Wrestling with Theology

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6) "Those Who Hunger and Thirst" Jesus gives us a wonderful message in this seemingly complicated sentence. But it becomes clear once you see how it interrelates to itself. In the Bible, to "hunger" means to crave something with an ardent, eager desire. To "thirst" means to painfully feel the longi...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "O God of Mercy, God of Might" Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Sixth Petition Large Catechism: III 99-111 Scripture: Galatians 5:16-26 Commentary: Augustine, Galatians 51

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5) "The Meek" Who are the meek? And what is meekness? It's a display of patience in the reception of injury. The meek don't surrender their rights as human beings, they trust that God will avenge the wrongs done to them as He has promised (Romans 12:19). Meekness shows itself most clearly as Jesus stands before Annas on Good Frid...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "Renew Me, O Eternal Light" Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fifth Petition Large Catechism: III 85-98 Scripture: Psalm 51 Commentary: Augustine, Sermon 19.3

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4) "Those Who Mourn" Every one of us have mourned over something in our lives: the loss of a parent, a child, a beloved pet, a brother, a sister, a friend. Many things have been "lost" in our lives that leave us sad with their absence. However, those who have lost loved ones who believed in Jesus as their Lord and Savior have t...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "God Will Take Care of You" Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Fourth Petition Large Catechism: III 71-84 Scripture: Psalm 145:14-21 Commentary: Bede, Homilies on the Gospels 2.14

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:3) "Poor in Spirit" The poor in spirit are those who understand that they are beggars before a righteous God. We are spiritually destitute because we know that we haven't been as faithful to God as we ought. We walk around many times only as spiritual zombies, seeking in vain to find ourselves "good enough". But what...

Wrestling Profile: Road Warriors (all incarnations) Digging Deeper: Exodus 4

"For His steadfast love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1b) The hundred and thirty-sixth psalm has our great refrain for meditation this morning. In fact, it has our refrain twenty-six times. Every verse ends with the words, "for His steadfast love endures forever". The psalmist goes through the entire history of the children of Israel from Creation until they arrived at the Promised Land. He starts...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "O Day Full of Grace" Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Second Petition Large Catechism: III 49-58 Scripture: Colossians 1:9-14 Commentary: Leo the Great, Sermons 57.5.1-2

"The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore." (Psalm 121:7-8) This passage is used right after the Baptism of a new Christian. It is a blessing upon him or her that God will always be with them wherever they go. This is the same type of blessing that God commanded through Moses concerning t...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "Gracious God, You Send Great Blessings" Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, First Petition Large Catechism: III 35-48 Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16 Commentary: Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 10

"The Lord says to my lord: 'Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'" (Psalm 110:1) We know what a footstool is used for. What does God mean here? The imagery here is militaristic in nature. In the Ancient Near East, it was customary at the end of a battle for the losing king to be thrown down face first at the feet of the winning king. The winning king would then step on t...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" Small Catechism: Lord's Prayer, Introduction Large Catechism: III 17-23 Scripture: Psalm 103 Commentary: Fulgentius of Rupse, On the Forgiveness of Sins 2.10.4

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!" (Psalm 100:4) Praise and thanksgiving. That's how we're supposed to enter God's gates. We're to do this because it's God's will. We do this because it is what we owe God as our Creator and Shepherd, but we also do this to celebrate our gratitude for everything He has done for us. He wants the relat...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright" Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Third Article Large Catechism: II 61-65 Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-6 Commentary: Jerome, Ephesians 1.1.4

For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, Lest you strike your foor against a stone." (Psalm 91:11-12) Pop culture enjoys the idea of guardian angels. There have been many television shows that have focused on these angels. All coming from this morning's psalm. Satan even used this idea as he tempted Jesus. He took Jesus up t...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "When All of God's Singers Get Home" Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Third Article Large Catechism: II 51-56 Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-12 Commentary: Oecumenius, Commentary on 1 Peter

Wrestling Profile: New Age Outlaws Wrestling Link: First Title win against the Road Warriors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW9nlWiqJcQ Common Ground: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part I, Section 1, Chapter 2 (paragraphs 50-141)

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:17) God has always been a God who demanded sacrifices. As Hebrews says, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (9:22). But even for the Israelites, there was still the Gospel message. The Israelites offered sacrifices day and night, slaughtering bulls and goats...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "Our God, He Is Alive" Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Third Article Large Catechism: II 35-39 Scripture: Psalm 139:7-10 Commentary: 1 Clement 28

Series: Familiar Psalms Original Broadcast: September 2007 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4) The valley of the shadow of death. That's an apt description of our fallen world. We have a war that's been raging for six years since the attacks on the World Trade Center. We wor...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "The Day Is Surely Drawing Near" Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Second Article Augsburg Confession: XVII Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Commentary: Ambrose, On Belief in the Resurrection 2.47-48

The first of the classic Moments of Meditation that originally aired from September 2007 until March 2018 on KJOE-FM 106.1 in Slayton, MN. Series: Familiar Psalms Original Broadcast: September 2007   "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." (Psalm 1:3) The man who walks in the counsel o...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Second Article Large Catechism: II 31-33 Scripture: John 20:1-10 Commentary: Hesychius of Jerusalem, Easter Homily 5-6