Thy Strong Word From Kfuo Radio

Rev. Matt Tooman, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wahpeton, ND joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 41. At the time, God chose dreams to reveal His work for the good of His people. He gave a prophecy for the Egyptian people to care for others and although we are not able to depend on dreams to create a savings plan, we are able to trust in Him and pray for Him to provide for our needs. We pray that He may “give us this day our daily bread” and He does provide what we need for this body and life, forgiveness of sins in Christ, and life forever. “O Lord God, provide for our needs as You did for Joseph that we not only may be sustained but that we may serve our neighbor for the sake of both bodily health and the gracious salvation in Christ. Amen”

Rev. Nick Koschmann, pastor of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Forest Grove, Oregon joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 40. Dreams can be fickle. They can give us a source of hope, but they can lead us away from our ultimate hope in the LORD. As the LORD would have it, the cupbearer and baker ended up in prison with Joseph. Each of them had bizarre dreams that ended up with different outcomes. By God’s grace, the LORD gave Joseph the ability to be their interpreter. God used Joseph at that time this ability to glorify Himself and not Joseph. We pray that whatever dreams, visions, or thoughts we have are not contradicting God’s Word, the cross, and His salvation in Christ. “Lord God, keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Whenever we find hope in anything other than you, bring us back to You. As You blessed Joseph to serve others, bless us with the opportunities to serve that they may glorify You and not ourselves. In Christ, Amen”

Rev. Nabil Nour, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hartford, South Dakota, joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 39. The LORD caused Joseph to be successful. His master’s wife deceived Potiphar and led Joseph to be wrongly accused. We are unaware of why this happened, but we do know that the LORD worked good even when evil was the intention. In our lives we will see and experience sin, lies, and darkness, yet, we know that in Christ there is no darkness at all. “Heavenly Father, keep us from evil and deliver us as well. When darkness comes our way for reasons unknown, help us to trust in Your wisdom and grace to know that You will work good in Christ Jesus. Amen”

Rev. Steven Theiss, vacancy pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, MO joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 38. God chooses people for our salvation that we would not more than likely choose. Judah did follow God’s law which brought a snowball effect of sin and these sins led to the demise of a few of the sons. The issues that arose for the family was less to do with “generational sin” and more to do with a lack of faith. The intentions of Tamar were good, there must be an heir through Judah, but the actions were immoral. The reminder we have throughout the Bible is that our focus as Christians is not on ourselves. Our focus on our Redeemer who works through all things. “Lord Jesus Christ, as You provide for all of our needs, help us to live a good and holy life by Your Holy Spirit. Open our eyes that we may believe that You will work through all things for Your good and Your purposes. Lord have mercy. Amen”

Rev. Joseph Barlau, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Seymour, IN joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 37. Joseph has a dream, but it is the first non-theophany dream. The dream did not require an interpretation, according to each dream it was assumed that he would rule over his family one day. Clearly, this would not be received well by his family, which is why the old Adam would quickly come to the conclusion of how to eliminate Joseph from the scenario. We can easily think that “if only that person wasn’t around everything would be fine.” Although we are not selling our siblings to strangers, we need to repent when we are overcome by jealousy and treat people not as a gift but a burden. We see ourselves in the brothers and are reminded of the value of each person as one created by our LORD and died for by Christ. “Lord Jesus, forgive us on account of the cross for my lack of valuing Your people. Keep us from jealousy and lead us to a holy life of loving and caring for others with grace and love

Rev. Jason Schockman, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Oconomowoc WI joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 36. We put on our Christ goggles as we see the descendants of Esau. Clearly problems arose through the lack of faithfulness to the Lord and His Word. In the Lord’s kindness, He calls His people back to Himself in every generation. Although the Edomites, Esau’s family, were enemies of the Israelites, God still had grace. The connections from these descendants causes us to realize that God was at work before the Israelites entered the land and God would provide beyond their years. “Lord God, as You are the Lord of all creation, You have given Yourself for all people, allow us to see all people through the lens of the cross that we may proclaim Your goodness in Christ’s salvation and serve others with Your grace. In Christ, Amen”

Rev. John Lukomski, co-host of “Wrestling with the Basics” joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 35. Is this finally a turning point for Jacob?  We thought it might be when the Lord visited him at Bethel or when reconciled with his brother Esau.  Yet, we see God visiting Jacob and sustained him through repenting over idols.  God kept intervening and once again changed Jacob’s name to Israel.  This name change is full of His promise.  Through those with Israel’s name the promised Savior was given to us and He continues to carry us as ones with His name marked on us forever.  “O Holy Spirit, as You have given us a new name in Christ through Baptism, grant us a turning point that we may drop our idols and follow Your Will. In Christ, Amen”

Rev. Keith Weise, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Communities in Sauk Rapids, MN joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 34. In horror, we hear of the depth of darkness in our world. Rape, lies, murder, and deceit make this chapter quite possibly the most sinful chapter in the Bible. One sin led to another—to another—to another. We pray that our Gracious God would prevent situations in our world and by His Holy Spirit that He would lead all of us to repentance for our small sins that would lead to other sins. We pray for our government justice system to punish lawbreakers in a Godly way. “Lord God, we ask for Your grace to be upon those who have suffered abuse. Keep those who are tempted for abuse from these sins and keep us from temptation of our own sins that will lead to worse sins. Keep our governing authorities strengthened to protect the weak and bring worldly justice. Bless and keep ministries around the world who serve those who have suffered abuse that they may find healing in Christ. Lord have

Rev. Doug Griebenaw, Mission Advocate for KFUO Radio, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 33. Jacob approaches Esau with humility and trust that the LORD would provide. We might think that we would need to “pay off” a person due to past discretions. Yet, by God’s grace reconciliation between people has already been paid by the blood of Christ. He worked reconciliation through Jacob and Esau that reunited the whole family. By God’s reconciliation with us through Christ, He also unites us with others that we may be people of reconciliation. It is clear that if Jacob and Esau are able to reconcile, we by God’s grace, can be reconciled with those whom we have fallen out of grace. “Lord God, thank you for reconciling us back to You through Christ. Fill us with this grace that we may be people of reconciliation by the blood of His cross. Help us to do this faithfully with repentant joy. Lord have mercy. Amen”

Rev. Hans Fiene, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Crestwood, MO joins Rev. Finnern to study Genesis 32. Jacob wanted to calm the storm of past sins through goats, rams, camels, calves, and bulls. We fall into the same temptation that we can give a clear conscience and reconcile with others based on our actions. Even though Jacob had all the best laid out plans, He found himself with God face to face and a reconciled relationship with his brother separate from his merit, but a gift from the LORD. Our God is not one who stays away from His people, but comes near and blesses us. “Lord God, as we are surrounded by tribulation, come to us and bless us again. Come to us and help us to cling to You, as Jacob would not let You go. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Amen”

Rev. James Cleland, pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 31. Jacob’s family is a hot mess! Jacob fled from his burdens…again. Laban did his own trickery…again. Laban had gods, the daughters were lying, and Jacob was making deals. The relationships were strained, much like ones in our own lives, and even their covenant with one another was not a full reconciliation. When Laban and his family separated ways we never hear of him again in Scripture so we are unaware if there was reconciliation. We all have relationships that are not fully reconciled and we pray that He would reconcile us as we are already reconciled to the Father through Christ. “Lord God, we all have relationships that are a hot mess. We repent of our own additions to the messiness and seek Your undeserved, gracious forgiveness. Renew us in faith and strengthen us in the body of Christ. Amen”

Rev. Joshua Knippa, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Nederland, TX joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 30. Can you imagine a family union with Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah? The more Jacob and others attempted to solve issues on their own, the bigger the issues. In this life there will be issues, which God very clearly tells us in Scripture, but we are never left without what we need to live a holy life, nor are we left alone. We see a flawed family, but even through the flaws God works for the good of His people by sending a Savior through them. “Lord God, we give thanks for Your continued grace for Jacob’s family as we know that if you have mercy with them, You surely will have mercy with us. In Your name. Amen.”

Rev. Christopher Maronde, PhD Candidate at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 29. The Jacob saga continues. God sets the stage for Jacob to continue in His promise to show that He provides for His people. God’s providence does not mean perfect relationships. Laban was as much of a trickster as Jacob as he “snuck” in a wife. Despite the sin involved, by His grace, the Lord provided the means by which to continue the lineage to our Messiah. This is a reminder that no matter the sinfulness of our own lives, the LORD will continue to work. We see the need for a Messiah and through the lineage of Jacob, God provides us that saving grace. “Lord God, Your promises are real even on our broken road. Help us to trust in Your promises and, by Your Holy Spirit, better follow Your ways. Lord have mercy. Amen”

Rev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, FL, joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 28. Jacob fled out of fear for Esau. God has a habit of visiting people when they were afraid, thankfully, He still does today. In Jacob’s dream, the Lord connects heaven and earth with His appearance to reaffirm His presence by saying, “I am with you and keep you wherever you go.” We have that same promise of our Lord Jesus, “Behold I am with you always to the very end of the age.” “Lord Jesus Christ, as You are with us, we ask that You continue to connect heaven and earth by Your gifts. Be with us in our fears and pour Your peace upon us and bless the next generation with Your salvation and peace. In Your name. Amen”

Rev. David Boisclair of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Church in Pine Lawn, MO joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 27. God continues to work with his people, even though we are not fully sure why He does what He does. Jacob steals the blessing, which confusingly fulfilled the prophecy from the LORD in Genesis 25, and God was faithful to His promises. The blessing from Isaac is beautifully poetic to how the Lord grants His gifts by keeping us faithful to Him and protecting us from our enemies. Our hearts go out to Esau as he did not do anything overtly wrong, but it is a reminder that the LORD will provide for us through all adversity and we are to faithfully follow His way. “O Lord, help us to trust in You in joy and in adversity. You keep your promises in Christ and are faithful to the end. Lord have mercy on us when we do not trust. Amen”

Rev. Kevin Parviz, pastor of Congregation Chai V’ Shalom in St. Louis, MO joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 26. Isaac received the promise that his offspring would be as many as the stars of heaven. After receiving this promise, it is clear that Isaac was indeed still sinful. As Isaac was blessed, we are reminded that the LORD blesses us. Isaac’s road was not smooth or sinless and neither is ours. We cling to His promise of a Messiah and move forward knowing that bitterness and brokenness will not have the victory. “Lord God, fill us with Your promise. As You blessed Isaac, bless us with what we need for this body and life. When bitterness arrives, grant us strength to persevere and repentance when we need Your forgiveness. In Christ, Amen.”

Rev. Paul Cain, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church and Martin Luther Grammar School in Sheridan, WY joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study and pray Psalm 14. David pulls out many difficult words as he laments. “There is none who does good, not even one.” We all fall short of the glory of God, corruption is real for each one of us, and our only chance for salvation is God. The LORD assures us that He is with us, His chosen ones, He is our refuge, and salvation has come in Christ from Zion. “Lord God, thank you for salvation from Christ. Keep us from foolishness and from the snares of the devil’s lies by Your Word and Holy Spirit. In Him, Amen” This is a rebroadcast from November 16, 2021.

Rev. Scott Adle, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church & School in Collinsville, IL joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 25. Abraham’s death was the end of an era, but the promise of a son did not end. We see how the LORD provided many sons for Abraham and Sarah, which leads to our Savior, but it did not mean that everything was perfect. The twins in Rebekah’s womb battled from the beginning which led to decisions that allowed their own desires to lead them instead of the Word of God. We are reminded of how we will allow our desires to be above the ways of the LORD, which never seems to end well, but as the LORD brought reconciliation for Jacob and Esau, in Christ, we have the hope of reconciliation with the Father and one another. “Lord God, Your promises continue throughout the generations. The promise of salvation and forgiveness extends to sinners like us, so we ask that You may continue to open our hearts in faith to trust in all of Your promises and live according to Your Word. In Christ, Amen

Rev. Brian Davies, pastor of Lord of Glory Lutheran Church in Grayslake, IL joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 24:42-67. Laban and Bethuel heard the answer of Eliezer’s prayer and their response was “The LORD has spoken.” In faith, they trusted the LORD and Rebekah went to become Isaac’s wife. It is difficult to understand all the emotions when you allow your loved one to leave, but the few words are full of promise, “I will go.” The union of Isaac and Rebekah may not be in a Hallmark movie, but it was a reminder that God keeps His promises and from their union would come our Savior. “Lord God, help us to trust in You. As we make decisions every day that require Your help, guide us by Your Holy Spirit to remember Your promises in Christ and give glory to You. In Christ, Amen”

Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Genesis 24:1-41. Abraham asked Eliezer to find a faithful wife for Isaac. By faith, Eliezer went to Mesopotamia and prayed for the LORD to provide a future bride. Crazy enough, God answered with Rebekah. God worked through the process to provide for Abraham’s family, but also provide a Savior for the world through this marriage. “Lord God, as we wait on You, we ask that You continue to wait on us both hand and foot. Waiting on us by the nails for our forgiveness and providing for our daily needs of body and soul. Lord have mercy. Amen”