The most familiar of Jesus' parables has never really been about the prodigal son at all. Every surprise rests on the Father who sprints into scandal, pleads with the self-righteous, and insists that joy fill the whole town.

TAKEAWAYS

• The Father absorbs our public shame and shields us in Christ’s cross.
• Prideful record-keeping isolates; grace gathers the community in shared joy.
• Absolution is the Father’s run toward you, spoken before your confession ends.
• The Lord’s Supper is the banquet the elder brother rejected but the Church receives with empty hands.

SCRIPTURE INDEX

• Luke 15:11–32 – the Father seeks both sons and calls the community to rejoice.
• Deuteronomy 21:18–21 – the law’s sentence on a rebellious son highlights the Father’s mercy.
• Galatians 3:13 – Christ becomes the curse, carrying our shame to the cross.
• Romans 8:16 – The Holy Spirit assures us we are children of God.
• Luke 15:1–7, 8–10 – lost sheep and lost coin set the pattern of shared celebration.

Location: St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Gibbon MN | Subscribe and walk with us in weekly gospel joy.

What happens when you're invited to the greatest banquet in history and you decline? This week's sermon is on Luke 14:15–24. We examine the hidden danger of respectable excuses, the joy reserved for "outsiders," and why when God calls us by the gospel, we all must accept His invitation!
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Takeaways
- The banquet is God’s eternal plan, not a last-minute potluck; your seat was saved before you were born.
- Everyday blessings like property, work, or relationships become idols when they crowd out the Gospel’s welcome.
- Outsiders, broken people, and latecomers find places reserved for them; the gospel isn't for the worthy, it's for all!
- Each Divine Service offers a foretaste of heaven’s banquet, forming us to accept the invite and to bring others along.
- Baptism clothes you in the only dress-code-approved garment, the righteousness of Jesus.
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Scripture Index
- Luke 14:15-24 – God’s lavish invitation and the guests’ excuses.
- Galatians 4:4 – The fullness of time when the feast was made ready.
- Ephesians 1:10 – All things united under Christ.
- Revelation 7:9-14 – White-robed saints washed in the Lamb’s blood.
- Matthew 22:11-13 – The danger of rejecting Christ’s wedding garment.
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St. Peter's Lutheran Church, LCMS, Gibbon, Minnesota
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The next awkward moment with that church member you “just can’t stand” is probably an invitation from God to showcase His grace. This sermon walks through our sinful resistance to loving fellow believers, the love of Jesus that overcomes it, and the Spirit’s ongoing work that keeps us serving side-by-side. You can do nothing apart from Jesus, so the risen Lord pours His power into word, water, bread, and wine for us to receive and then share.

TAKEAWAYS

• Our default is to shut off affection when friction arises, but Christ’s love dissolves that excuse.
• The Holy Spirit who raised Jesus equips us to say no to sin and yes to sacrificial service.
• Regular use of word and Sacrament keeps us abiding in Christ, the Vine, and bearing lasting fruit.
• Congregations that put others first become magnetic witnesses to a watching world.

SCRIPTURE INDEX

• 1 John 4:20 – Love for God is empty if we refuse to love the brother we can see.
• Romans 8:11 – The Spirit who raised Christ lives in you with resurrection power.
• Ephesians 4:23 – Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes toward one another.
• John 15:5 – Apart from Christ the Vine we bear no fruit.
• John 13:35 – Brotherly love marks true disciples before the world.

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church · Gibbon, Minnesota
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