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.