Concord Matters From Kfuo Radio

Rev. Dan Torkelson, pastor of St. Johns Lutheran Church in North Prairie, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 2 Samuel 21. “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” A deal’s a deal.  Long before King David, God had forbidden the Israelites from making covenants with the people west of the Jordan River. Joshua only accepted the Gibeonites’ proposal because he’d been deceived. And yet, even though the covenant was based on fraud, God still held Israel to their word, and He demanded justice for the Gibeonites. Similarly, for the sake of his covenant with Saul, David has mercy on Mephibosheth and Rizpah. We too are undeserving, but God shows us mercy for the sake of the covenant written in Christ’s blood. We’re weak and ignoble enemies of God, but He always keeps faith. For Him, by His grace, a deal’s a deal.

How does an artist express and confess our Lutheran beliefs and doctrine become sacred art? What is unique about Lutheran sacred art, and how do artists pull together doctrine, scripture, and the life of the church to create visual representations of the faith? Artist Edward Riojas joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss how to create sacred art with our Lutheran doctrine. Find his work at edriojasartist.com.

What do we confess through our art in both our personal and worship spaces? How does liturgical or sacred art help us to keep our minds on things above? What are common symbols in liturgical art, and how do these symbols and common threads teach the faith? Rev. Jim Roemke, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss how our confessions translate into art in our liturgical spaces.

What does a church's form and structure say about the services that happen in it? How do our theology, confessions, and doctrine translate into how a worship space looks? Are lighting and acoustics really pastoral matters? (Hint: yes.) Rev. Randy Asburry, pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri, joins host Rev. Sean Smith for this discussion. See photos from Hope's renovation at facebook.com/hopelutheranstl.

How do the Lutheran Confessions translate into the details of our Lutheran Worship? What did Lutheran worship look like for the Lutheran confessors of the 16th century? Rev. Sean Daenzer, Director of Worship for the LCMS and Chaplain for the LCMS International Center, joins host Rev. Sean Smith for this discussion.

Is there room for disagreement in worship practices? How do we consider and work through the differences in worship? How do we seek unity in our confession of faith by our worship practices? Rev. Sean Daenzer— Director of Worship for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and Chaplain at the LCMS International Center, and Rev. Larry Beane— pastor of  Salem Lutheran Church in Gretna, Louisiana, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss adiaphora in worship.

What does it mean to be reverent, and how do we have reverent worship? How do the "things" of our worship relate to reverence? What is the real reverence of worship? What constitutes irreverence in worship? Chaplain Sean Daenzer, Director of Worship for the LCMS and Chaplain at the International Center joins host Rev. Sean Smith for this study.

What do we LCMS Lutherans mean when we talk about worship? How does our language, including use of metonymy and synecdoche, shape how we talk about worship? Where do we learn about Lutheran worship and divine service in our Lutheran confessions, and what do those passages teach us about right worship? Chaplain Sean Daenzer, Director of Worship for the LCMS and Chaplain at the International Center joins host Rev. Sean Smith for this study.

What is the foundation for discussion of Concord within the Christian Church? What does unity look like in the Christian Church? How is such unity preserved? How do we handle disunity, heterodoxy, and heresy in the Church? Where would be a good “first-step” place to go in the Book of Concord to help us handle these matters? Rev. David Wiist, pastor of Concordia Lutheran in Evansville, Indiana, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss how our Lutheran confessions matter for us to live peaceably as the body of Christ.

What is a soul? What does it mean to care for souls, and why is that important? Is it different from mental health therapy? How does right understanding of the care of souls affect how pastors care for their flock? Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, Minnesota, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Concord Matters for the care of souls.

The historical context of the Book of Concord is quite intricate. Cultural and political influences abounded in the 1500-1600s and caused tricky situations for the young Lutheran church in Saxony and across German territories. The Saxon Visitation Articles from 1592 brought standards to Lutheran practice across Saxony and were brought to America by Saxon Lutherans. This small part, not officially part of the Book of Concord, holds great historical and doctrinal value for our Lutheran confessions. Rev. Brian Thomas, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Diego, California, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Saxon Visitation Articles in the Appendix to the Book of Concord.

What is the Catalog of Testimonies included in the Appendix of the Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord? (Did you even know that was there?) Why does it matter a great deal that our church fathers wrote and spoke in accordance with the Word of God? Why should we study what our church fathers believed and taught? Rev. Anthony Dodgers, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Charlotte, Iowa, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Catalog of Testimonies in the Appendix of the Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord.

What do we believe about confession and why should we want to go to confession? What are the two kinds of confession? How is confession and absolution balm to weary souls? Rev. Mark Barz, pastor of Crown of Life Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Martin Luther's "A Brief Exhortation to Go to Confession."

The old saying goes, "if we do not learn from history we will have to repeat history's mistakes." On this episode we will dig in to the history and background of the Formula of Concord, including how it came into being and succeeded in healing the young strife-torn Lutheran Church. We learn wisdom from it that, God-willing, creates the setting for us to approach controversies that threaten our unity in the Church today. Rev. Jaime Nava, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Maplewood, Missouri, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the history, background, and setting for the Formula of Concord. (This is a rebroadcast from November 26, 2019.)

Who are the Schwenkfeldians and how are they related to the Reformation? What is the proper understanding of Christ's incarnation? How do our beliefs about the sacraments differ from those opposed to our Lutheran Confessions? How does everything boil down to the proper distinction between Law and Gospel? Rev. Paul Cain, senior pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church and headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School in Sheridan, Wyoming, and Secretary and Webmaster on the board for the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education (CCLE), joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss The Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Article XII: Other Factions ‹Heresies› and Sects that Never Embrace the Augsburg Confession (Erroneous Articles of the Schwenkfeldians - Paragraphs 20-27).

What are the three estates that Christians are a part of? How are government, church, and family different vocational spheres, and how do our beliefs about these estates shape our daily lives as Christians? How do we partake in each of these estates as faithful Christians? Rev. Matt Richard, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Minot, North Dakota, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss The Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Article XII: Other Factions ‹Heresies› and Sects that Never Embrace the Augsburg Confession (Articles that cannot be tolerated in the Government & Domestic Life - Paragraphs 12-19).

Why is it important to also confess what we reject? What are the teachings that we do reject? How are these teachings connected to ancient heresies, and how does our Lutheran doctrine teach against these things? Rev. Matt Richard, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Minot, North Dakota, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss The Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Article XII: Other Factions ‹Heresies› and Sects that Never Embrace the Augsburg Confession (Erroneous Articles of the Anabaptists - Paragraph 2-11).

What do "heresy," "orthodox," and "heterodox" mean, especially in the context of our Lutheran confessions? How does the history of our Lutheran confessions compare to other denominations? How do we use our confessions to compare what we believe to what others believe? How is Christ in the center of our Lutheran confessions? Rev. Jaime Nava, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Maplewood, Missouri, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss The Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Article XII: Other Factions ‹Heresies› and Sects that Never Embrace the Augsburg Confession (History/Setting/Background - Paragraph 1).

How is Election a comforting thing? How does discussion on Election always come back to Jesus? What are some false views of predestination that Lutherans do not agree with? Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, Minnesota, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss The Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Article XI: God's Eternal Foreknowledge and Election (Negative Statements).

Why are some saved and not others? If we cannot climb into the mind of God, how can we be assured of our election? How is predestination all about the comfort of the Gospel? Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Amston, CT, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Epitome of the Formula of Concord, Article XI: God’s Eternal Foreknowledge and Election (Affirmative Statements).