Thy Strong Word From Kfuo Radio

Rev. Andrew Jagow, pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 2. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, [...] but we have the mind of Christ.” People use a lot of the same words that Christians use: love, faith, spirit, heaven—but do they use them with the same meaning? In 1 Corinthians 2 Paul builds on his argument against conventional wisdom and power, re-defining these words in a Christian sense. But he’s not being countercultural to win a culture war. There’s a pastoral concern here: the Corinthians have a blind spot for the love of prestige & authority, infecting their theology like an invisible virus. As Christ’s cross shows, God’s power doesn’t need to impress in order to love its enemies. Christian wisdom doesn’t need to come from renowned experts to save lives.

Rev. Rolf Preus, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sidney & St. John Lutheran Church in Fairview, Montana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 1. “Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” Paul shows pastoral care and brilliant rhetoric from the very first words of 1 Corinthians. He names the overarching problem of disunity among the Christians in Corinth, but Paul slyly signals some sub-themes like gifts, wisdom, and power. The antidote for division is humility, and true humility is the gift of Christ’s cross. The cross reveals God’s infinite mercy and demolishes the power & wisdom that we rally behind as partisans. Hebrews want their signs and Greeks want their prestige, but we hold to a king held in contempt.

Rev. Ingo Dutzmann, retired LCMS pastor in Sebascodegan Island, Maine, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 40. “Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Although prior to Exodus 40 Moses had spoken to God “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend,” here in the final chapter God inhabits the Tabernacle in all His glory, such that no one—not even Moses—could enter and live. This reveals the sinful inadequacy of even the best of humanity, but it also points ahead to the Christ who would enter the heavenly Tabernacle to secure our perfect salvation. The multi-day consecration of the Tabernacle one year after the Exodus reminds us that only God creates time, as a gift to us His people, His new creation.

Rev. Delwyn Campbell, domestic missionary and pastor of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church & Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gary, Indiana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 94. Learn more about Pastor Campbell and how to support his work at lcms.org/campbell. “O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve!” Does the Bible really say that? Yes it does, in Psalm 94. Vengeance however doesn’t mean rubbing it in people’s faces to the greatest fanfare—it means setting things straight, putting things back in place, and ultimately the created order being restored to its Creator, as in Christ’s sacrifice of “recompense.” The psalm is about restoring justice, but not in the name of ideology. Recompense happens when we are humble, acknowledging our shortsighted mortality and resisting the opposite temptations of opportunism and utopianism. Even in the church, cliques come and go. Only Christ endures.

Rev. Ned Moerbe, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Blackwell, Oklahoma, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 39. “Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.” It was heaven on earth—like the paradise of Genesis, a place where God was intimately present among His people. Exodus 39 describes the Tabernacle as a new creation that anticipates the resurrection. The 12 tribes are engraved on precious stones that by God’s “remembrance” will endure into the heavenly Jerusalem. If Christ remembers us, we are not lost. The high priest’s garments present him as the image of God, our name through baptism and adoption.

Rev. Warren Woerth, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Arnold, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 38. $160 million dollars’ worth—that’s how much gold “was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary.” What does Exodus 38 teach us? It’s not about money or precious metals as much as God’s image. Whatever we “pour” our hearts into and “cast” our aspirations on should represent God and His design. Charitable spirituality vs. adorned sacred space is a false dichotomy. The women offered their own mirrors as all Israel offered the plunder of Egypt. God doesn’t need it—He can hallow a bush in the wilderness—but we sacrifice what God provides to adorn the altar of God’s true image: the mercy seat of the most precious body and blood of Christ, incarnate for the world’s salvation.

Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, Minnesota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 37. “He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense.” Does this worship smell right? Exodus 37 continues the review of two things that went wrong at the golden calf festival: the misuse of gold to build an idol, and the immoral actions of its fertility cult. God is the creator of all; there are no bad things—only bad purposes. 75 pounds of pure gold were rightly used in repentance for the lampstand & its utensils alone. While nothing can escape God’s presence, He blesses His people by being especially present with His light and sacraments. He even takes on a certain smell to jog the memory, just as He does in the incarnation and Eucharist of the Lord Jesus.

Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, Minnesota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 37. “He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense.” Does this worship smell right? Exodus 37 continues the review of two things that went wrong at the golden calf festival: the misuse of gold to build an idol, and the immoral actions of its fertility cult. God is the creator of all; there are no bad things—only bad purposes. 75 pounds of pure gold were rightly used in repentance for the lampstand & its utensils alone. While nothing can escape God’s presence, He blesses His people by being especially present with His light and sacraments. He even takes on a certain smell to jog the memory, just as He does in the incarnation and Eucharist of the Lord Jesus.

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor and co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 36. “So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.“ For all the details that are exactly the same, this stands out as a tremendous difference in Exodus 36. Before the people reluctantly parted with a mere sampling of earrings, but now they bring their precious metals by the truckload day after day! The Spirit has stirred them, and having received forgiveness for the idolatry of the golden calf festival, the people now give freely and generously for the Tabernacle. More gold and silver won’t make us generous—only the holy, precious blood of Christ, more than a fortune in the eyes of faith.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 35. “You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.” This isn’t about whether you’re allowed to start your car or reignite your pilot light. Exodus 35 begins with the gracious announcement that God really gives His people true rest—they don’t even have to be “on call.” The contributions are wide-ranging not to be demanding, but inclusive, like a parent lovingly giving the children “jobs” to do as part of a family activity. We don’t have to figure out what kind of “spiritual” gift we have; it’s about how God has stirred up our spirits by the Spirit of Christ, who uses the common things for love and service.

Rev. Chris Biernacki, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Florence, Alabama, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 34. “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Even after everything that happened, God is still willing to put the same offer before Israel, writing down the very same Commandments with His finger. But first, Exodus 34 tells us that Moses fasts for 40 days and 40 nights, repenting on behalf of all Israel, foreshadowing Christ’s fast in the wilderness as He repented on our behalf. As Moses comes down the mountain, he glows with the assurance and gratitude that come only with forgiveness. When God says “I will” in the wake of our unloving faithlessness, we see His faithful love shine brighter than ever.

Rev. Kevin Martin, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 33. “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” Ouch. Exodus 33 can come off pretty harsh, but this needs to be understood in light of the intimate relationship between God and Moses—it’s as if God is blowing off steam “as a man speaks to his friend” (v 11). Their back-and-forth is only possible because of the incarnation, the rock and hiding place that saves us from God’s glorious wrath. Moses spoke to Christ the God-Man in the Proto-Tabernacle, in whom the baptized are called “friends” of God like Moses and Abraham (John 15).

Rev. Joe Cox, Theology teacher at Lutheran High School South in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 32. “So they gave [their gold] to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” Aaron’s attempt to shift the blame only heightens the drama in Exodus 32. As reasonable as their action was—Moses was presumed dead, the idol was meant to represent Yahweh, and the bull was an anti-Egyptian Canaanite symbol—they should’ve known better. “Well we have to do something!” is often a sinful pretense for impatience and rebellion. The death that follows is a natural consequence of idolatry, but we can’t miss how Moses prefigures Christ, choosing to suffer with his people rather than rule in comfort, winning God’s forgiveness so that all would not perish.

Rev. Paul Cain, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sheridan, Wyoming, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 31. If the church is Israel, why don’t Christians observe the Sabbath? It’s the worship practice “above all” others, for all “generations, as a covenant forever.” This is how Exodus 31 concludes God’s explanation of Israel’s worship, even prescribing the death penalty for its violation. Yet the Sabbath is not about a day, but about life. Just as the sons of Judah and Dan would use their craftsmanship for both pious and idolatrous ends, so is our use of play and free time. Ultimately the church observes the Sabbath in the fulfillment of Christ, who gives true rest and “refreshment” through His Word.

Rev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 114 & Psalm 115. Have we been idolizing freedom? Has God driven us outside? Psalms 114 and 115 as we know them work together as a single “hallelujah” song, with refrains of taunting and triumph. These times are not unprecedented, because we see the pattern in God’s Word. The Word drives us to repent and give thanks for the past we too easily forget, not with a random sampling of songs but with “a liturgy for exiles” like us today. We are the early church. We are Israel. God took us out of Egypt, out “from a people of strange language.” No idol or ideal is ultimate for us, only God in the person of Christ Jesus.

Rev. George Murdaugh, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Douglasville, Georgia, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 30. “You shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. [...] Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.” The LORD’s exclusive brand of cologne? Exodus 30 deals with the reality that we humans need tangible and sensory reminders not to treat God like another item on the to-do list. He graciously teaches us and comforts us with the scent and sight of His presence, even deigning to smell like us—as His own Son would. 

Rev. Steven Theiss, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 29. “You shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet.” Ordination ceremonies just aren’t the same anymore! Exodus 29 describes a massive seven-day feast full of smoke, water, and blood. The emphasis however is not adherence to a list of rules, but God’s promise: “I will dwell among the people.” With Christ’s blood and water, we are a new creation head to toe. In Christ, our ordination is so holy that it spills over into every moment of life—and even beyond it.

Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Plano, Texas, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 28. “Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD.” It’s not all about the priests. Exodus 28 shows that worship is an activity of the whole people of Israel, and that through the high priest, every one of the twelve tribes enters into the holy place as gemstones precious to God. The important thing isn’t human decision, but God’s gracious provision and revelation, just as He provided Jesus the High Priest for us—in a humble form that we would never have chosen ourselves.

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor and co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 27. “The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.” That’s a really big portable grill, but it had to be for oxen! Exodus 27 shows how, at every turn, the details of the Tabernacle are practical, because God is King of the whole created order. Yet bronze is also theological, the metal that symbolizes sinners’ holy approach to God—and that approach begins at an altar of sacrifice. The crimson veil and screen were royal and yet evocative of blood, a shadow of how Christ the king’s own blood would allow all people to approach God.

Rev. Richard Mittwede, pastor of University Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Exodus 26. “You shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.” God does not endorse slavery, but He did redeem it in Exodus 26. God takes the workmanship and knowledge that the Israelites gained from their long stay in Egypt and transforms it into holy service, just as God does with our secular vocations. The Tabernacle was a true sanctuary, not only a holy place: but a place of safety, protection, and heavenly peace, whose royal colors pointed ahead to Christ’s royal atonement in the Supper.