Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church Cincinnati Ohio

10/27/2026

The sun rises on a new day, and we’re still thinking about our celebration of the Reformation this past Sunday. The cross of Christ is in focus, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed, and joy carries the day. The sound of the brass instruments in worship reminded us of the sturdy nature of God’s promises as we head into battle against the devil’s lies, our own guilt, and the grave itself. Today let’s meditate on God’s grace in Christ alone!

10/26/2026

Am I Good Enough? No, not even close, but Jesus is.

Listen to the full sermon here:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNvGomuqvDg
Spotify: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/nL2zGfSmy7b

10/25/2026

I watched part of a Martin Luther movie with our 5th-6th graders here this week. They noticed that Tetzel is played by the actor who plays Doctor Octopus from the Spiderman movies, which means they’re paying attention, I guess. I really enjoy teaching Reformation history, and it’s very fun seeing students watch movies like this one. You might think they would be bored by a movie full of theological debates, but they were locked in. It’s good for them to see how God was able to use someone like Martin Luther to do something so tremendous. Someone who struggled with his own worthiness and found comfort only in Christ.

I wonder if Reformation history makes us think we’re going to do something really cool, a spotlight shining on us in some powerful moment, like Luther at the Diet of Worms. The reality is that our “Here I stand” moments typically come without fanfare. We’re talking with a coworker about what we did this weekend and have a chance to discuss church. A friend loses their parent, and we have a chance to talk about our hope of eternal life. The fact that we punt many of these moments is a sign that we have missed one of the major points of Reformation: it’s not about us!

This is part of why Luther is such a good topic today. He was not intending to start a revolution with his 95 Theses. He recoiled at the idea of people calling themselves “Lutheran,” uncomfortable with the idea of being the focus. He was not heroic in the traditional sense of that word. He simply did his best to preach, teach, and confess what the Bible said, even if it might cost him his life. He knew it was all about God.

Let the center of the Luther seal be the center of your worship this morning. The cross must be our focus, as it was for Luther and the other Reformers 500 years ago. What we’re celebrating today is the truth of sins forgiven in Christ, which is really what we want to tell our grieving friend and our curious coworker. Today we’ll hear the Gospel, which will be just as surprising to human ears as it was in 16th century Germany. Today we’ll focus on God and we’ll be better for it. May God continue to preserve that focus and truth, for on it we stand.

10/24/2026

Our preschool and kindergarten classes had so much fun on a field trip to a local pumpkin patch this week! The weather was terrific, and the kids had a blast! Join us tomorrow for worship as we celebrate the Reformation and God’s preservation of the truth of the Gospel!

10/22/2026

“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” We studied Reformation concepts last night at Teen Group, and several teens chose this as their favorite Martin Luther quote of the night. We discussed how to explain the basic truths of the Bible to others, and one teen suggested Romans 3 as a great place to go, because, in her words: “it has such clear Law and Gospel.” After our study, we headed outside for a bonfire. I’m not that Martin Luther ever had a s’more, but I like to think he would have enjoyed our time together last night and its focus on grace in Christ alone.

10/20/2026

The Bible has unequivocal evidence that is undeniable.

Pastor Groth's sermon examines the historicity, hermeneutics, and theology of the Bible through studying the accounts of Luke and Acts — provided to us 2,000 years ago by the highly educated physician and gospel writer, Luke.

Take a listen and hear how the Bible is the book that will change your life!

To listen to the full sermon, click here:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewv6HqmNuNQ
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Zv5E9ir1yHlu032RiGGXU?si=Tii35JBqTM2V08h-yFIEGw

10/18/2026

I’m wondering if you have ever struggled with thinking the Bible is boring. Does the picture in this post look boring? We may call the Bible boring after struggling to understand it. Opening to a random page and trying to make sense of what we find there. Perhaps we haven’t looked hard enough, haven’t understood when we were sure we understood, haven’t looked through the eyes of God or looked through our own eyes back at God. The picture in this post represents the Old Testament prophecies and their fulfillment in the New Testament. It’s stunning to see how God hatched the perfect rescue plan and then carried it out flawlessly over thousands of years.

Today we’re celebrating the Festival of St. Luke the Evangelist. We see from the first words of his Gospel and the book of Acts that these were the products of a careful investigation. Think of Luke as a hardworking journalist, conducting interviews for a massive story that would blow the roof off things. Think of Luke as a true crime podcaster who is poring over the facts of some cold case, trying to make sense of it all. If we read Luke’s books the way he intended them to be read, we will see history. Not some history of an ancient world that is largely disconnected from you. It’s your history. You!

Today is a good chance to remember that when we sit down with our Bibles, the lens we use is important. What if we saw the Bible as a centuries-spanning mystery with characters intertwined across many generations? Your Rahabs, your Ruths, your Davids. What if we see it as a horror story, in which humanity is the monster and the hero is a wonderfully patient God? What if we noticed the poetry in the Bible that spans the breadth of the human experience, writing about things that you didn’t know you felt? What if we read Revelation as a traveler’s guide to heaven and the very end of this world? What if, at the heart of the history, we found a love note from God to the humans He desperately wants back. A love note nailed to a cross, foreshadowed back in Numbers 21. One of those many arcs in that picture.

None of that sounds boring.

10/17/2026

Our congregation hosted the Michigan District Teachers Conference the last few days, and it was a wonderful experience! The highlights included: hearing all those voices praising God in Christ-centered worship, seeing all these teachers committed to professional development, watching faculties build relationships through laughter (karaoke seemed to be a hit), and meeting new people who serve God across our district. The presentations were well done, and we thank Professor Mark Paustian from Martin Luther College for providing our spiritual keynote on Day 3. One of the main themes of the conference was the way God provides a variety of gifts to His people as they untie around a singular mission to share His Word. We see that in the faculty God has given us here in Cincinnati, and it was showcased with so many other teams who traveled great distances to join us. We are grateful for the volunteers and staff from our church who did so much cleaning, organizing, food prep, and more to make it happen! To God be the glory!

10/15/2026

10/12/2026

As the cliche goes, "We are not a museum of saints but a hospital for sinners". The King invites the good and the bad to His wedding feast. Come, not because we've earned it, but because the King has done it all for you.

To listen to the full episode click here:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVGSfHZqmVc
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6YTR3l94wWrAUSqadqppOD?si=Gp8LP8mBRMy4mERG85Mr-w