12th Sunday after Pentecost (8/16/26)
Fr. Lonnie's Sunday sermon spoke to how irrevocable God's love is for everyone. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans: "I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!"
Sermon Archive
We know that making it to church on Sundays doesn’t always work for everyone. At St. John’s, we’ve got you covered. If you’d like to watch or listen to Sunday’s sermon during the week, you can do so right here. Simply click the Sunday below to access the sermon as a podcast or watch it on YouTube.
Each week, we share Sunday’s sermon featuring our clergy and special guest preachers. Whether you’re revisiting a message that spoke to you or catching up when you can’t be with us in person, this offering helps you stay connected and nourished in faith.
At St. John’s, we are called to live with Deep Roots, True Belonging, and Abundant Grace—and we hope this new way of sharing God’s Word supports that vision in your daily life. Join us each Monday, wherever you listen to podcasts.
11th Sunday after Pentecost (8/9/26)
Fr. Lonnie’s sermon centers on Paul’s image of “beautiful feet” in Romans, reminding us that our feet are beautiful not because of how they look, but because of where they go and the good news they carry. On a Sunday filled with baptisms, backpack blessings, music, and joyful celebration, he connects the newly baptized children and students beginning a new school year with the whole congregation: every one of us leaves church carrying the good news that Jesus is alive, grace is abundant, love is stronger than death, and every person is precious to God. The Gospel is not meant to sit still—it is sung, poured out, carried into classrooms and workplaces, and walked out the church doors into the world through each of us.
10th Sunday after Pentecost (8/2/26)
Fr. Lonnie reflected on St. Paul's words in Romans, emphasizing that while nothing can separate us from God's love, Paul also grieved the divisions between Jewish believers and those who did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. He reminded the congregation that Christianity is deeply rooted in God's covenant with Israel and that our faith is not a replacement for that story but a continuation into which we have been graciously grafted. Just as we have inherited the faith from generations before us, we have also inherited the life and ministry of St. John's, with all its traditions, joys, and challenges. Rather than claiming ownership, we are called to receive this gift with gratitude, faithfully tend it for a season, and pass it on so that future generations may experience "deep roots, true belonging, and abundant grace."
9th Sunday after Pentecost (7/26/26)
Deacon Melanie Salsgiver reflected on Paul's promise in Romans 8 that nothing can separate us from the love of God, showing how St. John's lives out that truth every week. She pointed to familiar practices—Eucharistic Visitors bringing Communion to the homebound, intercessors praying with those in need, and the rhythm of worship throughout the week—as reminders that Christ continues to reach toward people through the Church. In our moments of weakness, when words fail us, the Holy Spirit is already praying on our behalf, and the Church becomes a tangible expression of God's unwavering love. Using the image of the Church as the living Body of Christ, Deacon Melanie reminded the congregation that healthy bodies naturally move toward places of pain and healing. In the same way, the Church is called to stretch toward the lonely, the sick, the homebound, and the stranger, carrying Christ's presence beyond the sanctuary walls. The dismissal is not the end of worship but the beginning of our witness, sending us into the world to embody the good news that absolutely nothing can separate anyone from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
8th Sunday after Pentecost (7/19/26)
Deacon Melanie reflected on Paul's words in Romans 8, reminding us that much of life is spent waiting—through uncertainty, grief, and unanswered questions. Rather than denying the world's pain, Paul tells us that creation is "groaning" like a woman in labor, a sign that God is still at work bringing new life. Deacon Melanie encouraged the congregation to distinguish between optimism, which depends on circumstances, and Christian hope, which rests on God's unchanging faithfulness. She concluded by reminding us that we don't wait alone. Through our prayers, worship, and life together, the Church carries hope for one another, especially when our own hope feels weak. Being Church together means continuing to pray, serve, and trust God's promises, knowing that even in seasons of waiting, Christ's light continues to shine.
7th Sunday after Pentecost (7/12/26)
Fr. Lonnie's Sunday sermon invites us to imagine what it means to be Church together when everyone lives from the conviction that "there is now no condemnation." Rather than motivating one another through fear or shame, the Church is called to be a community where people are free to confess honestly, forgive generously, and extend grace because they already know they are loved by God. As Fr. Lonnie concluded, even on our worst days, we remain "children of the light," because Christ—not our failures—is the truest thing about us.
6th Sunday after Pentecost (7/5/26)
Deacon Melanie preaches about the moments during our service where our confession is immediately soother by the Peace. Where we are asked to lay down our burdens and take up the life that Jesus holds for us.
4th Sunday after Pentecost (6/21/26)
Drawing from Paul’s words in Romans 6, Fr. Lonnie reminds us that baptism is more than a symbol of being washed clean; it is a journey of dying and rising with Christ. Through baptism, we are invited into a lifelong process of transformation — letting go of the things that separate us from God and growing into the people God calls us to be. Fr. Lonnie explores how conversion is not just a single moment or experience, but a lifetime of “repenting and returning” to God. The promise we make in the Baptismal Covenant is not a promise of perfection, but a promise that whenever we fall, we will turn back toward Christ. Most importantly, Fr. Lonnie reminds us that this journey is not one we make alone. Baptism itself shows us that faith is meant to be lived in community — because we cannot baptize ourselves, and we cannot grow in faith by ourselves. The Church is the place where we learn patience, humility, mercy, and love through the grace-filled (and sometimes challenging!) relationships God gives us.
3rd Sunday after Pentecost (6/14/26)
What does it mean to truly be the Church together? In the second sermon of our summer series, Being Church Together, Fr. Lonnie reminded us that God’s grace always comes first. Before we have everything figured out, before we get it right, before we even know we need it — God is already reaching toward us with love. And because we are people who have received that grace, we are called to share it with one another. Churches are made up of real people — people who sometimes misunderstand, disappoint, or hurt each other. But the work of being the Body of Christ is choosing patience, compassion, and grace even when it’s hard. Being Church together doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It means we stay at the table, make room for one another, and trust that God is still working in all of us.
2nd Sunday after Pentecost (6/7/26)
This week, Fr. Lonnie launched St. John’s summer sermon series, Being Church Together, an exploration of Paul’s Letter to the Romans and its central question: How does God create a people—not just save individuals, but form a family, a body, a Church?
