SPLC Sermon Podcast

"You Also Will Bear Witness" — Why the Church Is Worth It | John 15:26–27

This sermon falls in the liturgical "in-between" after Christ's Ascension but before Pentecost, and it asks a question the first disciples must have been wrestling with: "How does the Church carry on without Jesus physically present?" The answer from John 15:26–27 is that Jesus himself sends the Holy Spirit from the Father, and it's the Spirit's testimony about Christ that gives the Church anything worth saying at all. On Commitment Sunday at St. Peter's, this message connects the dots between the apostolic witness and the sacrificial generosity of a congregation looking to expand its ministry for future generations. Drawing on Moses' story, courtroom witness language, and even a well-known candy bar ad campaign, the sermon makes the case that bearing witness to Jesus is costly — but it's always been worth it. The generations who built a cathedral on the prairie when nothing else was out here believed that, and this congregation is saying the same thing today. What does it mean to "be with Jesus from the beginning" in 2026? How does the Spirit's testimony become ours? And why does staying away from the church leave us spiritually hangry? Listen and find out. ------------------------ 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 [https://splcgibbon.org/] Join us Sundays:  * September–May * 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship * June–August * 9am Worship #GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Ask, Tell, and Trust: How God Grows His Church Through Faithful People | Psalm 145:4

What happens when a congregation keeps faithfully loving its community even when the method of ministry has to change? Guest preacher Rev. Erik Gauss, an LCEF ministry partner and pastor from Yorkville, Illinois, brings a message tailor-made for Rogate Sunday (the Sunday the church focuses on asking God in prayer). He weaves together the Latin meaning of Rogate (ask) with St. Peter's campaign theme of "tell," making the case that prayer and proclamation are really two sides of the same faithful conversation with God. Erik draws on his own congregation's experience navigating growth and building expansion to speak candidly about the fear and uncertainty that come with stepping into the unknown. He also offers a striking observation: when St. Peter's lost its day school in 2019—a moment that cripples many Lutheran congregations—this community pivoted and kept reaching families in new ways. That kind of resilience, he argues, isn't normal. It's the Holy Spirit at work through ordinary people who keep planting seeds and trusting God for the harvest. ------------------------ 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 [https://splcgibbon.org/] Join us Sundays:  * September–May * 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship * June–August * 9am Worship #GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

The Holy Spirit's Generational Handoff | Confirmation Sunday (John 16:12–15)

On this Confirmation Sunday at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, five young people stand before their congregation to claim the faith as their own — and the sermon explains why the Holy Spirit is the one who makes that moment possible.  Drawing from Jesus' farewell words in John 16, we hear why Christ's departure from the visible church was not only a loss: the Spirit came to take everything that belongs to Christ and declare it to His people, generation after generation. But the sermon doesn't stop at celebration. There's a pointed and loving challenge here for parents, grandparents, and sponsors: confirmation is a milestone, not a finish line. Middle schoolers haven't learned everything they need for a lifetime of faith, and the same Spirit who worked through Sunday school lessons and Wednesday night catechism intends to keep working — through family devotions, the Lord's Supper, and the daily rhythm of Scripture in the home. If you've ever wondered what your role is in passing on the faith, this one's for you. ------------------------ 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 [https://splcgibbon.org/] Join us Sundays:  * September–May * 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship * June–August * 9am Worship #GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

A Joy No One Can Take From You | John 16:16-22

In the book of Ezra, the older generation wept at the sight of the newly laid temple foundation because they remembered what they'd lost. Meanwhile, the younger generation shouted for joy because they had nothing to compare it to. Both groups had one thing in common: their joy was built on what they could see and measure. And joy like that is fragile.  In this sermon from the second week of a congregational building campaign, Pastor Karl Grant draws a line from that ancient scene to the very real anxieties we face today of stretched budgets, uncertain markets, and the weight of being asked to give sacrificially. But Jesus makes a staggering promise in John 16: "No one will take your joy from you." This is a decree grounded in the fact that Jesus walked out of a borrowed tomb and will never die again.  And so the sermon asks a pointed question: when you think about your finances, your future, or your church's building project, is your joy anchored in the resurrection? Or are you putting your hopes in something far less durable? ------------------------ 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 [https://splcgibbon.org/] Join us Sundays:  * September–May * 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship * June–August * 9am Worship #GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

The Mighty Power of the Good Shepherd | John 10:11–18

Every pastor, every teacher, every Director of Christian Education—they're all transitory. So what holds a congregation together when staff changes, ministries shift, and uncertainty creeps in? As St. Peter's kicks off its Heritage of Proclaiming His Power campaign, this sermon looks at Jesus' Good Shepherd discourse in John 10 to answer that question with three characteristics of the Shepherd's mighty power. First, His love is fierce enough to put Himself between His sheep and the wolf (something no hired hand will ultimately do).  Second, His knowledge of each believer is personal, modeled on the intimate communion shared within the Trinity itself.  And third, His sacrifice on the cross was entirely voluntary. It was a mission He executed with divine authority, laying down His life and taking it back up again.  The sermon closes with a direct, pastoral challenge: if this is what your Shepherd is like, what does that mean for how you give, how you trust, and how you live as part of His church right now? ------------------------ 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 [https://splcgibbon.org/] Join us Sundays:  * September–May * 8:30am Sunday School | 9am Bible Study | 10am Worship * June–August * 9am Worship #GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship