Matthew 22:15-22

The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

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How do we destroy our idols? What is the difference between 'high' and 'low' church, and how do we find rest when caring for our loved ones?

In this week's Q&A episode of Message on the Go, Fr. Josh House sits down with St. Matt's Director of Children's Ministry, Hilary Hultman-Lee.

This week, they discuss:

• How do we destroy our idols?
• What is the difference between "high" and "low" church?
• How do we rest when caring for loved ones?

Listen to the sermon that started the conversation:

E247: That's a Load of Bull! | Rev. Josh House | Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026

Have a question for a future episode? Submit it anonymously at stmtts.org/question.

Worship Opportunities at St. Matthew's:

• Sunday Services in person or online at 8, 9:30, and 11 AM
• Morning Prayer, in person only. Monday - Saturday at 8:30 AM

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Matthew 22:1-14

Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

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Do Christians have to follow all the Old Testament laws? And when the Bible talks about “Israel,” who or what does that actually mean?

In this week's Q&A episode of Message On The Go, Fr. Josh House sits down with St. Matt's member Andrew Nelson to dig deeper into questions raised by Sunday's sermon and talk about finding community at St. Matthew's.

This week, they discuss:

• Do we have to follow all the laws from the Old Testament?
• Who or what exactly is “Israel” in the Bible?
• Community Groups at St. Matt's

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Listen to the sermon that started the conversation:

E246: Commit, Don't Quit | Rev. Josh House | Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026

Have a question for a future episode? Submit it anonymously at stmtts.org/question.

Worship Opportunities at St. Matthew's:

• Sunday Services in person or online at 8, 9:30, and 11 AM
• Morning Prayer, in person only. Monday - Saturday at 8:30 AM

Learn more at stmtts.org or follow us on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Matthew 21:33-46

Jesus said, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is amazing in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

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How do you connect sermons to scripture? What are the kids and youth up to? How does one discern a call to ministry?

In this week's Q&A episode of Message on the Go, Fr. Josh House chats with one of St. Matthew's Youth Ministry Leaders, Izzie Reuter, about understanding sermons, youth ministry, and what it is like to discern a call to ministry.

Listen to Fr. Rob's sermon from Sunday, September 27, that started the conversation: E245 - No to Nocebos

Have a question for a future episode? Submit it anonymously at stmtts.org/question.

Worship Opportunities at St. Matthew's:

• Sunday Services in person or online at 8, 9:30, and 11 AM
• Morning Prayer, in person only. Monday - Saturday at 8:30 AM

Learn more at stmtts.org or follow us on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

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Matthew 21:23-32

When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”

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What changes after ordination? Does human progress bring us closer to God or further away? And how does faith help us through life's disappointments?

In this week's Q&A episode of Message On The Go, Fr. Rob Merola and Fr. Josh House explore questions about faith, prayer, and what it means to grow closer to God.

This week, they discuss:

• What changes after ordination?
• What's the difference between traditional and contemporary collects and prayers?
• Does human progress separate us from God or bring us closer to heaven?
• What in your spirituality has helped you through disappointments?

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Listen to the sermon that started the conversation:
E244 – Burning the Candle | Rev. Rob Merola | Sunday, September 20, 2026

Have a question for a future episode? Submit it anonymously at stmtts.org/question.

Join us for worship each Sunday, in person or online, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Sterling, Virginia: 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11:00 AM.

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