The Gospel of Matthew opens with Joseph finding out that his fiancé is with child from the Holy Spirit and is planning to call off the engagement quietly. That is until an angel intervenes and appeared to Joseph in a dream. Luther House of Study's Nick Hopman teaches Adam, Kiri and Mason about how the virgin birth isn't the most fundamental aspect in this passage, the significance of the angel naming Jesus and what His names means, and the biggest miracle in this text. What is the biggest miracl...
Dec 12, 2022•27 min
After saying, "Behold, the Lamb of God" and having a front row seat to Jesus' baptism, John the Baptist is in prison and second guessing if Jesus is the Messiah. Sarah Stenson explains how this is a great preaching text because John the Baptist needs a preacher—and so do we. Jesus says in this week's lectionary reading, "This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' What does it mean to prepare the way? Jesus isn't ...
Dec 05, 2022•28 min
We meet a wild man in the wilderness of Judea proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." We're joined by Luther House of Study's Lars Olson, who teaches us the definition of repentance and what it means that the kingdom of heaven *has already* come near. Repentance happens to you. You are repented. Encountering God's kingdom completely changes your life. Since God's kingdom has already come, this is not a call to get your life right. Lars teaches Adam, Kiri and Mason what it...
Nov 28, 2022•28 min
It's the first Sunday of Advent and we hear a text about how no one knows what day when our Lord is coming, but we're supposed to keep awake and be ready. Dr. Chris Croghan joins Adam Guthmiller, Kiri Haugen and Mason Van Essen to explain that Advent isn't a time of preparation like many of us mistake it to be. Instead, it's a celebration of what Jesus already did for us on the cross, in His resurrection, at our baptism, and in sermons. Jesus' Word—God's kingdom—breaks in on us and ends the law'...
Nov 21, 2022•21 min
We welcome Luther House of Study's Nick Hopman back to Scripture First to discuss the text for Christ the King Sunday: Jesus on the cross between two criminals at His crucifixion. The Messiah is supposed to be glorious. Yet, here Jesus is. Hanging on the cross. In fact, people all around Christ are tempting Him to be the glorious Messiah and save Himself. But He doesn't. He takes on the sin of the world. Jesus dies. There's no way around it. And we are baptized into Christ's death. We go to our ...
Nov 14, 2022•25 min
Jesus tells his apostles that the temple—the opulent landmark of the day—is going to be destroyed and natural disasters, plagues and wars are coming their way. Oh, and they will be hated because of Jesus' name. Hearing this, it can be jarring hearing that this is the Gospel of our Lord. Sarah Stenson joins Adam Guthmiller, Kiri Haugen, and Mason Van Essen to discuss how a text like this can come across as threats in the law or as promises in the gospel. Why will we be hated because of Jesus? Bec...
Nov 07, 2022•29 min
It's All Saints Sunday, so we ask our guest this week—Lars Olson—what is All Saints Day, why do we celebrate it, and what actually is a saint? His answer helps us understand what Jesus is saying in this week's lectionary text: the Sermon on the Plain. You are made a saint when the Holy Spirit gives you the promise from Christ that says you are forgiven. You are made holy in this promise. This is key when we hear the beatitudes about poverty, hunger, and mourning. Think about what it means to be ...
Oct 31, 2022•21 min
Jesus says, in today's lectionary text, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." This caused Adam and Mason to ask questions like: How do you continue in Jesus' word? What actually is the truth? Sarah Stenson and Dr. Chris Croghan teach us that abiding in Jesus' word is something that happens to you, not something that you do. They also teach us that in a society that's trying to prove that there are multiple truths—...
Oct 24, 2022•27 min
We're tackling the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in today's conversation as Jesus continues to illustrated what he meant in saying, "Whoever seeks to preserve their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life will keep it." Two men go to the temple to pray, one who thinks they're excellent at the law and another who pleads to God to be merciful. Sarah teaches Adam and I in this week's text: what it means to be humbled, how this comparison echos Cain and Abel, and what faith i...
Oct 17, 2022•26 min
In today's lectionary text, Jesus tells us a parable about our need to pray always and not lose heart. We are commanded to pray always. In fact, prayer is a need, but we lose heart and become weary assuming it requires us to be in a constant meditative trace, head to a monastery, or always have our hands folded and our heads bowed. As Lars teaches Adam and I when we ask, "How do we pray always?" that prayer isn't just those concentrated moments before meals. Prayer is connected to faith. The fai...
Oct 10, 2022•24 min
Ten lepers approach Jesus and call out asking him to have mercy on them. Jesus makes them clean and one of the ten lepers turns back to thank and praise Jesus. This spurred a great conversation with Luther House's Sarah Stenson as Adam, Kiri and Mason asked: What is a leper? Is mercy something you seek? What does it mean for your faith to make you well? Spoiler alert: when Jesus healed the ten lepers, he not only healed them physically, but he forgave their sins and gave them faith. It's faith t...
Oct 03, 2022•29 min
In this week's Gospel reading, we hear the disciples say to Jesus, "Lord, increase our faith!" only to have Jesus spout back, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed..." Kiri and I ask Dr. Chris Croghan, "Is faith something you can have more or less of?" Dr. Croghan teaches us in this week's conversation that faith is categorical. You either have it or you don't, and—more importantly—God is the one who gives you faith. In this life filled with sin, death and the devil there will be temptati...
Sep 26, 2022•26 min
Jesus tells a story about a rich man and poor man named Lazarus. They both die and Lazarus was taken up to Abraham and the rich man was sent to be tormented in Hades. He begs for mercy, but Abraham informs him there is a great chasm between them that cannot be crossed. The rich man then begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers, but Abraham replies they have Moses and the prophets. There's a lot to unpack in this week's text, but Nick Hopman gives us the main takeaway: that this text is ...
Sep 19, 2022•30 min
We welcome Lars Olson back to the podcast to discuss the Parable of the Dishonest Manager. A wealthy man's manager is squandering his property and is promptly fired. Before word gets out that he was fired, the manager goes to the wealthy man's business associates to transfer debts from his former employer to himself in exchange for favors. In our conversation, we talk about how cutting deals and transferring debt is the way of the world—both in Jesus' time and today. When you're in debt—financia...
Sep 12, 2022•24 min
In this week's text, Jesus tells tax collectors and sinners one of His most well-known parables: the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Sarah Stenson teaches us that all parables are about election. What's a better demonstration of this than God seeking a lost sinner, putting us on His shoulder, and rejoicing at the lost sheep receiving grace. We also break down verse seven that says, "7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous per...
Sep 05, 2022•26 min
It's official: the Luther House of Study team has made its way through the entire lectionary as this week's text is the text we discussed on episode one three years ago. Jesus uses strong language in this week's text when he said, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple." We assume the ought implies the can. If Jesus says we ought to do something, we think we can do it. The truth of the ma...
Aug 29, 2022•27 min
Yet again, the Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus in the law. What better place to trap him in the law then where societal rules and norms are most scrutinized: a dinner party. Jesus flips the script on the Pharisees by telling them a parable about a wedding banquet that shines a spotlight on how their behavior—at the very dinner party they invited Jesus to—is firmly self-serving and ultimately sinful. You're going to want to hear how Lars Olson breaks down meal practices and lifts up Jesus' for...
Aug 22, 2022•27 min
For the first time on Scripture First, we welcome Luther House of Study's newest professor, Nick Hopman, to the podcast to discuss a passage in Luke where Jesus heals a woman of a spirit that had crippled her for 18 years. The leader of the synagogue takes issue with Jesus' actions because he healed her on the sabbath. Nick breaks down what is the law, how Jesus' Word brings a permanent end to the law, and how the law isn't replaced with a new law but with faith in Christ. Kiri, Adam and Mason a...
Aug 15, 2022•29 min
Jesus is called the Lamb of God, Mighty Counselor, and the Prince of Peace. How then do we understand the opening verse to this week's text where Jesus doesn't sound very peace giving in saying, "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" In this week's conversation, Sarah Stenson teaches us what it means that Jesus came to bring judgement to the earth, and how this image of Jesus is different than the lamb-carrying, Sunday school picture we typically think of. J...
Aug 08, 2022•30 min
When we hear parables and texts like this week's lectionary passage in Luke, we often hear them as imperatives or telling us what to do or how to live our lives. When you hear the text in this week's podcast episode, pay attention to how you react to it. Does your heart automatically think how to accomplish what's being asked? Dr. Chris Croghan teaches us that God doesn't operate in if-then statements like if we are prepared, then we'll be ready when Jesus returns. He works in because-therefore ...
Aug 01, 2022•26 min
Does planning for the future mean you don't trust that God will provide? Spoiler alert: It's about where your heart is. Are you worshipping the created thing or the Creator? The abundance of your life comes from God, not from the treasure that you've stored up for yourself. Inheritance, money and greed are all incredibly important topics in this week's podcast episode. Adam, Kiri and Mason ask: What does it mean to store up a treasure for oneself? Do you owe God anything? Should you save for ret...
Jul 25, 2022•27 min
In this week's lectionary text, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus delivers. The result? The incredible Lord's Prayer. Adam, Kiri and Mason ask Lars: What is prayer, anyway? Are we commanded to pray? Do "muscle memory" prayers like the Lord's Prayer or Come, Lord Jesus function the same as original prayers? You'll hear Lars explain the purpose of prayer, how badly God wants us to pray, and how God prays on our behalf in this week's conversation. Interested in sponsoring an epis...
Jul 18, 2022•25 min
Are you a Martha or are you a Mary? In this week's lectionary text, Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet listening to His Word. Martha is doing the opposite: she's frantically busy with all of her other tasks. Sarah Stenson and Dr. Chris Croghan explain how the depiction of Mary and Martha show us how the law and the gospel function on your conscience and what you should look for in your church's mission statement. Questions Adam, Kiri and Mason ask: Does Jesus have the authority to make Mary help Mar...
Jul 11, 2022•26 min
You may have heard of this week's famous parable: the parable of the Good Samaritan. A lawyer, in the most lawyerly way, asks Jesus the million dollar question: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" It's the question we all want to know the answer to too. And as you'll hear in the lawyer's response, we hear what the law says we must do to inherit eternal life, and, as you'll hear in Jesus' response, we hear how the gospel promise of mercy delivers eternal life. Questions Adam, Kiri and Mason...
Jul 04, 2022•38 min
In a text with sound bites like this: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;" "I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves;" and "I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions," there are plenty of things to cover and many ways to preach this week's lectionary text. But our guest, Dr. Chris Croghan highlights the through-line in this week's passage: that Jesus tells us to plagiarize his word. A word that delivers God's promise. That God authored you and g...
Jun 27, 2022•25 min
In this week's lectionary text, we hear three people say they will follow Jesus: The first says they'll follow Jesus wherever he goes... The second says they will follow Jesus after they've buried their father... The third says they'll follow Jesus after they say goodbye to their family... Through these three examples, Lars Olson teaches us how Jesus depicts what following him looks like in this week's text and how it doesn't matter if you decide to follow Jesus or the Spirit calls you to it: th...
Jun 20, 2022•25 min
In this week's lectionary text, we have what could be a horror movie scene: Jesus finds a demon-possessed man, naked and living in tombs. The townspeople can't protect themselves. They bind him with chains, but the demon easily breaks free and drives the man into the wild. The demons recognize Jesus' divinity and beg him not to send them to the abyss, and Jesus grants their plea and allows them to possess a herd of nearby pigs. As you can imagine, the townspeople can't believe what they're heari...
Jun 13, 2022•31 min
Sarah Stenson is back on Scripture First and makes a point in this week's conversation that people say that Lutherans don't talk about the Holy Spirit. Well, today's conversation should change that perception as we dive into what the Holy Spirit's role is, what the Holy Spirit's role isn't , and how the Holy Spirit relates to both God the Father and Jesus. And, spoiler alert, the Holy Spirit's role is not to guide you in your decision making—who to vote for, what job to take or who to marry. The...
Jun 06, 2022•23 min
For the first time in Scripture First, we're venturing outside of the Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to break down the traditional Pentecost Sunday text in Acts. Many people from many nations who spoke many languages were in Jerusalem for a harvest festival when suddenly divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. The Holy Spirit gave these people the power to preach the gospel in their native tongues, and, as a shock to those who heard it, they understoo...
May 30, 2022•25 min
We talk about "the Gospel" quite a bit on Scripture First, but it may be a fair question to zoom out and ask, "If you had to define it in one sentence, what is the Gospel?" Luckily, Jesus does this for us by giving us the Gospel—in its totality—in a single sentence. Our guests, Lars Olson and Dr. Chris Croghan, say this definition of the Gospel is so good that it serves as the mission statement for all churches. Then, we talk about what it means for Jesus to ascend to God's right hand and launch...
May 23, 2022•25 min
