It really is a treat to sit back and listen to someone who truly knows their stuff. Imagine you were there for some of Jesus' early teaching sessions and He suddenly spoke like He knew everything about anything you've ever wondered, but He did so in a way that didn't come off as arrogant. The authority shown by Jesus was something the people had never experienced before and it was much more than just His words. Jesus shocked them with His teaching and continued to amaze them with His miraculous showings. Christ's authority is something that brought life into the people He encountered in Capernaum and breathes life into us even today! Sermon Preached by Kevin Mathison at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA, on February 2, 2025
UnBelievable Authority (Luke 4:31-44)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy40M0Y4MEVDM0MxRTYxRERE

UnBelievable Authority (Luke 4:31-44)

February 2, 2025 5:56 pm

All believers in Christ are gifted by the Spirit. Faith itself is a gift and is the chief gift of the Spirit in our lives. But the Holy Spirit gifts us beyond that for our life in the congregation and our witness to the world. How has the Holy Spirit gifted you? Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid on January 19, 2025, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA.
Gifted By the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy5FRkIzNkJFQkQ3RkUwOUY5

Gifted By the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)

January 21, 2025 11:59 am

This Sunday celebrates the Baptism of Jesus, his ordination and installation into the Public Ministry for which he had come into the world. His Mission was to bring to light God’s offer of forgiveness, new life, and hope for all of eternity to all who receive by faith his Son. The celebration of Jesus’ Baptism is a good opportunity for us also to celebrate our own. Our Baptism joins us together with Jesus, calls us to walk with him by faith, bestows God’s forgiveness, new life here on earth, and hereafter in God’s new heaven and new earth. It also bestows God’s deposit of his Holy Spirit so we can already begin living that new life. Furthermore it “ordains” us for a special purpose in life . . . to join with Christ in letting the light of God’s grace shine out into the world, bringing hope to many! As has been our custom at St. John’s, we invite those who have been baptized in the last year to come forward and light their baptismal candles in remembrance of their baptism. It’s a good time for us all to remember our baptisms, thank God for his many gifts to us through this Sacrament, and recommit ourselves to letting our lights shine brightly! Sermon preached by Pastor Ted Zimmerman at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA, on January 14, 2025.
The Baptism of the Lord
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy4yQjdDRUQyQ0M0MEZCQkEx

The Baptism of the Lord

January 14, 2025 11:04 am

The coming of the magi to worship the child Jesus is a picture of the nations coming to faith in Savior. It is also a picture of the purpose of His coming and the goal of His mission. Jesus came not just for the Israelites, and not just for us who have come to faith. He came for all the world, for all nations, for all peoples. How is He calling us to participate in that mission today? Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA, on January 5, 2025.
Christ For All (Matthew 2:1-12)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy4xM0YyQUYxQTg5OTgyQ0Y5

Christ For All (Matthew 2:1-12)

January 5, 2025 3:43 pm

Simeon had one item on his bucket list: To see the Messiah. As he held Jesus in his arms, he called out to the Lord that he was ready to depart. What are you living for? What makes a complete or good life? What does that mean as we head into a new year? Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid on December 29, 2024, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA.
Bucket List (Luke 2:22-40)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy4xNkVFQkQwQzlCOTczN0FG

Bucket List (Luke 2:22-40)

December 29, 2024 4:20 pm

There is so much about the birth of the Messiah that is unexpected. That He was born to a young virgin. That she lived far from Jerusalem. That his family was so ordinary. That so few people were aware that God was fulfilling a promised He made in the Garden of Eden. But also unexpected is that the people the Lord did invite were mere shepherds, whose status in society was lower than nearly everyone. But these are the people that the Lord invited to view the Messiah. And these are the people who first proclaimed the good news to the world. Luke tells us that all who heard this good news were amazed. May God grant that we who celebrate this gracious birth this evening be led to imitate the lowly shepherds in telling this good news. Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA, on December 24, 2024
And All Who Heard It Were Amazed (Christmas Eve)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy4xQzNEQjU3NzFFNzQ1M0Q0

And All Who Heard It Were Amazed (Christmas Eve)

December 25, 2024 10:06 am

John the Baptist was getting impatient to experience the fullness of the coming of the kingdom. He had proclaimed the coming Messiah, but now he was in prison. Is Jesus really the Messiah, he asks? We get impatient, too. We hold on to all of God’s promises, and yet life sometimes can be so hard. We are living in the time of now and not yet, enjoying the blessings of salvation now, which waiting patiently for the fullness when Christ returns. May the Lord bless us with confident faith and hope until that day. Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA, on December 15, 2024
Waiting to Open the Gifts (Luke 7:18-25)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy4xMUQ5ODk0Q0I0MjZBQjhG

Waiting to Open the Gifts (Luke 7:18-25)

December 16, 2024 6:41 pm

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation. We remember the people of God as they waited for the coming of the Messiah. But Advent is also a time to be mindful that we are waiting now for the Messiah to return in glory. In fact, the Bible says that we are living in the end days, as the Church has since Pentecost. But the end of the age does not frighten us, because our standing before the Lord is secure. Instead of cowering in fear, we lift up our heads in joy. Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA, on December 1, 2024.
Lift Up Your Heads (Luke 21:25-36)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy45NTBGQjA2RDUzMTJFM0VF

Lift Up Your Heads (Luke 21:25-36)

December 2, 2024 1:52 pm

In Deuteronomy 8, the people of God are called to remember how God had provided for them through the wilderness. And as they remember, they are to be moved to give thanks for the God’s faithfulness. So also in our lives, God would have us remember Him, His faithfulness, His provision, His work in us and around us in hard times. And as we remember, we give thanks. Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Napa, CA on November 27, 2024.
Remember And Give Thanks (Deuteronomy 8:1-10)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy4yNDgyN0RCRjQ1QTUxRUMy

Remember And Give Thanks (Deuteronomy 8:1-10)

November 29, 2024 7:58 pm

Jesus tells Pilate that His kingdom is “not of this world.” By this He does not mean that His kingdom is not present and active in the world. It most certainly is! But rather it is unlike the kingdoms of the world. How is Christ’s kingdom different and what does that mean for us? Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA on November 24, 2024.
Not of this World (Christ the King)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy42MTk5OTRCREQ5RkNFODZF

Not of this World (Christ the King)

November 24, 2024 2:22 pm

We conclude our worship series focusing on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Throughout this letter, Paul has been addressing what it means to be the people of God who are united to Christ and one another as His Church. His concludes the letter by calling his readers to prepare for spiritual warfare. We are daily engaged in a spiritual battle with the forces of spiritual evil. But God does not intend for us to go into this fight unarmed and unarmored. Paul describes Christ’s gifts to us in terms of the armor of a Roman soldier. How do I equip and make us of this armor in my daily walk? Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA on November 17, 2024
The Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-24)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy5BNEY4RDc0MzMyNDAyQjAx

The Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-24)

November 17, 2024 3:54 pm

We continue our worship series focusing on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In this letter, Paul is addressing what it means to be the people of God who are united to Christ and one another as His Church. Paul’s words about slavery translate into our present culture as instructions on how we think about being employees and employers. What does it mean to work as though working for Christ, and managing others while mindful that Christ is your manager? Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA on November 10, 2024.
Honoring Christ in our Work (Ephesians 6:5-9)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy5EQjk2Mzc4OTUzQTQ4NDlB

Honoring Christ in our Work (Ephesians 6:5-9)

November 11, 2024 7:01 pm

We step out of our Ephesians series on All Saints Sunday to focus on the grace by which we are declared and called to be Saints. In the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12, Jesus describes a kingdom radically different from the kingdoms of the world. This is a kingdom of grace and faith. We are brought into the kingdom by grace, even though we are poor in spirit. We live in this kingdom by faith, following Christ above all. Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA, on November 3, 2024
Blessed Are You (Matthew 5:1-12)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy4yRjU0MzcwMkYwRkVDNDhC

Blessed Are You (Matthew 5:1-12)

November 3, 2024 2:53 pm

We commemorate the anniversary of the Reformation this Sunday. At the heart of the Reformation was the biblical teaching on how we are made right with God. Is it something we do or contribute to, supplementing the work of Christ, or is it something God has accomplished completely in Christ and then gives it to us as a free gift of grace, received through faith. The word Paul uses in Romans 3 for being made right with God is “Justified.” Today we take a look at this word, its meaning, and the wonderful, comforting, saving truth that it points to. Thanks be to God for His grace! Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA on October 27, 2024
Justified Freely (Romans 3:19-28)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy4wMjVEMzc2NzY2ODVBOERB

Justified Freely (Romans 3:19-28)

October 28, 2024 3:37 pm

We continue our worship series focusing on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In this letter, Paul is addressing what it means to be the people of God who are united to Christ and one another as His Church. How do we honor the Lord in our parenting? Paul calls on parents to bring up their children in the “training and instruction of the Lord.” What does this mean? Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA on October 20, 2024
The Training and Instruction of the Lord
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy5BNEEyNDAyQThDNDA5MEU0

The Training and Instruction of the Lord

October 20, 2024 7:17 pm

We continue our worship series focusing on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Paul is addressing what it means to be the people of God who are united to Christ and one another as His Church. Marriage is designed by God to be a living picture of the relationship of Christ and His bride the Church. Wives submit and husbands lay down their lives in beautiful self-giving that is modeled on the Church’s faith and Christ’s love. Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA on October 13, 2024.
A Marriage Shaped by the Gospel (Ephesians 5:21-33)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy40NjI5ODZCQUE5NkRBMDI0

A Marriage Shaped by the Gospel (Ephesians 5:21-33)

October 13, 2024 1:33 pm

We continue our worship series focusing on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In this letter, Paul is addressing what it means to be the people of God who are united to Christ and one another as His Church. Paul calls the Ephesians to live not as unwise, but as the wise. The key to wise living is to be led by the Holy Spirit, who is at work in us in the Word and in Worship. Wisdom in life flows from the Spirit, so pursuing a life of wisdom begins and ends with placing ourselves where the Spirit has promised to be at work. Sermon preached by Pastor Mike Schmid at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa, CA on October 6, 2024.
Living With Wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-21)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy45QUZGQkMzMEZDNTZBREY3

Living With Wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-21)

October 8, 2024 4:16 pm

Today's Gospel is about people "seeing" . . . and not "seeing: . . . and different kinds of "seeing" . . . with the natural eyes . . . with the eyes of faith . . . and with eyes attuned to the needs of others. It's a good topic for this special awareness Sunday in respect to people living with some sort of disability. What do you see when you see such a person whose disability is very obvious? And how do you respond to them? As part of today's message, we will get to see a special video prepared by the District's Disability Committee for this occasion. Today we join with other churches of the California-Nevada-Hawaii District in observing “Disability Awareness Sunday.” We rejoice in the good news that the gospel of grace is for all people, no matter their ability or disability. May God grant us His Spirit that we may grow as a congregation that welcomes those of disabilities of all types – welcoming, celebrating, serving, and serving together. Sermon preached by Pastor Ted Zimmerman at St. John's Lutheran Church in Napa on September 29, 2024
What Do You See? (Disability Awareness)
YouTube Video UExqYkRWeXUwd0s0NnRRQU1LN1lrVzhNRFRCOTJuNkJycy4xNUMzRTJBOEYwRTBDOTBD

What Do You See? (Disability Awareness)

September 29, 2024 2:51 pm

Load More... Subscribe