Thy Strong Word From Kfuo Radio

Rev. Matthew Schultz, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Niskayuna, NY joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study and pray Psalm 20. David prays to His King that He would bless his people. It is a reminder for us to pray for our leaders and know that the LORD is the true leader. The power is in the name of the LORD and not ours. The victory is His and we trust in Him to graciously care for His kingdom in His salvation. “Lord Jesus, as You are our saving King, we ask that You would answer us in our battles, give us the joy of Your salvation, and keep us from evil. In Your name, Amen”

AudioLink Rev. Terry Finnern, pastor of Mt. Calvary & St. Paul’s Lutheran Churches in Miltona, MN joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study and pray Psalm 19. David reflects on everything: God’s creation, God’s law, our sinfulness, God’s salvation, and God’s rock solid redemption in Christ.  By His perfect, sure, right, true, and clean Word, we are able to see His glory through creation keeping grounded in His Creating work.  When we know all the truth revealed to us about God in Christ, we confess like David, “Who can discern his errors?”  Yet, the LORD is gracious to forgive our great transgressions and keep our mouth and heart acceptable in His sight.  “Lord God, my rock and my redeemer, keep us grounded to rightly understand creation and our sin through the lens of Your grace in Christ.  Keep us in the narrow way that we may enjoy all Your gifts and be sustained while we live and when we die.  In Your name, Amen” 

Rev. Levi Willms, pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Yankton, SD joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study and pray Psalm 129. “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth” says all of Israel. God’s people had gone through afflictions throughout the entirety of their lives and in hope, they seek the righteousness of God. The Psalmist asks the Lord to keep enemies from prevailing, keep them from bearing fruit, that we may bless the LORD and bless others through affliction as the Lord is righteous. “Lord God, when we suffer afflictions, give us Your righteousness to know that evil will not prevail. Take away evil and give us words of blessing to one another in Your name. Lord have mercy. Amen”

Rev. Aaron Stinnett, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Smithfield, RI joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study and pray Psalm 130 & 131. Martin Luther was once asked concerning his favorite psalms and he mentioned that Psalm 130 was a “Pauline psalm.” Psalm 130 proclaims a gracious and forgiving God who is quick to listen and quick with grace. The authors of both psalms are pleading for mercy from the depths and a “low heart” knowing that this LORD does not mark iniquities, He provides us with peace, and fills us with hope. Keep praying saints, your LORD listens, and quiets our souls by His grace. “Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD, O Lord hear my voice. I wait for You, O LORD, my soul waits and in his word, I hope. Lord have mercy. Amen”

Rev. Greg Truwe, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cole Camp, MO joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 25:14-30. The Master generously entrusts His kingdom to His servants. The Master will be returning and it is clear that the servant’s stewardship of this kingdom will have its challenges. The servants that gained more talents were brought into the joy of their Master. The servant with one talent is a cause of lament as he did not see the Master for who He was: Merciful! Instead of trusting the Master to have mercy, the servant fears the strength of the Master. We have a merciful Master, Jesus Christ our LORD, who has done ALL the work of mercy on the cross who takes on what we deserve. With that merciful Master with us, the One who has invited us to His joy, we live in that grace to love and serve Him and others. “Lord God, as You generously and joyously provide Your gifts to us, keep our hearts to remember that You are a merciful Master so that we faithfully use Your Amen”

Rev. Tysen Bibb, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Norborne, MO joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 25:1-13. The Church waits for Christ’s return as the virgins wait for the bridegroom. To be ready for his coming required a lamp to be lit. To wait can cause us to lose focus and become drowsy like the virgins. When the bridegroom returned at midnight five virgins had enough oil and five did not. Faith, the oil in the lamp, is what is required to enter the wedding feast and you can’t have faith for another. The song “Give me oil in my lamp, keep it burning, burning, burning” is a good prayer for Him to keep us close to Himself and we ask for that same oil for others. “O LORD, keep us awake, fill us with Your gifts of salvation to be ready when You return. You give us the reality of Your return because of Your love for us, give us hope as we wait and joyfully serve in Your kingdom. Amen”

Rev. Max Phillips, pastor of Christ and Zion Lutheran Churches in Bouton & Ogden, IA, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 24:32-51. The time is near. Repent. Believe in the Word that will not pass away. Jesus reminds us that we live trusting in the LORD, not knowing when He will return, to be ready for His return. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word will not pass away. The timing of Christ's return is not as important as living in faith. If we assume that we will always have more time, these words can be scary, but knowing that Christ has done it all on the cross, we can live in comfort each day. “O Holy Spirit, fill us with the comfort of the cross and give us the words to proclaim about Christ and Him crucified so that others may believe and serve in Your kingdom. Make us ready, O LORD. Lord have mercy. Amen”

Rev. Robert Wentzel, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 24:15-31. “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).” In love, Jesus prepares the disciples for His quick and dynamic return. For the believer, it will be a day of rejoicing, which reminds us of the need to continue to faithfully preach the truth of Christ’s salvation & forgiveness in this life and the life to come. In Christ, it is well with our souls. Come quickly! “And, Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll, The trumpet shall sound and the Lord shall descend, even so it is well with my soul.” Lutheran Service Book 763

Rev. Michael Pottschmidt, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School in Concordia, MO joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 23:37-24:14. In love, Jesus laments the lost sheep of Jerusalem and teaches the truth of His second coming. We are to be careful to not take Jesus’ words as a literal checklist we can interpret from the newspaper. He makes sure that we understand the reality of this broken world (wars, rumors of wars, persecution, false Christ’s, famines, and earthquakes) and shows us where our hope lies: His kingdom. Stay steadfast, endure until the end, and lay hold on His salvation. “Fight the good fight with all your might; Christ is your strength, and Christ your right. Lay hold on life, and it shall be, Your joy and crown eternally. Amen” Lutheran Service Book 664

Rev. Kyle Mietzner, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Anchorage, AK joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 23:1-36. In love, Jesus gave His last sermon to the religious leaders and what a sermon it was. Woe to anyone who attempts to gain the world but loses the LORD. Woe to those who lead others astray. Woe to anyone who attempts to tithe their possessions without faith denying justice and mercy. Woe to anyone who looks shiny and bright while actually spiritually dead. Repent, O saints, follow His Word and look again to Christ. “Christ be my leader by night as by day; Safe through the darkness for He is the way. Gladly I follow, my future His care, darkness is daylight when Jesus is there. Amen” Lutheran Service Book 861:1

Rev. Lance O’Donnell, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in Oconomowoc, WI joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 22:15-46. If what Jesus is saying is true, it changes everything. The full salvation by Christ’s hand changes how we look at our relationship to Him, our neighbors, and our government. Everything is wrapped around the Love of God to His people in Christ and in response, He sends His Holy Spirit so that we live a holy life of love of Him and to others. Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees concerning the Christ reminds us to continuously go back to the Scriptures for our understanding of Him and to go back to Christ’s salvation for our hope. “Lord Jesus, Your Word is Truth—You are the Truth. Call us out for sin and continuously bring us back to You for our hope. Reform our lives that we may love the LORD with all of our heart, soul and mind and love others as ourselves. O Holy Spirit, enter in. Amen”

Rev. Dr. John Wohlrabe Jr., pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Whitefish Bay, WI, and 2nd Vice President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 22:1-14. Our King, God the Father, invites people to His Feast of salvation. The rich feast was promised in Isaiah 25 and a promise for the world. The reactions of this invitation are quite varied, but the king continues to freely invite by His grace. When the guests come into the wedding hall, there are some who dishonor the king by not wearing the wedding garment. Even with this dishonoring, the King patiently calls the guests Friend, yet without repentance there are dire consequences. “O Jesus Christ, invite us again to Your feast of salvation. Use us as Your servants to invite others to Your feast. Lord have mercy. Amen”

Rev. Dr. Christopher Ascher, pastor of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, SD joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 21:33-46. Jesus patiently teaches another parable concerning the wickedness of the tenants (religious leaders of those days). This parable is both scary and strange. What master would send multiple people to terrible tenants, let alone his own son? As we put on our Christ goggles, we see a patient and merciful master (God the Father) who would be willing to give His own Son even to wicked tenants. Yet, this proclamation has a strong warning: Repent and believe for there will be a time of separation. This cornerstone of Christ is our foundation but for those who deny His Son will be crushed by the weight taken out of His vineyard. “O Holy Spirit, bring us to repentance to live in Your fruitful vineyard. Give repentance to others in our lives so that the gifts of forgiveness and salvation may be theirs. Amen”

Rev. Drew Ross, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Costa Mesa, CA joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 21:18-32. Jesus challenges us to faith. Faith in a God who created the mountains, faith in the God who has all authority, and faith in the one who calls us sons. He leaves no room for diplomacy, either Jesus is the Son of the Living God or not. From His mercy, He calls all of us as sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, and religious leaders to trust in His authority, repentance, and renewal in Christ. “Almighty God, we see our lack of faith and ask by Your Holy Spirit lead to contrition and trust in You. Give us boldness to confess the truth of Christ, leave aside all diplomacy, and proclaim the truth of Christ’s salvation. In His name, Amen”

Rev. Steven Wheeler, pastor of Crossview Lutheran Church in Edina, MN joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 21:1-17. Jesus is taking control, as the greatest servant, to how He will do the ultimate service through the cross. The people needed a reminder what kind of King He would be–gentle, humble, and bringing salvation. “Who is this?” many asked. Even though they did not fully understand the fullness of who Jesus was, by His grace even the mouth of babes are able to clearly confess that this prophet, priest, and king have come for all nations. We join the lame, blind, and children today so that we may sing our Hosannas as the LORD has saved us and saves us now. “Lord God, Hosanna in the Highest, blessed are You who comes in the name of the LORD. Lord, as The Temple, fill us with the words of babes knowing that the sacrifice is complete and You have come for all nations. In Him, Amen”

Rev. Martin Schultheis, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Baltimore, MD joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 20:20-34. “Mother knows best” brings up many questions as we look at James and John’s mother’s request. We can be quick to judge the requests and others without reflecting on what we might do in the same situation. Jesus’ mother asked for her son’s to have a place of honor in His kingdom, the disciples probably desired the same thing, but the blind men asked for mercy. In His mercy, He served us by our cross and, living in us calls us to serve others in His name. “Lord God, as Your Son came to serve, help us to be servants of others. Fill our hearts with faith and our lips to seek Your mercy that, by Your Strength we may serve You and others faithfully. In Christ, Amen” Thy 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, vers

Rev. Joshua Heimbuck, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Ashland, OR joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 20:1-19. We trust in the Lord’s generosity as He generously gives us salvation in Christ. Jesus shows how His kingdom is one of generous salvation to all people by His blood. He shows us this promise that by His death and resurrection we are saved. The problem is not His generosity, but how we want Him to give as we see fit. Our lives are to be centered on His gift of salvation and trust in His generosity. “Lord God, thank You for choosing to save us only by grace, not our own doing, but Your work on the cross. Fill us with this salvation and give us joyful hearts to celebrate Your grace to all people. In Christ, Amen”

Rev. Dr. Gerard Bolling, pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Louis, MO and Assistant Professor of Leadership and Theology at Concordia University-Texas in Austin, TX, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 19:16-30. The rich young man asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus patiently teaches the young man concerning salvation from a good God and our idolatry. The rubber hits the road when Jesus hits him where it hurts—weath. Wealth accumulation leads the sinner to ask, “When is enough—enough?” Jesus not only shows the failings of idolatry, but the source of all that is good. Salvation is not from our source, salvation comes solely from Christ’s cross. His call to follow Him is a reminder that we are to look outside ourselves to our God who is faithful in all things. “O Lord, help us to look to Your Son as our source of everything. Teach us, O Savior, to drop our idols, knowing that we can not find our hope in them, but our hope is that You bring us closer to You for our hope

Rev. Dr. Brian Saunders, District President of the Iowa East District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 19:1-15. The Pharisees were testing Jesus to trip him up concerning divorce by misquoting the Bible. Divorce has affected all of us and the sin that has caused it leaves a trail of pain. Jesus brings them back to the beginning by showing that marriage is a gift from the LORD of a husband and wife. The life of the Christian is a life of repentance and forgiveness and the same applies to the married couple. The most important three words in a Christian marriage is not “I love you” but “I forgive you.” The married couple, those who have been divorced, the extended family, the single person all live in the hope not in our strength or perfection, but in the forgiveness won for us in Christ. “Lord God, keep us steadfast in Your Word. Thank you for the gift of marriage that reflects Your love for the church and uplifts us in body and soul. Bless all marriages to hol

Rev. Peter Burfeind, pastor of Agnus Dei Lutheran Church in Marshall, MI & Our Savior Lutheran Church in Union City, MI joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study Matthew 18:21-35. Forgiveness of sinners is the heartbeat of the Christian. Forgiveness is needed because there are many who are lost in their sin. Peter, on behalf of the disciples, was given the office of the keys and now asks, “How often should I use these keys?” The message is clear from Jesus’ words and the parable is that forgiveness is given as much as it is needed. We have received full forgiveness by the blood of Christ, 10,000 talents worth of sin, but yet, we struggle to forgive others for the smallest of sin. “Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for the undeserved, full forgiveness You graciously give to me. By Your power, help us to forgive others as often as You forgive us knowing that we are unworthy but in Your love You make us worthy. In Your name, Amen”