Sermons

Matthew 17:1–9

Peter wants to stay on the mountain.

Bathed in light. Surrounded by glory. Standing in one of the most breathtaking spiritual moments of his life, he blurts out what we all would have been thinking: “Lord, it is good that we are here.” And then he makes a plan - build shelters, preserve the moment, hold on to the experience.

But while Peter is still talking, God interrupts him.

“This is my beloved Son… listen to Him.”

This sermon explores the clash between our natural desire for a theology of glory - a faith built on visible power, emotional highs, and spiritual experiences - and God’s insistence on a theology of the cross, where His true glory is revealed not in dazzling light, but in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Sometimes God’s interruptions are His greatest mercy. He stops us from mistaking feelings for faith, spectacle for truth, and success for salvation. He redirects us to Christ crucified - the place where sin is forgiven, death is defeated, and real glory is found.

Moses once asked God a dangerous question: “Show me your glory.” What he received was not clarity, control, or mastery - but mercy. In this sermon, that moment becomes a lens for understanding marriage, sin, and the Gospel itself. As Scripture exposes how love and submission fail us, it also reveals a deeper truth: marriage is not a test of our strength, but a place where Christ shows His faithfulness. This message is honest, confronting, and ultimately freeing - because it does not rest on what we give to God or to one another, but on what Christ has already given for us.

Before Jesus preached, healed, or went to the cross, God spoke: “You are my beloved Son.” That moment matters - not just for Jesus, but for us. At the Baptism of Our Lord, we are reminded that God’s love is not a reward for good behavior or strong performance. It is a gift given first.

In this sermon, we reflected on how our world - and especially school life - constantly defines us by grades, achievements, reputations, and the opinions of others. But baptism gives us a deeper, steadier identity. We are not defined by how others see us, or even how we see ourselves, but by how God sees us in Christ.

Because we are baptized into Christ, God names us His beloved children before we prove anything. From that gift flows sanctification: not earning God’s pleasure, but living and growing as those who already belong to Him. When voices of pressure, failure, or doubt grow loud, we are invited to return to our baptism - where God has already spoken His final and forgiving word.

What does it mean when the twelve-year-old Jesus stays behind in the Temple?

Luke tells us this account not simply to show us a remarkable child, but to reveal who Jesus truly is - the Son who claims His Father’s house. Set during the Passover, this moment draws together the whole story of God dwelling with His people: from the Tabernacle in the wilderness, to Solomon’s Temple filled with glory, to Christ Himself standing in the midst of His Father’s house.

This sermon explores how the God who once filled the Temple with cloud and glory now comes to us in flesh and blood, and how that same Lord still comes to us today with forgiveness and life. In a world where sin and desolation are real, this text proclaims with clarity and comfort that God’s grace is just as real - and that He always comes to His people where He has promised to be found.

What does faith look like when God leads us into danger instead of away from it? In this sermon, “When God Calls Us into the Enemy’s Territory,” we follow the aging patriarch Jacob as God calls him to leave the land of promise and journey down into Egypt—a place marked by fear, failure, and future suffering. From a human perspective, it feels like retreat. From God’s perspective, it is grace at work.
Drawing from Genesis 46, this sermon explores how God meets His people in weakness, not strength; in fear, not confidence. The Law exposes our sin and helplessness, while the Gospel proclaims the astonishing promise: “I myself will go down with you.” Ultimately, this is fulfilled in Christ, who enters the ultimate enemy territory - the cross - and brings His people out again through resurrection. This sermon proclaims the comfort that when God calls us into hard and frightening places, we never go alone.