Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

The Christians in Corinth are acting haughty, supposing themselves to be like kings, while the apostles who brought them the Gospel are hungry, dishonored, and treated like garbage. Despite this, Paul tells them, “Be imitators of me.” Why would anyone want to follow him? Beneath Paul’s sharp words is a spiritual father’s concern for children who have become disconnected from the cross. This episode explores what they have misunderstood about life in Christ, and how God’s power can be at work even in ministry that appears weak according to worldly reason.

The Rev. Robert Smith, pastor emeritus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 4:1–21.

What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggling with pride and division. Through it all, he keeps bringing them back to Christ crucified and risen.

In 2 Corinthians, the strained relationship between Paul and the people he loves brings its own painful questions about forgiveness, faithful ministry, suffering, and weakness. These letters give us the treasure in jars of clay, the promise of resurrection, and the assurance that Christ’s grace is sufficient. Join Thy Strong Word as we study 1 and 2 Corinthians verse by verse and hear what God speaks to a troubled church He has called His own.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

The Corinthians were taking sides over their favorite preachers, but Paul reminds them who makes the Church grow. Pastors plant and water; God gives the growth. Jesus Christ is the only foundation, and what is built upon Him will be tested as through fire. As Paul calls the congregation God’s holy temple, he exposes the foolishness of boasting in human leaders and delivers a greater promise: “You are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”

The Rev. Ryan Kleimola, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Toledo, Ohio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 3:1–23.

To learn more about Trinity in Toledo, visit trinitylutheran.org.

What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggling with pride and division. Through it all, he keeps bringing them back to Christ crucified and risen.

In 2 Corinthians, the strained relationship between Paul and the people he loves brings its own painful questions about forgiveness, faithful ministry, suffering, and weakness. These letters give us the treasure in jars of clay, the promise of resurrection, and the assurance that Christ’s grace is sufficient. Join Thy Strong Word as we study 1 and 2 Corinthians verse by verse and hear what God speaks to a troubled church He has called His own.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Paul came to Corinth trembling and without lofty and complicated arguments. Instead, he proclaimed with boldness and with Christ crucified at the center of his preaching. Through that message, then and today, the Holy Spirit brings people to faith and reveals a wisdom the rulers of every age had failed to recognize. Paul challenges the Corinthians' confidence in human wisdom and explains how God makes His saving gifts known through the Spirit's own words. What does it mean, then, to have "the mind of Christ"?

The Rev. Curtis Deterding, pastor emeritus in Fort Myers, Florida, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 2:1-16.

What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggling with pride and division. Through it all, he keeps bringing them back to Christ crucified and risen.

In 2 Corinthians, the strained relationship between Paul and the people he loves brings its own painful questions about forgiveness, faithful ministry, suffering, and weakness. These letters give us the treasure in jars of clay, the promise of resurrection, and the assurance that Christ’s grace is sufficient. Join Thy Strong Word as we study 1 and 2 Corinthians verse by verse and hear what God speaks to a troubled church He has called His own.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

A crucified Savior? To a world looking for impressive signs and persuasive wisdom, the message sounds absurd. Paul puts that very message at the center of God’s saving work and asks the Corinthians to reconsider what makes someone wise, powerful, or worth following. God chooses the weak and despised, brings human boasting to nothing, and gives sinners everything they need in Christ: righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

The Rev. John Lukomski, pastor emeritus and co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 1:18–31.

What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggling with pride and division. Through it all, he keeps bringing them back to Christ crucified and risen.

In 2 Corinthians, the strained relationship between Paul and the people he loves brings its own painful questions about forgiveness, faithful ministry, suffering, and weakness. These letters give us the treasure in jars of clay, the promise of resurrection, and the assurance that Christ’s grace is sufficient. Join Thy Strong Word as we study 1 and 2 Corinthians verse by verse and hear what God speaks to a troubled church He has called His own.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

“I follow Paul.” “I follow Apollos.” The Christians in Corinth are picking sides, and Paul has a pointed question for them: Was your favorite preacher crucified for you? As we begin our study of 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses a divided church as saints, gives thanks for the grace God has given them, and calls them back to the crucified Savior whose name they bear in Baptism.

The Rev. John Zimmerman, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pittston, Pennsylvania, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 1:1-17.

To learn more about Immanuel in Scranton, visit immanuelscranton.org.

What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggling with pride and division. Through it all, he keeps bringing them back to Christ crucified and risen.

In 2 Corinthians, the strained relationship between Paul and the people he loves brings its own painful questions about forgiveness, faithful ministry, suffering, and weakness. These letters give us the treasure in jars of clay, the promise of resurrection, and the assurance that Christ’s grace is sufficient. Join Thy Strong Word as we study 1 and 2 Corinthians verse by verse and hear what God speaks to a troubled church He has called His own.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggling with pride and division. Through it all, he keeps bringing them back to Christ crucified and risen.

In 2 Corinthians, the strained relationship between Paul and the people he loves brings its own painful questions about forgiveness, faithful ministry, suffering, and weakness. These letters give us the treasure in jars of clay, the promise of resurrection, and the assurance that Christ’s grace is sufficient. Join Thy Strong Word as we study 1 and 2 Corinthians verse by verse and hear what God speaks to a troubled church He has called His own.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Which headline is real? In this edition of Headlines, the Free-Text First Friday news quiz, Pastor Booe puts his guest to the test with three rounds of strange theology and religion news. Each round features three stories, one real and two invented, and once the truth is revealed, the strange news opens into a deeper conversation about Scripture, theology, and the life of the Church.

The Rev. Shawn Ethridge, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Fulda, Minnesota, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe for Headlines.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

The Song ends where Genesis began, under a tree in a garden with two people who are not ashamed. Solomon points us to Revelation 22, Eden restored, and the New Heavens and the New Earth. Love is as strong as death, Solomon writes, and it is the flame of the LORD Himself, which many waters cannot quench. Then brothers appear, worrying over a little sister too young to be spoken for, and they decide that if she is a wall, meaning she has kept herself pure, they will crown her in silver, and if she is a door, meaning she has not, they will board her up in cedar and put a stop to it. Faithfulness is not only a promise between husband and wife, but also the call to every Christian to be loyal to Christ and Him alone.

The Rev. Donald Stein, pastor of St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Rockton, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Song of Solomon 8:1-14.

To learn more about St. Andrews Lutheran, visit standrewrockton.com.

The Song of Solomon is a book of love poetry, a bride and her bridegroom singing to each other across eight chapters. God's people have sung it since Solomon's day, and Jewish congregations still read it at Passover. The Church has heard in it the voice of Christ and His bride, and Luther quoted the Song in The Freedom of a Christian to describe what happens when Christ takes a sinner as His own. Paul was working the same ground in Ephesians five, where he set marriage beside Christ and the Church and called it a great mystery.

This series works through the whole book verse by verse, from the kiss in chapter one to the seal on the heart in chapter eight. We hear what it says about the body, about desire, and about the marriage God instituted in the garden. We also ask where Christ is in it, since the Church has long heard in these songs the voice of the Bridegroom who gave His life for His bride.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

Solomon describes his bride, beginning at her feet and moving up. He describes her "belly like a heap of wheat encircled with lilies," and her "neck like an ivory tower" and "nose like the tower of Lebanon." The comparisons sound strange to us. In Solomon's mouth, however, they are stately and reminiscent of a kingdom at peace. She answers him: "I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me." That word for desire appears twice more in Scripture, both times in Genesis, both a curse. Does this point us to the reversal of the curse of Eden through the Church's marriage to Christ?

The Rev. James Peterson, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Curtis, NE, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Song of Solomon 7:1-13.

To learn more about St. John Lutheran in Curtis, visit facebook.com/stjohncurtis.

The Song of Solomon is a book of love poetry, a bride and her bridegroom singing to each other across eight chapters. God's people have sung it since Solomon's day, and Jewish congregations still read it at Passover. The Church has heard in it the voice of Christ and His bride, and Luther quoted the Song in The Freedom of a Christian to describe what happens when Christ takes a sinner as His own. Paul was working the same ground in Ephesians five, where he set marriage beside Christ and the Church and called it a great mystery.

This series works through the whole book verse by verse, from the kiss in chapter one to the seal on the heart in chapter eight. We hear what it says about the body, about desire, and about the marriage God instituted in the garden. We also ask where Christ is in it, since the Church has long heard in these songs the voice of the Bridegroom who gave His life for His bride.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].

She has lost her husband and goes looking again, and the daughters of Jerusalem ask where he went so they can help her search. He turns up in his garden, grazing among the lilies, and tells her there are sixty queens and eighty concubines, but “my dove, my perfect one, is the only one.” And yet, 1 Kings says he finished with seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, so this line is a confession as much as a compliment. How do we make sense of Solomon’s not-so-exclusive love?

The Rev. Peter Burfeind, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Union City, Michigan, and Agnus Dei Lutheran Church in Marshall, Michigan, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Song of Solomon 6:1–13.

To learn more about Our Savior and Agnus Dei Lutheran churches, visit facebook.com/oursaviorunioncity and agnusdeimarshall.com.

The Song of Solomon is a book of love poetry, a bride and her bridegroom singing to each other across eight chapters. God's people have sung it since Solomon's day, and Jewish congregations still read it at Passover. The Church has heard in it the voice of Christ and His bride, and Luther quoted the Song in The Freedom of a Christian to describe what happens when Christ takes a sinner as His own. Paul was working the same ground in Ephesians five, where he set marriage beside Christ and the Church and called it a great mystery.