The Lutheran Podcast
I'm Rev. Eric Wolf, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Sudbury, MA (https://www.stjohnsudburyma.org). This podcast mostly contains the sermons I preach there, though I may add more at some point. I believe strongly that the task of preaching is to engage Scripture as a mirror held up to our lives so that we can confront what we see with integrity. This image we engage helps us to understand what it means to be Children of God; gain perspective of what it means that our primary citizenship and allegiance belongs to God’s Kingdom; and discover how the love of God transforms what we see when we look at ourselves, the people in our lives, and the world that God so loves.
The Lutheran Podcast
Grace May be Free, but it isn't Cheap (Matthew 18:15-20)
Note: I read the Gospel and begin the sermon from one of the pews, rather than from the pulpit. I move to the pulpit after a couple minutes. It may be impossible to know this from the audio context.
What does it mean to apologize; to forgive; to reconcile?
How do we judge the value of these things, and how do we recognize sincerity?
God offers us grace without any price, but grace always comes at the cost of settling for new opportunities for renewed relationship rather than an evening of the scales.
How do we find what God proclaims to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus for our sake, the joy of forgiveness without any expectation that we'll return the favor?