election can save anyone. There is no political solution to humanity's spiritual problem.
4. We owe God ourselves: He made us in His image, Jesus bought us with His blood, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us.
5. Rendering ourselves to God looks like the life He has already given us, begun and ended each day with prayer.

Selected Scripture References

• Matthew 22:15-22: Jesus answers the question about the tax: render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.
• Romans 13:1: Every authority that exists has been instituted by God.
• 1 Timothy 2:1-2: Paul tells Timothy to lead the church in prayer for all people, especially those in authority.
• Philippians 3:20: Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior.
• Genesis 1:27: God created mankind in His own image, male and female.
• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.

Question for Reflection

This past week, where did your fear, love, and trust actually rest, and how could morning and evening prayer help you commend yourself and all things into God's hands?

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Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

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

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Show Notes

On All Saints' Day, the church reads the names of those who have died in the faith. Where are they now? In Revelation 7, John sees a multitude no one can number, dressed in white robes and standing before the throne. When an elder asks who they are, John cannot answer. In this sermon on Revelation 7:2-17, Pastor Karl Grant walks through God's revealed answer to that question.

The saints are God's servants, marked with His name. Christians receive that mark in Baptism and can remember it every morning and evening with the sign of the cross. The saints have come out of the Great Tribulation, which is not a future event but the life of the Church right now. They stand before God only because the Lamb's blood has washed their robes white, and Christ keeps doing that washing through His Word, Absolution, and Supper. The saints who now rest from their labors have not become angels, and God did not take them because He needed them; He took them because He wanted them to be with Him.

Preached at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, on November 1, 2026, the day four young people received their First Communion, this sermon also speaks to grief. Christians may mourn, but not as those without hope. The saints before the throne are waiting for something better still: the resurrection of the body, when God's own finger will wipe away every physical tear from His people's faces, and death will finally be no more.

Key Takeaways

1. God marks His people with His own name in Baptism. His seal does not keep Christians out of trouble, but it preserves them through it.
2. The Great Tribulation is the life of the church now. Christians should not expect to be exempt from suffering, and suffering does not mean God has abandoned them.
3. The saints stand before God because Jesus shed His blood for them, not because they were good people. He keeps washing our robes through His Word, Absolution, and Supper.
4. Christians do not become angels when they die, and God does not take them because He needs them. He takes forgiven sinners to Himself because He wants them.
5. Christians grieve, but with hope. The saints are with the Lord now, and on the last day God will raise their bodies and wipe away every tear.

Selected Scripture References

• Revelation 7:2-17: God seals His servants, washes their robes in the Lamb's blood, and gathers them before His throne.
• Revelation 6:12-17: On the great day of wrath, the world asks who is able to stand.
• Psalm 130:3: If the Lord kept a record of sins, no one could stand.
• John 15:20: Jesus warns that the world will treat His servants as it treated Him.
• Isaiah 49:21: Zion, thinking she is childless, asks where her gathered children came from.
• Revelation 21:4: God will wipe away every tear, and death will be no more.

Question for Reflection

When you remember a loved one who died in the faith, what does it change to know that they stand before God's throne because of Jesus' blood rather than their own goodness?

------------------------

Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

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

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Revelation speaks to Christians who are suffering under the pressure to give up their faith. The enemies of Christ threaten their livelihood and their lives, and the Church can look powerless. In this Reformation Sunday sermon on Revelation 14:6-13, Pastor Karl Grant asks how God's people persevere when appearances give them little reason for confidence.

God answers with His Word. He calls His children through the Gospel, declares Babylon fallen even while she appears strong, and blesses those who die in the Lord. Christ has already suffered God's judgment for sinners and defeated death. These promises have something to say about the ordinary costs of faithfulness: protecting time to hear God's Word, honoring His name, and doing honest work when nobody is watching.

Preached at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, on October 25, 2026, this sermon also speaks to Christians who wonder whether their daily service accomplishes anything. Raising children in the faith, caring for a parent, and serving in the church can be tiring. God promises rest to His people, and their labor in Him is never wasted.

Key Takeaways

1. God sustains His people through His Word, even when the church appears weak and its enemies seem to be winning.
2. Through the Gospel, God makes us His beloved children. His forgiveness teaches us to fear and honor Him above the powers of this world.
3. Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension assure us that evil will not have the final victory. We can trust God's verdict before we see its fulfillment.
4. Christian endurance includes ordinary decisions about prayer, worship, family life, and honest work, even when obedience costs us something.
5. Those who die in the Lord receive rest. Christ keeps His people through His Word, His Supper, and His forgiveness, and their service to Him is not lost.

Selected Scripture References

• Revelation 14:6-13: God calls His people to endure, declares Babylon fallen, and promises rest to those who die in the Lord.
• Revelation 13:1-18: The beasts use power, deception, and threats to demand false worship.
• Matthew 10:28: Jesus teaches His disciples whom to fear when their lives are threatened.
• Psalm 130:4: God's forgiveness teaches His children to fear and honor Him.
• Philippians 1:21: For Paul, living means serving Christ, and dying means gain.
• 1 Corinthians 15:58: Labor in the Lord is never wasted.

Question for Reflection

Where are you tempted to give up faithfulness to Christ for an easier life, and how does His promise help you endure that cost?

------------------------

Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

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

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Show Notes

Jesus ends His parable of the wedding feast with words that can trouble a Christian: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” Does God invite everyone while secretly wanting only a few to come? In Matthew 22:1-14, the king keeps sending servants to bring people to his son's feast. Pastor Karl Grant follows the parable to show that God means His invitation for you.

The first guests go back to their farms and businesses. Those are good gifts of God, but the guests treat them as more important than His call. The sermon asks whether we do the same when Scripture and prayer get whatever time is left after our work. Then it turns to the man without a wedding garment and to the righteousness Christ gives us in Baptism, received by faith.

Preached on October 18, 2026, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, this sermon directs a troubled conscience to Christ's promises. Looking inside yourself to measure your faith cannot give you certainty. Even weak faith saves when it rests on Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. Farms, businesses, and daily work are gifts from God. We sin when we treat those gifts as more important than hearing His Word.
2. The Holy Spirit calls us through the Gospel. We cannot produce faith or assurance by our own reason or strength.
3. God's invitation is sincere. The king keeps sending servants, and the invitation reaches people with both good and bad records.
4. The wedding garment is Christ's righteousness, given in Baptism and received by faith. Church membership and our own good deeds cannot take its place.
5. Assurance rests on Christ and His promises. Even weak faith saves because of the Savior it trusts.

Selected Scripture References

• Matthew 22:1-14: Jesus' wedding-feast parable warns against refusing God's invitation and standing before Him without the wedding garment.
• Matthew 23:37: Jesus longs to gather Jerusalem's children, but they are unwilling. His invitation is sincere.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14: Paul assures Christians that God chose them and called them through the Gospel.
• Isaiah 61:10: God clothes His people with salvation and righteousness.
• Galatians 3:27: Those baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
• Revelation 19:9: Those invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb are blessed.

Question for Reflection
When you doubt whether God has chosen you, how do His Gospel invitation and the promise of your Baptism answer that doubt?

------------------------

Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

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

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Show Notes
Job had lost almost everything. His friends made his suffering worse when they insisted that he must have done something to deserve it. Yet Job could still say, "I know that my Redeemer lives." This funeral sermon follows three promises in Job 19:21-27: the Redeemer lives, He will stand upon the earth at the last, and Job will see God in his own flesh.

For farm families, the Old Testament picture of a relative buying back family land is easy to understand. Pastor Karl Grant explains how Jesus became our next of kin by becoming human. He entered death for us and rose again. Baptism joins us to Him, so His victory is ours and we can call Him "my Redeemer." His promise includes the body that will be laid in the grave: Christ will raise it and make it like His own glorious body.

Preached on October 15, 2026, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, the sermon also addresses how to be a friend to someone who is grieving. We can be present, pray, and speak Christ's promises without claiming to know why a particular loss happened. Suffering does not earn the glory Christ has won for us. God nevertheless uses even our affliction to prepare us for that glory. Jesus' question to Martha becomes a question for each listener: "Do you believe this?"

Key Takeaways

1. A grieving friend needs your presence and Christ's promises. Trying to explain why a particular tragedy happened can add to the hurt.
2. Jesus became our brother, shared our flesh and blood, and defeated death by dying and rising again.
3. Baptism joins you to Christ's death and resurrection. You can confess that Jesus is your Redeemer.
4. Christ will raise His people's bodies and make them like His glorious body. The body laid in the grave matters to Him.
5. Christ won eternal glory for us. Our suffering does not earn it, but God does not waste our affliction.

Selected Scripture References

• Job 19:21-27: In his suffering, Job confesses that his Redeemer lives and that he will see God with his own eyes.
• Hebrews 2:14: The Son shares our flesh and blood and defeats the devil through His death.
• Romans 6:3-9: Baptism unites us with Christ's death, and the risen Christ will never die again.
• John 11:24-27: Jesus promises resurrection and life, then asks Martha, "Do you believe this?"
• Philippians 3:21: Christ will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
• 2 Corinthians 4:17: Present affliction prepares an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison.

Question for Reflection

When you cannot explain the grief in front of you, what can you still say with certainty about Jesus?

------------------------

Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

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

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Some men carry a paralyzed friend to Jesus, hoping He will heal him. Jesus forgives his sins first. Some of the scribes think He is blaspheming, and they are right that only God can forgive sins. Their mistake is deciding that Jesus cannot be God. In Matthew 9:1-8, Jesus answers by reading their thoughts and then telling the man to get up and walk home.

Pastor Karl Grant brings that scene into Sunday morning. Why can you believe it when a man says, "Your sins are forgiven"? Jesus is the Son of Man with authority on earth to forgive sins. He proved it with a healing the crowd could see and with His resurrection from the dead. Before He ascended, He breathed on His apostles and sent them to forgive sins, so that authority remains in His church.

Preached on October 11, 2026, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, this sermon also explains private confession and absolution. You confess a specific sin to your pastor and hear Christ forgive it by name, and your pastor never repeats what you confessed. No one is required to come. Pastor Grant closes by reminding every Christian that they can tell a repentant brother or sister that God in Christ forgives them.

Key Takeaways

1. Only God can forgive sins against God. Jesus forgives the paralyzed man and knows what the scribes are thinking because He is God in the flesh.
2. Jesus said the harder thing, "Rise and walk," which anyone could check, to prove the easier thing, "Your sins are forgiven," which no one could see. His empty tomb is the greatest proof.
3. Forgiveness is for the body as well as the soul. On the Last Day, Christ will raise His people free from sin and disease.
4. Doubting the absolution is not humility. When a pastor forgives a repentant sinner by Christ's command, you are hearing God's own word, and it does what it says.
5. Private confession is a gift for sins that still weigh on you. Every Christian can also speak God's forgiveness to a brother or sister who repents.

Selected Scripture References

• Matthew 9:1-8: Jesus forgives a paralyzed man's sins, then heals him to show that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
• 1 Kings 8:39: God alone knows the hearts of all people.
• Psalm 103:3: The Lord forgives all your iniquity and heals all your diseases.
• Romans 4:25: Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
• John 20:22-23: The risen Jesus gives His apostles authority to forgive sins.
• Ephesians 4:32: Christians forgive one another as God in Christ forgave them.

Question for Reflection

Is there a sin you have confessed but still doubt is forgiven? What would it mean to hear Christ forgive that sin by name?

------------------------

Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

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

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

A lawyer tests Jesus with a question about the greatest commandment. Jesus answers, then asks a question of His own: How can the Christ be both David's Son and David's Lord? In Matthew 22:34-46, these two interactions interpret each other. God requires wholehearted love, and only the Christ—David's Son and David's Lord—has kept that commandment perfectly for us.

What about the Christian who leaves church with the same grudge as before? Pastor Karl Grant speaks to the guilty conscience with Christ's obedience, death, and resurrection. He then follows the promise of a new heart through Baptism and the Lord's Supper, where Christ gives and strengthens the life His commandments require.

Preached on October 4, 2026, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, this LWML Sunday sermon brings that new life into ordinary congregational life: supporting mission work, defending a neighbor's reputation, forgiving from the heart, and speaking charitably when a church meeting brings disagreement. Christ remains the One who sustains His people to the end.

Key Takeaways

1. God commands wholehearted love for Him and for our neighbors. Knowing the commandment or appearing polite does not fulfill it.
2. Jesus is David's Son and David's Lord. His perfect obedience counts for us, and His death deals with our sin.
3. God gives the new heart He requires. Through Baptism and the Lord's Supper, Christ gives and strengthens our life in Him.
4. Love acts for a neighbor's good: defend their reputation, consider what you may not understand, and explain their words and actions kindly.
5. Forgiven children of God are free to practice love in mission support and everyday disagreements. Our confidence rests in Christ, who sustains us when we fail.

Selected Scripture References

• Matthew 22:34-46: Jesus teaches wholehearted love for God and neighbor, then asks how the Christ can be both David's Son and David's Lord.
• Leviticus 19:17-18: Love for a neighbor reaches the heart, where hatred and grudges begin.
• Romans 5:19: Through Christ's obedience, the many are made righteous.
• Deuteronomy 30:6: God promises to give His people hearts that love Him.
• Colossians 2:11-12: In Baptism, believers are joined to Christ's burial and resurrection.
• 1 Corinthians 1:8-9: God is faithful and sustains His people to the day of Jesus Christ.

Question for Reflection

Whose words or actions could you explain more kindly this week, remembering how Christ has forgiven you?

------------------------

Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

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

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

At a Sabbath dinner, Jesus takes hold of a sick man and heals him while everyone watches. Then He notices guests choosing the best seats. What do these two moments have to do with each other? In Luke 14:1-11, they answer the same question: What is the Sabbath for?

Pastor Karl Grant considers the difference between leisure and the rest Christ gives through His Word. He speaks to the choices that fill a Sunday, including necessary work on a farm, travel, and the ordinary pressure to keep doing one more task. Jesus frees His people from the old Sabbath regulations without taking away their need to hear Him.

At the dinner table, the question becomes where we belong. Family history and faithful attendance can each become reasons to look down on someone else. Christ, who took the lowest place to serve us, gives His people a place at His table. That promise also belongs to the parent wrestling a toddler through worship and the person who comes tired, grieving, or distracted.

Scripture References

• Luke 14:1-11: The sermon text. Jesus heals the man with dropsy, asks about rescuing a son or ox from a well, and tells guests to take the lower place.
• Exodus 20:8-11: The Sabbath commandment and God's rest after creation.
• Colossians 2:16-17: The Sabbath as a shadow whose substance belongs to Christ.
• Romans 10:2: Paul's words about zeal for God without knowledge.
• Luke 22:27: Jesus says He is among His disciples as One who serves.
• Philippians 2:5-11: Christ's humiliation, death on a cross, and exaltation.
• Luke 1:52-53: Mary's song about God exalting the humble and filling the hungry.

Question for Reflection
When you plan a Sunday, where do you seek rest, and where has Christ promised to give it?

------------------------

Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

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

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship