Wrestling with Theology

"On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me seven swans a-swimming..." "Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous deeds" (Psalm 119:164).

If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! (Psalm 137:5-6) Peanut Butter The psalmist declares a curse upon himself if he forgets Jerusalem. If he forgets the place where God has caused his name to dwell. In a world that is ruled by the vast majority of righ...

"On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me six geese a-laying..." God created the world in six days. God could have done it differently, but He is a God of order.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work ... For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea,   and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11) Remember God set asi...

"On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me five golden rings..." Moses wrote five books that have served as the basis for understanding God's will and plan for Creation since He led Israel out of Egypt. These books are to be greatly treasured by all who read the Bible.

"On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me four calling birds..." The four Gospels give us a complete and perfect picture of Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem to save us from our sins.

Merry Christmas! The Israelites cross the Red Sea and are baptized into Moses. The Egyptians are crushed while they pursue their former slaves. Many things to bring out in this extended episode.

"On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, three French hens ..." "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Original Broadcast: February 2010 Monthly Theme: Second Commandment [Jesus said:] "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:8-9) Lip Service The greatest misuse of God's name is simply giving lip service to God. This is one of the great complaints made by people against churches who...

"On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two turtledoves..." God gives two words to His people. The Old and New Testaments give us the promise of the Savior.

Original Broadcast: February 2010 Monthly Theme: Second Commandment There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a wizard or a necromancer, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LO...

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree." As the first gift, and the most repeated gift, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for the salvation of sins is the most important gift that our one real true love gives us.

Original Broadcast: February 2010 Monthly Theme: Second Commandment When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. (Acts 23:12) One Bad Oath More than forty men made this pact. They swore to God that they would ignore their own bodies and their own health until Paul was dead at their feet. Many soldiers have made similar oa...

Original Broadcast: February 2010 Monthly Theme: Second Commandment [Jesus said:] "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven." (Matthew 7:21) Not Everyone A loving God wouldn't send anyone to Hell. That's the classic American, quasi-Christian understanding of the afterlife. A loving, grandfatherly God wh...

O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, the anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Original Broadcast: February 2010 Monthly Theme: Second Commandment With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:9-10) Cursing and Blessing "These things ought not to be so." There are many things that ought not to be so. The grea...

O King of the nations, the ruler they long for, the cornerstone uniting all people: Come and save us all, whome You formed out of clay.

O Dayspring, splendor of light everlasting: Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, You open and no one can close, You close and no one can open: Come and rescue the prisoners who are in darkness and the shadow of death.

Original Broadcast: February 2010 Monthly Theme: Second Commandment [An angel of the Lord said to Joseph:] "She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21) Jesus Hymnwriter William How wrote: "Jesus! Name of priceless worth to the fallen of the earth for the promise that it gave, 'Jesus shall His people save'" (LSB #900.3). Jesus...

O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign before the peoples, before whom all kings are mute, to whom the nations will do homage: Come quickly to deliver us.

Original Broadcast: February 2010 Monthly Theme: Second Commandment Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1) Give Thanks God's steadfast love certainly endures forever. When God gave us the commandment concerning His name, He gave us the proper usage. It's proper for us to use God's name to call upon Him "in every trouble, pray, praise and g...

The most important event in the entire Divine Service is the reception of Holy Communion. The Mass is THE doctrine that separates Lutherans from all other Christians. It also serves as the springboard for many of the other articles about the abuses that had snuck into the Roman Church at the time of the Reformation.

O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.

Original Broadcast: February 2010 Monthly Theme: Second Commandment God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." Then He said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14) I AM I AM. Two simple words with a great amount of meaning. Some translations even take this name of YHWH to mean "I exist" or "existence" in general. The world exists because God exists. Without God, ther...