Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio
1,233 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★★ - 73 ratingsThy Strong Word reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.
Thy Strong Word is hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.
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Episodes
Mark 6: Unlike Herod, ☧ the 12's King-Shepherd of Resurrection
May 14, 2020 17:00 - 55 minutes - 50.6 MBRev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Mark 6. “They did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” Mark 6 continues the narrative of Jesus ☧’s gospel proclamation, a real-life story laden with symbolism. What is the connection between Herod’s execution of John, the Feeding of the Five Thousand, and ☧ walking on the water? Herod shows himself to be no shepherd of God’s people. Whenever...
Mark 5: Fear vs. Faith, ☧'s Word Stronger than Devils and Death
May 13, 2020 17:00 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MBRev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Mark 5. “Do not fear, only believe.” These words of Jesus ☧ summarize the theme of Mark 5. Although these are real-life events being narrated, this perspective on the story highlights the faith-vs-fear dynamic, showing how the Word-of-growth parables of chapter 4 play out in our hearts and minds. The Word remains central: the storm was calmed at ☧’s Word, the mighty legion of d...
Mark 4: Amidst Storms & Riddles, ☧'s Strong Word Gives Faith
May 12, 2020 17:00 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBRev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor and co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Mark 4. “To the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” In Mark 4 Jesus ☧ speaks of the paradox of faith and understanding: in order for these to be given, they must have already been received. These parables were not meant as easy-to-understand sermon illustrations. Like the injunctions of silence w...
Psalm 107: Praise ☧ Who Redeems North, South, East, and West
May 11, 2020 17:00 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBRev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 107. “Hallelujah! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” With these words, Psalm 107 introduces the fifth and final collection of psalms from 107 to 150. No other section of psalms contains so many hallelujahs and exhortations to praise. North, south, east, and west: mountains, wilderness, sunrise, ...
Mark 3: Spirit's True Obedience, ☧ Confronts Dead-Set Enemies
May 08, 2020 17:00 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBRev. Scott Adle, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Mark 3. “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” In Mark 3, Jesus ☧ heals a man’s atrophied hand in the middle of the synagogue on the Sabbath, putting the Pharisees’ hypocritical non-answer on public display. He remains tight-lipped, though His twelve-man inner circle has kingly overtones. Only the unclean spirits have begun to utt...
Mark 2: ☧ Responds to Faith with Love, Curing Sin & Sickness
May 07, 2020 17:00 - 55 minutes - 50.5 MBRev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Mark 2. “The Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” In Mark 2, Jesus ☧ uses the term “Son of Man” for the first time, confusing His opponents more than answering their questions—and they have a lot of them: Why does He presume to forgive sins? Why does He associate with sinners? Why doesn’t He make His disciples fast? Why does He do work on the Sabbath? As illustrated in the ...
Mark 1: ☧ Begins to Preach the Gospel, His Authority Saves Us
May 06, 2020 17:00 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBRev. Daniel Olson, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Luxemburg, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Mark 1. “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” Mark chapter 1 might strike us as a strange starting place, beginning with John baptizing the Lord in the Jordan and skipping over the little town of Bethlehem. But Mark leaves out these details deliberately so he can focus on Jesus ☧ as a preacher. When we think of “the gospel,”...
Revelation 22: River & Trees of Life, All Israel in the Holy of Holies of ☧
May 05, 2020 17:00 - 53 minutes - 49.2 MBRev. Rolf Preus, pastor of Trinity-Sidney & St. John-Fairview, Montana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 22. “On either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.” As the final chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22 takes us back to the beginning. By the tree of the Cross, Eden’s tree of life is restored in the heavenly Jerusalem. Yet the “river of the water of life” from Ezekiel’s vision also runs through the city streets....
Revelation 21: Jerusalem’s Walls Resurrected, Gems of ☧’s Wounds
May 04, 2020 17:00 - 54 minutes - 49.5 MBRev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai v’Shalom in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 21. “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” Revelation 21 gives us the most vivid picture of “heaven” in the entire Bible. But what does it mean that the old heaven and earth will pass away? Like the...
Revelation 20: Satan Imprisoned as ☧ Frees the Seas, the Book of Life
May 01, 2020 20:02 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Waldemar Vinovskis, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Macungie, Pennsylvania, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 20. “And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20 re-introduces “the bottomless pit” of the abyss. Unlike chapter 9 where the angel opened it up, this time the angel imprisons Satan there. Confined to the abyss, Satan is no longer free to roam about “the seas” of the Gentiles....
Revelation 19: ☧ on the White Horse Defeats Beast & False Prophet
April 30, 2020 22:02 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Chris Matthis, pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 19. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” In Revelation 19, the Lord Jesus descends upon the earth, defeats the beast and the false prophet, and slays His enemies with the sword of His mouth. But how does this logically follow the mixture of lamentation...
Revelation 18 : Leave & Fall with ☧, Profitable Jerusalem Thrown Down
April 29, 2020 23:50 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Peter Bender, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Sussex, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 18. “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins.” Revelation 18 takes a pastoral and catechetical focus on the idolatry of Babylon. “Babylon” does not refer to geography per se, but to the apostate element of Israel, particularly concentrated in Jerusalem. Even when things seem blessed and spiritual, they may be spiritually unclean and idolatrously aligned...
Revelation 17: Powerful & Apostate Jerusalem Falls, ☧ Alone is King
April 28, 2020 19:20 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor and co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 17. “The woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.” In Revelation 18, John sees a rich and powerful woman. We might quickly think of Rome, but she is said to commit sexual immorality with the “peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.” She is apostate Jerusalem, called to be faithful to God alone, but...
Revelation 16: 7 Bowls of Wrath, ☧ Saves, Not Kings, Wealth, or Force
April 27, 2020 21:51 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 16. “God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.” In Revelation 16 seven “bowls” of wrath are poured out in quick succession, reminiscent both of Old Testament drink offerings as well as the figurative cup of wrath which the Lord Jesus drank for us. In terms of history, the first two bo...
Psalm 118: Disciplined & Rejected, Raised Up as Temple of Christ
April 25, 2020 00:31 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. David Andrus, pastor of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in St. Louis and Not-Alone.net Ministries, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 118. “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.” “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” “This is the day that the LORD has made.” Psalm 118 feels like a Bible verse hall of fame! These verses are so well known because they were memorized as the finale of Psalms 113 through 118 sung during Passover. Israel escaped Egyp...
Psalm 117: Israel’s One Christ Raised, All Nations Sing Alleluia
April 23, 2020 22:02 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Michael Morehouse, pastor of Catalina Lutheran Church in Tucson, Arizona, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 117. The shortest chapter in the entire Bible, the two verses of Psalm 117 are easy to overlook. This psalm however is totally unique and profound. It occurs in the exact middle of our modern 1,189 chapters, with a theme that is right at the heart of Scripture: “all nations” should praise the God of Abraham because of His “steadfast love” for Israel. But why? Whenever Go...
Revelation 15: Blood Floods from Outside Jerusalem, Judging & Saving
April 22, 2020 23:44 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Kevin Martin, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 15. “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues.” Revelation 15 hits the reset button, restarting the seven-part sequence. Yet, we also find some overlap with and even the conclusion to the previous chapters. The bloodshed that poured out from Jerusalem reached the furthest borders of Israel. Just outside the city, the...
Revelation 14: Revelation 14: Drunken Jerusalem Falls, Purified Zion Rests in Christ
April 21, 2020 20:59 - 51.5 MBRev. Nate Ruback, pastor of Grace Chapel in Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 14. “I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder[, ...] like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.” The army of 144,000 saints returns in chapter 14, singing a heavenly song that no one else can learn. This celebration represents rest, Christ’s perpetual Sabbath. Christ the Lamb gives rest from Mount Zion, unli...
Revelation 14: The Lamb and the 144,000
April 21, 2020 20:59 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Nate Ruback, pastor of Grace Chapel in Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 14.
Revelation 13: Revelation 13: Coins Marked by Caesar, the Church by Christ’s Blood
April 20, 2020 23:52 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 13. “Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” Does this beast and its mark foretell a dystopian future? History never fails to repeat itself, but the two beasts of Revelation 13 likely refer to the local and global authorities aligned with Satan, persecutors of Christians in the time a...
Revelation 12: Christ Ascends Victorious, Edom’s Red Dragon Falls
April 17, 2020 21:50 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Mark Jasa, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Pasadena, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 12. “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon.” Chapter 12 introduces a ferocious dragon. Like the Seleucid beast of Daniel, it has ten horns, symbolizing earthly authority and force of power. Unlike any other beast though, it has seven crowned heads, symbolizing the heavenly authority of God. The dragon is “red,” the color symboli...
Revelation 11: True Heavenly Temple, James & Jesus ben Ananias
April 16, 2020 20:36 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Steven Theiss, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 11. “I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” Before the seventh trumpet blast, chapter 11 describes two witnesses who sound a lot like other biblical figures: like Moses & Elijah, they turn rivers to blood and summon drought. Like Joshua and Zerubbabel, they fuel the lamps of God’s people to rebuild the Temple (Zechariah 4). Who are they?...
Revelation 10: Church Flees Jerusalem, Sweet Escape, Bitter Exile
April 15, 2020 22:27 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Mark Birkholz, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 10. “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” In chapter 10, John is commanded not to write down this mysterious message for us. Why mention it at all? He is then given “a little scroll” which he is commanded to eat. It tastes “sweet as honey,” but it becomes nauseating in the end. The only other edible scroll in Scripture is described in Ez...
Revelation 9: The Seven Trumpets
April 14, 2020 21:22 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 9.
Psalm 100: Baptized into the Temple, Easter Praise with All Creation
April 14, 2020 15:12 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai v’Shalom in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 100. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!” Psalm 100 isn’t a short summary psalm, but a profound insight into a very specific situation: walking through the temple gates into the courtyards. Such holy places can only have so many people there at once. Yet even when the numbers seem small, there are more who praise God—and more things to praise...
Psalm 22: Besieged & Crucified for Months, Faith Cries for Dawn
April 10, 2020 19:03 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Jaime Nava, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Maplewood, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 22. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” No other psalm is more tightly connected to the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus than Psalm 22. Yet, for all the allusions and fulfillments, this psalm is first of all about David. He went from popular warrior to despised “worm.” He found himself besieged and betrayed for weeks or maybe even months, reminiscent of our ow...
Psalm 116: Death’s Exile to Temple’s Passover, Lift the Cup as One
April 09, 2020 17:58 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 116. “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.” Psalm 116 is used in so many ways in church tradition: during Easter, before communion, at funerals, and on Maundy Thursday. What ties it all together? God’s people speak as one voice, as God’s servant raised from the death of exile. At the newly restored temple, God’s people finally coul...
Psalm 43: Light & Truth Guide to the Temple, Word & Integrity
April 08, 2020 22:47 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Stewart Crown, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Palo Alto, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 43. “Send out your light and your truth.” This pair of themes occurs all over the Bible, but how is it supposed to rescue this son of Korah here in Psalm 43? The Hebrew word for “truth” doesn’t focus on facts and figures, but rather God’s truth-telling integrity. On the one hand, we all rely on God’s integrity and faithfulness to reassure us even when life is full of dou...
Psalm 42: My Saving Stream Ever Before Me
April 07, 2020 21:14 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai v’Shalom in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 42. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” This psalm’s beautiful opening line is well known and has found its way into contemporary music. What does it really mean though? What was the psalmist going through when he sang these words? This psalm is about God’s presence in the Temple. Even though the psalmist longed to go up to the Temple...
Psalm 34: When David Pretended to Be Crazy
April 06, 2020 21:26 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Tim Droegemueller, pastor of Living Faith Lutheran Church in Cumming, Georgia, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 34. Psalm 34 paints a beautiful image: “Those who look [to the LORD] are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” And yet, this psalm is from when David “pretended to be insane in [the Gathites’] hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard” (1 Sam 21). Not exactly proud and radiant, right? David was desperate and “cr...
Revelation 8: Trumpet Days 1–4 of the Easter Era, Israel Vindicated
April 03, 2020 19:56 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Lucas Witt, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Maryland, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 8. “Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth.” As fiery and devastating as chapter 8 may be, the seventh seal with its seven trumpets are an answered prayer. God has prepared us for battle like Israel’s twelve tribes, but it is God who comes to fight and defeat our enemies. The long silence, the hailstorm, the chao...
Revelation 7: Army of 144k Baptized March with Christ’s Tent to Victory
April 02, 2020 20:01 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 7. “I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000.” The number symbolism continues in chapter 7, and although interpretations abound, the church’s understanding has shown great consistency. The four angels at the earth’s four corners in the opening contrast with the four riders of the previous chapter’s first four seals; these 144,000 will “stand” in the midst of God’s wr...
Revelation 6: 4 Horsemen of Tyranny, War, Injustice, Chaos vs. Lamb
March 31, 2020 21:59 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Nate Ruback, pastor of Grace Lutheran Chapel in Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 6. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse! Depicted in art countless times over the centuries, they are well known even in popular culture. Are they code for future events? These riders rather represent the past and the present, the “kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful” of every age (v 15). The colors may be the...
Revelation 5: Even Now Scattered, This is the Feast, Angels & Animals
March 30, 2020 20:41 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Daniel Olson, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Luxemburg, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 5. “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 5 is the source for “This is the Feast,” a well-known and beloved hymn among Lutherans. This seven-fold blessing is meant for the seven-horned and seven-eyed lamb, worthy to open the seven-sealed scroll. This Lamb of “seven” does the w...
Revelation 4: Creation’s 4 With Us 24, Worship on Christ’s Glassy Sea
March 28, 2020 00:01 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Jacob Heine, pastor of Christ the Rock Lutheran Church in Rockford, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 4. “On each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes.” In Revelation 4 John’s perspective is spirited away from Asia Minor to God’s throne room. Much is familiar—a door, the voice, white robes, the crowns. The church and our worship are windows to heaven. But there are these four living creatures and “twenty-four elders.” The elders represent ...
Revelation 3: Christ of Judah in Philadelphia, Work Your True Name
March 26, 2020 21:22 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Kevin Golden, pastor of Village Lutheran Church in Ladue, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 3. “You are dead.” “You have kept my word.” “You are wretched, poor, blind, and naked.” The Lord Jesus sees all and knows all, and He knows “the works” of all churches, symbolized in Revelation 3 in the historic churches of Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. We look at some churches and see vitality or an abundance of resources, but all that could be death and poverty fr...
Revelation 2: Christ Conquers for Us, Love & Doctrine in Good Works
March 24, 2020 22:05 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor and co-host of Wrestling with the Basics, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 2. Stars, lampstands, angels and churches: one thing is clear, these letters in Revelation 2 are not John’s private letters to select individuals, but Christ’s own words meant for the whole church. The first letter is for the church in Ephesus. They weren’t struggling with emotions, but with actions, the fruit of our faithfulness to Christ (Jn 14:15). As for Smyr...
Revelation 1: Easter Creator & Last Day Recreator, Sunday Unveiled
March 23, 2020 21:49 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 1. “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore.” Christians shouldn’t be scared of Revelation; it’s the language of our “Sunday” worship and our tradition! And more importantly, it all points to Jesus Christ as our Savior who conquers our enemies and says “Fear not.” Chapter 1 descr...
Zechariah 14: Christ Descends Amid Changes & Strife With a New Day
March 20, 2020 21:17 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Christopher Maronde pastor of St. John Bingen in Decatur, Indiana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zechariah 14. “On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two.” As the Lord Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives, so shall He descend there to render judgment. The talk of geography and weather however is meant to remind us of the Exile and the Exodus. This fourteenth and final chapter o...
Zechariah 13: Scattered & Refined, Gathered by Sacrament Fountain
March 19, 2020 19:38 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Steven Theiss, Retired pastor in Frohna, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zechariah 13. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” After waves of disciples had left Him, our Lord quoted these words from Zechariah 13 to signal that the Twelve were about to abandon Him as well. Even in the centuries since, waves of sheep have wandered off from the church, and disasters have scattered us at times. Yet through it all, God “refines” us like silver and gold, and we...
Zechariah 12: Immovable Rock, God Pierced in Christ, Lonely Mourning
March 18, 2020 00:20 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Doug Nicely, pastor of Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zechariah 12. “When they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn.” Zechariah 12 begins the final oracle of the book, and again we have a passage very prominently quoted in the New Testament. When Christ was pierced by the spear, we were made members of His body. In Him we are part of the true temple and the immovable rock. God foreshadowed this when He de...
Psalm 20: Sent to Serve in the Day of Trouble, Confident in Christ
March 16, 2020 20:39 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 20. “May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!” Sometimes it feels like God uses Scripture to speak directly to us, in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic or whatever else. What beautiful prayers of peace we have in the Psalms! Psalm 20 originally spoke of David going off to battle, sent from God’s sanctuary to defend Hi...
Zechariah 11: Lived Parable, Christ & Bad Shepherds, 30 Silver Pieces
March 13, 2020 17:47 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Scott Adle, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zechariah 11. God’s wrath against “the shepherds” continues in Zechariah 11. This time, God has Zechariah become a literal shepherd for a month as a living parable for the people. He symbolizes the reality that God is our true shepherd, who guided His people with the staffs of “Favor” and “Union.” In the end, the staffs are broken, and the people are given over to the “wo...
Zechariah 10: Christ Shames Riders, Raises Ephraim in Body & Spirit
March 12, 2020 20:54 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zechariah 10. “The people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.” The previous chapter flows seamlessly into Zechariah 10, but the emphasis on the rulers and “shepherds” of Israel becomes even more prominent. These words seem to anticipate the Maccabean Revolt, but their greater fulfillment is found in Christ. Christ had compassion on the people a...
Zechariah 9: Greek Palm Sunday, the Humble Christ Crushes Satan
March 10, 2020 22:18 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. John Lukomski, Retired LCMS pastor in Southern Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zechariah 9. “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey.” Quoted in both Matthew’s and John’s gospel accounts, Zechariah 9 is best known for the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Yet for all the humility, this chapter proclaims military glory. The king rides in on a donkey because he seems to have defeated all t...
Zechariah 8: God of All, Devoted to One, Enables Temple Completion
March 09, 2020 20:56 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Warren Woerth, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Arnold, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zechariah 8. “The LORD of hosts” is repeated 10 times as Zechariah 8 powerfully extends and concludes the previous chapter. Although He is the God of all the nations of the world, He is jealous, jealous, jealous for the nation of Israel in particular. The word in Hebrew means “exclusively devoted to”—God is not polygamous or unfaithful in His love for Israel. God enables the...
Zechariah 7: Bethel to Celebrate the Rebuilt Temple or Fast in Spirit?
March 06, 2020 19:46 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Brian Davies, pastor of Lord of Glory Lutheran Church in Grayslake, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zechariah 7. Almost two years after the visions, Zechariah addresses a reasonable and serious question in chapter 7: is it time to stop mourning the Exile and to start celebrating the Temple? As its reconstruction neared completion, God’s people were at a turning point. God answers a question with a question: While the reasons for fasting and mourning the Exile were good, ...
Zechariah 6: Dapple Angel Horses, Joshua/Jesus Both Priest & King
March 05, 2020 21:22 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zechariah 6. More horses of different colors! Like the first chapter, Zechariah 6 describes heavenly patrolmen who serve the God of Israel, reporting to God on the happenings of Earth to its four corners, represented by the four colors. This time however the horses ride out in chariot formation from bronze mountains. This spiritual show of power signals that the God of all nati...
Zechariah 5: Measured by Christ, A Scroll Flies, Wickedness Deported
March 03, 2020 23:02 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Dustin Beck, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, Texas, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zechariah 5. A giant flying scroll and a woman in a basket! Zechariah 5 continues the symbolic visions of people and things associated with the Temple. The larger-than-life scroll (30 feet by 15 feet) had the same measurements as the Temple porch where sermons were given. Amist Israel’s reconstruction of the Temple, God Himself was preaching and purifying them from the oaths of theft ...
Psalm 21: God Save the King Forever & Ever, Shared Celebration
March 02, 2020 21:57 - 17 hours - 51.5 MBRev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai v’Shalom in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 21. No mere military anthem, Psalm 21 emphasizes God from the outset: “O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices.” Although David praises God for answering his particular prayers, the focus is not on individuals but the whole Davidic line and the whole people of God. David had only begun to discover God’s goodness. God promised to bless the Davidic line “forever and ev...