Faith That Works in Real Life

Sunday 3/15/26

Mud and Spit This week, we dive into the messy, unglamorous reality of how grace actually works.. Looking at the story of Jesus healing the man born blind in John 9, we explore why Jesus chose to use mud and saliva rather than a tidy, “dignified” miracle.. If you’ve been feeling like the world is a bit too messy lately—or if you’re tired of trying to find someone to blame for the “un-normal” state of things—this sermon is for you.. Inside This Episode * The Problem with Blame: Why our first instinct in a crisis is to find someone to at fault, and why that rarely brings the relief we crave.. * The Miracle in the Mud: Exploring the idea that the “gross” parts of the story are actually the point: Grace isn’t a voice from above the mess; it’s God getting God’s hands dirty.. * Religion vs. Relationship: How the Pharisees missed a literal miracle because it didn’t fit their theological categories or “proper” rules.. * Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary: Learning to see God’s activity in the unspiritual, unglamorous materials of our actual lives.. * The God Who Finds Us: A look at the beautiful ending of John 9, where Jesus goes looking for the man after he has been cast out by his community.. Key Quote “Grace doesn’t wait for us to arrive somewhere cleaner or more ‘together.’ God is already here. Already working. Already in the dirt.”. This Week’s Practice Pay attention to the mud.. Once a day, notice a moment that feels too ordinary, messy, or “unspiritual” to matter—like doing the dishes or a hard conversation—and stay in it a little longer.. Ask yourself: What if this is exactly where God is doing something?. Connect with Messiah Lutheran Church: * Location: Fort Wayne, IN * www.messiahlc.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit messiahlutheranchurch.substack.com [https://messiahlutheranchurch.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Sunday January 18th, 2026 - Pastor Brian Spahr

Have you ever walked into a store just to be met by a salesperson asking, "Can I help you find something?" Our instinct is often to say, "I’m just looking." In this message, Pastor Brian explores the Gospel of John, where Jesus asks the disciples a similar, life-altering question: "What are you looking for?" We often spend our lives looking for the "sink repair kit"—that one thing we think will finally fix our brokenness or make our lives perfect. But Jesus invites us into something deeper. Through personal stories of transition, the messy reality of hospital chaplaincy, and the significance of a Tuesday at 4:00 PM, we discover that what we are truly looking for is a place to abide. Key Takeaways The Question: Jesus doesn't start with a lecture; he starts with an invitation to examine our own desires. The Hallowed Mundane: Why the Gospel writer included the specific time (4:00 PM) and why the "boring" details of our lives are often where God is most present. Reluctant Doors: How God uses our "second jobs," financial shifts, and moments of reluctance to lead us to where He is staying. Better, Not Easier: Following Jesus doesn't promise a simpler life, but it does promise a better one—one where we are never alone in the mess. Scripture Reference John 1:29–42 Reflection Question As you walk through the physical and metaphorical doors of your life this week—at the office, your child's bedroom, or a difficult conversation—pause and take a breath. What are you looking for on the other side? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit messiahlutheranchurch.substack.com [https://messiahlutheranchurch.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Standing in Line: Jesus Chooses Proximity Over Purity

Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17Date: January 11, 2026Preached at: Messiah Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN Episode Description: What does a concert ticket line have to do with Jesus’ baptism? More than you might think. In this sermon, Pastor Brian shares a moment of humbling self-awareness while waiting in the wrong line at a Lainey Wilson concert—and how it connects to one of the most profound truths about who God is: Jesus didn’t need to be baptized, but he got in line anyway. He stepped into the muddy water with sinners, tax collectors, and ordinary people like us. This is a story about the God who chooses proximity over purity, who loves us dripping wet and messy, who declares “You are my beloved” before we accomplish anything. And it challenges us to ask: Where are we standing on the shore when Jesus is calling us into the water? In This Episode: * A concert parking lot confession about privilege and proximity * Why Jesus got in line when he didn’t have to * What it means that God declared Jesus “beloved” while he was still in the water * Wrestling with a grandmother’s conditional approval vs. God’s unconditional love * How fear of “the other” keeps us from seeing belovedness in everyone * An invitation to choose solidarity over separation this week Key Themes: * Proximity over purity: God doesn’t love us from a distance * Belovedness before accomplishment: God’s pleasure isn’t earned * Standing in line together: We’re all beloved, even the strangers beside us * The gift of getting muddy: Meeting God in the mess, not on the shore Scripture Reading Matthew 3:13-17 “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from the heavens said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’” Questions for Reflection * Where am I standing on the shore when Jesus is calling me into the water? * How am I keeping my distance when God is asking me to step closer? * Where am I grumbling about having to stand in line with “all those people”—as if proximity to strangers or struggle is beneath me? This Week’s Invitation * Pay attention to one moment where you have a choice to stay separate or step into solidarity. * Maybe it’s showing up somewhere you don’t have to be—for people whose struggles aren’t your own * Maybe it’s asking a question instead of giving advice or making demands * Maybe it’s literally choosing the longer line—the one with “all those people”—and recognizing that maybe that’s exactly where you’re supposed to be Connect Website: www.messiahlc.com [http://www.messiahlc.com]Instagram: @messiahfwChurch: Messiah Lutheran Church (ELCA), Fort Wayne, IN A Word of Grace God doesn’t love you from the shore. God doesn’t wait until you’re dried off and respectable. God loves you dripping wet, muddy, standing right beside you in the mess, saying: “You are my beloved. And I am well pleased.” Not because of what you’ve accomplished. Not because you finally got your act together. But because you belong to God. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit messiahlutheranchurch.substack.com [https://messiahlutheranchurch.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Sunday 11/2/25 Pastor Brian Spahr

Luke 6:20-31 20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit messiahlutheranchurch.substack.com [https://messiahlutheranchurch.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Sunday 10/19/25

Luke 18:1-8 18 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’ 4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit messiahlutheranchurch.substack.com [https://messiahlutheranchurch.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]