Wrestling with Theology

Original Broadcast: Easter 2009 Monthly Theme: Third Article Gifts [Jesus said:] "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd." (John 10:16) One Church Jesus says there is only one Church. As we go through this month, we'll look into what the Third Article of the Creed says about the Chur...

Original Broadcast: Lent 2009 Monthly Theme: The Passion according to St. Mark And when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39) Centurion's Confession When we look at the events of our Lord's Passion, we generally think about His disciples and the women who followed Him from Galilee. But what about t...

riginal Broadcast: Lent 2009 Monthly Theme: The Passion according to St. Mark And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34) Forsaken Stricken. Smitten. Afflicted. Forsaken. All words to describe Jesus at the ninth hour of the day on Good Friday. This fourth Word of Jesus on the Cross comes...

riginal Broadcast: Lent 2009 Monthly Theme: The Passion according to St. Mark And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. (Mark 15:33) Three Hours of Darkness For three hours the horrible wrath of God was seen in the pitch darkness that overtook the earth. During the middle of the day, at high noon, instead of being the brightest part of that day,...

This week we wrestle with who the Holy Spirit is and what He does in the Church and the world. Our understanding of the Third Person of the Trinity helps to shape many of the other doctrines of the faith. We need to look at this very closely, especially as subtle differences can make drastic changes in our theology.

Original Broadcast: Lent 2009 Monthly Theme: The Passion according to St. Mark And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture Me? Day after day I was with you in the Temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled." (Mark 14:48-49) Finally Arrested? It had been four days since Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem with the...

riginal Broadcast: Lent 2009 Monthly Theme: The Passion according to St. Mark And [Jesus] said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will." (Mark 14:36) "Remove This Cup From Me" Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane a great prayer, a dark prayer. A prayer even though He already knew the answer. In His sorrow, He looks for a...

Original Broadcast: Lent 2009 Monthly Theme: The Passion according to St. Mark [Jesus said:] "And wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, Where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?'" (Mark 14:14) "Where is My Guest Room?" In preparation for the Feast, Jesus sent two of His disciples to Jerusalem. It was time for Jesus and His disciples to...

Original Broadcast: Lent 2009 Monthly Theme: The Passion according to St. Mark [Jesus said:] "She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the Gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." (Mark 14:8-9) "Anointed My Body ... For Burial" An expensive waste of resources. That's what the dis...

Original Broadcast: Lent 2009 Monthly Theme: The Passion according to St. Mark It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest Him by stealth and kill Him, for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people." (Mark 14:1-2) "Not During the Feast" The chief priests and scribes wante...

As I return from a brief hiatus, we move back into the Apostolic Fathers, taking a look at 1 Clement 9-13. This section follows a similar path to Hebrews 11-12, referencing the faith of the Old Testament saints. The Roman presbyters encourage us to imitate the humility of saints like Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Lot and Rahab.

 Original Broadcast: February 2009 Monthly Theme: Holy Spirit (Apostles' Creed) Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:5-6) The Second Birth Nicodemus came to Jesus by night with questions. Everyone understood...

 Original Broadcast: February 2009 Monthly Theme: Holy Spirit (Apostles' Creed) Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You. (Psalm 51:13) Converted A key word in the work of the Holy Spirit is "conversion". But we don't typically talk about it today in the same sense that the Bible teaches it. Today, we generally talk about conversion in relation to marriage. Tw...

 Original Broadcast: February 2009 Monthly Theme: Holy Spirit (Apostles' Creed) So faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) "Faith Comes By Hearing St. Paul reiterates the necessity of hearing the Word of God to create, renew and strengthen faith in believers. Coming to church on a rare occasion or allowing your Bible to collect dust on the shelf doesn't...

 Original Broadcast: February 2009 Monthly Theme: Holy Spirit (Apostles' Creed) And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) Keeps Me in the One True Faith "Always finish what you start." That's a bit of wisdom we've probably all received while growing up. There's no point in leaving a job half-finished....

 Original Broadcast: February 2009 Monthly Theme: Holy Spirit (Apostles' Creed) Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3) Enlightened After the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel, He enlightens us with His gifts. What gifts are these? Primarily the saving k...

Original Broadcast: February 2009 Monthly Theme: Holy Spirit (Apostles' Creed)   He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5) Sanctified St. Paul reminds Titus that salvation is not by works. It is solely by God's grace through the washing of Baptism. Sanctification onl...

 Original Broadcast: February 2009 Monthly Theme: Holy Spirit (Apostles' Creed) But how are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (Romans 10:14) Called by the Gospel St. Paul goes through this series of questions throughout the last half of Romans 10. He leads this...

Original Broadcast: February 2009 Monthly Theme: Holy Spirit (Apostles' Creed)   For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:11) Third Person The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit is the most mysterious member of the Trinity. He...

 Original Broadcast: January 2009 Monthly Theme: Jesus' Exaltation (Apostles' Creed) [Jesus said:] "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." (Matthew 25:31-32) Judge of the Living a...

Original Broadcast: January 2009 Monthly Theme: Jesus' Exaltation (Apostles' Creed)   [Christ] is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. (Romans 8:34) He Sits When we confess that Jesus "sits at the right hand of the Father," we are not locating Him in a fixed position. When we arrive in Heaven, there will not be a neon sign directing us, showing us the point that is "the ri...

 Original Broadcast: January 2009 Monthly Theme: Jesus' Exaltation (Apostles' Creed) And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. (Acts 1:9) Ascended Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!! For forty days after He rose from the dead, Jesus continued to appear to His disciples. On the fortieth day, there was a bi...

 Original Broadcast: January 2009 Monthly Theme: Jesus' Exaltation (Apostles' Creed) But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:5-6) "The Tomb is Empty!!" Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!! Mary Magdalene, Salome and Joanna went to...

Original Broadcast: January 2009 Monthly Theme: Jesus' Exaltation (Apostles' Creed)  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah,...

Original Broadcast: January 2009 Monthly Theme: Jesus' Exaltation (Apostles' Creed)   Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12) Exaltation The Second Article of the Creed is really two sections: Jesus' state of humiliation, or His Incarnation, and Jesus' state of exaltation. Looking at the Christmas story throughout December, we saw h...