Scripture First
Three millennials sit down with Lutheran theologians to understand how Scripture is working in our lives. God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, sin, faith, forgiveness, Luther, and more are on the table as Mason Van Essen, Kiri Haugen, and Adam Guthmiller discuss each week's upcoming lectionary Bible passage with Luther House of Study's theologians to hear the context in and around Scripture before it's preached in church.
Episodes
312 episodes
You Know That I Love You | John 21:1-19 with Sarah Stenson
Still reeling from the most mind bending experience in human history: the Son of God being killed and raised from the dead, the disciples are back to their daily vocations only to have Jesus appear to them a third time. In this exch...
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34:06
He Stood Among Them | John 20:19-31 with Lars Olson
Having betrayed Christ, the disciples lock themselves in a room out of fear of what their future holds. Jesus appears. Looking for revenge? No. He gives them the greatest gift: peace. Lars Olson explains that the peace Christ delive...
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29:37
They Did Not Find the Body | Luke 24:1-12 with Sarah Stenson & Lars Olson
The rolled stone. The lilies lining the sanctuary. Easter Sunday.In this Easter conversation, Sarah Stenson and Lars Olson encourage both pastors and laypeople to truly hear the shocking news in this text. Everyone anticipated finding Je...
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29:22
You Killed Jesus | John 18:1-19:42 with Dr. Chris Croghan & Lars Olson [Replay]
This episode is going to be a little different. No background music. No closing summary and calls to action. Why? Because we’re grappling with the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?” in this conversation. Dr. Chris Croghan and La...
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32:16
What Does Maundy Mean? | John 13:1-17,31b-35 with Lars Olson & Sarah Stenson [Replay]
In the first of two Holy Week bonus episodes, Lars Olson and Sarah Stenson break down what Jesus meant by giving us a new commandment to love one another in this Maundy Thursday text. Jesus demonstrates true humility by washing His ...
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34:20
They’ve Been Hearing This for Thousands of Years | Luke 19:28-40 with Dr. Chris Croghan
Palm Sunday. The Triumphal Entry. Dr. Chris Croghan explains how to preach this text ahead of Holy Week, especially when many people might hear this triumphant text, skip the cross on Good Friday, and the next thing they hear is Jesus is alive ...
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19:23
We Are All Judas | John 12:1-8 with Sarah Stenson
Mary uses a perfume worth a year’s salary to wash Jesus’ feet. Judas questions if that’s the best use of that money.Sarah Stenson teaches us in this episode that Mary’s acting out of faith. She’s not worried about the consequences of her...
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27:58
You’re My Son, Not a Slave | Luke 15:1-3,11b-32 with Lars Olson
The Parable of the Lost Sheep. The Parable of the Lost Coin. The Parable of the Prodigal Son. Lars Olson reminds us parables are a depiction of what God is doing for you, not a, “choose your own adventure,” of characters you’re supp...
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37:59
I Am, You Are Not | Luke 13:1-9 with Dr. Chris Croghan
Dr. Chris Croghan and Sarah Stenson explain that this text is difficult to preach because people ask theodicy questions: Why do bad things happen to good people? What can I do to avoid God’s wrath? You’ve heard us discuss how God’s ...
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32:16
The Tension Between God’s Will and Yours | Luke 13:31-35 with Dr. Chris Croghan
This Lent text opens with some Pharisees warning Jesus, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”Kiri and I ask Dr. Chris Croghan what are the religious leaders’ motivation in warning him about a political threat?The key ...
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27:06
What Does It Mean to Defeat the Devil? | Luke 4:1-13 with Sarah Stenson
Jesus defeated sin, death, and the devil. That’s a line you hear fairly often on this podcast. But what does it actually mean that Jesus defeated the devil?What is the devil? Who is the devil? What should we think of when we talk about t...
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32:49
The Struggle to Overcome Sin | Luke 9:28-36 with Lars Olson
Jesus is Transfigured before Peter, John, and James. Moses and Elijah are on the mountaintop. God says to listen to his Son. Why is the Transfiguration significant? Why are Moses and Elijah on the mountaintop with Jesus? Why does Go...
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33:20
You Can’t Measure Mercy | Luke 6:27-38 with Lars Olson & Dr. Chris Croghan
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”“If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.”And the Big One itself, the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”When I read these lines,...
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27:30
The Blessings & the Woes | Luke 6:17-26 with Dr. Chris Croghan
What is the difference between a disciple and an apostle?Why does Jesus heal diseases when he could do anything from creating a zebra, to causing the audience to grow six inches, to giving everyone a million dollars?What does it m...
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32:15
The Nets Begin to Break | Luke 5:1-11 with Sarah Stenson
Despite not being a commercial fisherman, Jesus tells Simon Peter to let down his nets despite Simon Peter having fished all night and caught nothing. Sarah Stenson joins the podcast to explain how God’s creative power is in full di...
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21:14
Hold On, I’m Not Quite Done with My Sermon | Luke 4:14-21 with Lars Olson
All who heard Jesus’ first sermon spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words…until they tried to hurl him off of a cliff!Lars Olson joins the podcast to explain that what Jesus was doing with Isaiah is what preachers do with...
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24:15
From Praise to Condemnation | Luke 4:14-21 with Dr. Chris Croghan & Sarah Stenson
After Jesus is baptized and the Holy Spirit drives him out into the wilderness to be tempted for 40 days, Jesus returns to his hometown filled with the power of the Spirit. Dr. Chris Croghan and Sarah Stenson teach us what it means ...
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28:04
They Have No Wine | John 2:1-11 with Sarah Stenson
We’re breaking down Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana in this week’s conversation.First, Mary says to Jesus, “They have no wine.” This may seem like a mundane detail of the text, but, as Sarah Stenson teaches us, it reveals Mar...
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27:03
Coup de Grâce | Luke 3:15-22 with Dr. Chris Croghan
In the First Sunday After Epiphany, Dr. Chris Croghan joins the conversation to discuss baptism:Why do we need to be baptized?What’s the difference between our baptism today and those who were baptized by John the Baptist?&...
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29:35
The Word Creates | John 1:1-18 with Lars Olson
The lectionary text for the first Sunday of 2025 is filled with options to focus a sermon on. Lars Olson joins Kiri and Mason to break down a few of them. First, we discuss the theologically packed first verse, “In the beginning was...
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26:37
Keeping Up with the Rabbis | Luke 2:41-52 with Sarah Stenson
Mary and Joseph lose Jesus for several days after the Passover festival only to find him in the temple with the rabbis. Sarah Stenson teaches us the incredible confession Mary has when she says to the 12-year old Jesus, ‘Child, why ...
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25:14
Leaping in the Womb | Luke 1:39-55 with Sarah Stenson & Lars Olson
This week we’re discussing Elizabeth, pregnant with John the Baptist, giving her sermon to Mary, pregnant with Jesus, and Mary’s Magnificat in response. Sarah Stenson and Lars Olson point out the importance of Elizabeth being filled...
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29:50
Vipers, Fruit, and Axes—Oh My! | Luke 3:7-18 with Dr. Chris Croghan
This week, Dr. Chris Croghan is back to discuss John the Baptist in this Advent text saying, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance.” Many who hear this text immediately...
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26:59
Receiving God’s Word in a Wasteland | Luke 3:1-6 with Lars Olson
In this week’s conversation, Lars Olson explains what the season of Advent is and why it’s not simply a season of preparation ahead of Christmas: it’s announcing Christ is here, now. Lars also teaches Kiri and Mason why Luke include...
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30:41
Your Redemption is Drawing Near | Luke 21:25-36 with Sarah Stenson
In a text about the signs of Christ’s return, Sarah Stenson teaches us this week that Christians have always looked for the signs that Jesus is about to return. Even Martin Luther listed the events happening in Germany in a sermon about this te...
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28:24