St James Lutheran Church: Sermons and Worship

St James Lutheran Church - Glen Carbon Illinois

Sermons and messages from St. James Lutheran Church. St. James was established in 1982. We are a church rooted on Grace Alone, Faith Alone, and Scripture Alone. And we are a body of sinners and saints focused on spreading the Good News in the Greater Glen Carbon community. St. James is located in Glen Carbon, IL at 146 North Main Street. We are located across from Glen Carbon Village Hall and right next to Schon Park.

  1. God's Foolishness - Feb 1 - Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

    FEB 1

    God's Foolishness - Feb 1 - Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

    In 1 Corinthians 1:18–31, the Apostle Paul presents a striking paradox: the "foolishness" of the Cross is actually the ultimate power and wisdom of God. As it is noted in this message, we are incapable of reaching God through our own intellectual striving or moral effort; He must reveal Himself to us. To the natural mind, a crucified Savior is an absurdity—a stumbling block to some and folly to others. Yet, it is through this very "foolishness" that God dismantles human pride, choosing the lowly and despised things of the world to demonstrate that our salvation rests entirely on His grace, not our own merit. By centering our faith on Christ crucified, we move from a "theology of glory" that seeks God in worldly power and success to a "theology of the cross" that finds Him in suffering and humility. God deliberately bypasses the world’s standards of wisdom and strength to ensure that no human being can boast in His presence. Instead, our identity, righteousness, and sanctification are found solely in Christ Jesus. In this divine exchange, what the world mocks as weakness is revealed to be the very power that saves us. Liturgist and Preacher: Pastor George Gude; Reader: William Ellington Order of service: Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Feb 1, 2026#sermon #gospel #timeofChristmas #Epiphany #Christcrucified #solagratia #gracealone #divinerevelation #humanwisdomvs.God’spower #1Corinthians1 #GeorgeGude

    18 min
  2. Preaching, Teaching, Healing - Jan 25 - Third Sunday after the Epiphany

    JAN 25

    Preaching, Teaching, Healing - Jan 25 - Third Sunday after the Epiphany

    In this message based on Matthew 4:23, we confront a difficult truth about our human nature: we do not naturally gravitate toward God. Left to ourselves, we are prone to drift away, wandering from the light of His truth and the peace of His presence. Recognizing our inability to bridge this gap on our own, Jesus stepped into our history to do what we could not. He came to actively turn us back to the Father, launching a ministry defined by three distinct pillars: preaching the Good News of the kingdom, teaching the truth of God’s Word, and healing the brokenness of a fallen world. However, the ministry of Jesus was not a finished historical event; it was a divine beginning. Today, that same work of Preaching, Teaching, and Healing continues through the Church, which is the Body of Christ on earth. As we gathered around Word and Sacrament, we see that Jesus is still actively calling the lost, instructing the faithful, and binding up the wounds of the hurting. Through the mission of the congregation, the same Christ who walked through Galilee continues to reach out to us today, drawing us out of our drift and back into the grace of His eternal kingdom. Liturgist and Preacher: Pastor Michael Walther Order of service: Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Jan 25, 2026#sermon #gospel #timeofChristmas #Epiphany #restoration #Galilee #synagogue #repentance #preaching #teaching #healing #Jesus #church #Matthew4 #MichaelWalther

    15 min

About

Sermons and messages from St. James Lutheran Church. St. James was established in 1982. We are a church rooted on Grace Alone, Faith Alone, and Scripture Alone. And we are a body of sinners and saints focused on spreading the Good News in the Greater Glen Carbon community. St. James is located in Glen Carbon, IL at 146 North Main Street. We are located across from Glen Carbon Village Hall and right next to Schon Park.