Scripture First
Episodes
369 episodes
The Scriptures Tell You Who You Are | Luke 24:44-53 with Dr. Chris Croghan
In Luke 24, after the resurrection and before the ascension, Jesus once again tells the disciples that everything in Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms was always about him—and then he does what they could never do for themselves: he opens the...
Are We In Control of Our Hearts? | John 14:15-21 with Sarah Stenson
In this episode we drop into Jesus’ farewell discourse in John 14, right after betrayal and denial are on the table, and hear a line that’s often twisted into a condition: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” We unpack how, in conte...
You Need to Be Caught to Be Set Free | John 14:1-14 with Lars Olson
On the night of the Last Supper, with betrayal and denial looming, Jesus speaks directly to troubled hearts—not with a plan to fix themselves, but with a promise grounded entirely in him. In this episode, we wrestle with how the disciples keep ...
In the Sheepfold | John 10:1-10 with Lars Olson & Sarah Stenson
In John 10, right on the heels of exposing the Pharisees’ blindness, Jesus shifts the image and declares that there is only one way into the sheepfold—and it’s not through climbing, striving, or proving yourself. In this episode we unpack how h...
The Road to Emmaus | Luke 24:13-35 with Dr. Chris Croghan
On the road to Emmaus, two disciples walk away from the empty tomb confused and disappointed, even after hearing the resurrection preached to them. In this episode we see how Jesus meets them in their blindness, draws out their unbelief, and th...
MY Lord and MY God | John 20:19-31 with Sarah Stenson
Behind locked doors in John 20, fearful disciples cling only to the word of Mary Magdalene—until Jesus himself stands among them and speaks, “Peace be with you,” a Word that does what it says. In this episode, we trace how that same living Word...
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...
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 ...
He is Not Here | Matthew 28:1-10 with Lars Olson
On Easter morning in Matthew 28, we arrive with Mary Magdalene expecting death, but instead the earth shakes and a new creation breaks in where the crucified Jesus is no longer in the tomb. In this episode we resist the urge to soften the shock...
Everyone is Convicted | Matthew 27:11-54 with Dr. Chris Croghan
In this episode we stand at the cross in Matthew 27, where every voice—religious leaders, Pontius Pilate, the crowd, and even the guilty—joins in accusing Jesus, and no one walks away innocent. As Christ refuses to justify himself and remains s...
Jesus Doesn’t Keep You From Dying | John 11:1-45 with Dr. Chris Croghan
In this episode we walk into the tomb at Bethany and confront a story people often soften into empathy, when it’s really a preview of why Jesus came—to conquer death itself. As Martha and Mary hope Jesus might have prevented death, he instead d...
How Blind Are You? | John 9:1-41 with Lars Olson
In this episode we watch Jesus do what Luther says Christ always does: use the law to uncover real sin, then speak a promise that creates faith, revealing himself as the great “I am” who gives living water as pure grace. As the Samaritan woman ...
Jesus’ Rhetorical Question | John 4:5-42 with Sarah Stenson
In this episode we watch Jesus do what Luther says Christ always does: use the law to uncover real sin, then speak a promise that creates faith, revealing himself as the great “I am” who gives living water as pure grace. As the Samaritan woman ...
How Can These Things Be? | John 3:1-17 with Lars Olson & Dr. Chris Croghan
In John 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night — confident, credentialed, fluent in the language of signs and law. But Jesus won’t be managed. “Very truly,” he says — and when Jesus speaks, reality happens. The kingdom of God is not something you...
Ahead of Us | Matthew 4:1-11 with Dr. Chris Croghan
On this First Sunday in Lent, we follow Jesus into the wilderness where the Spirit leads him—not by accident, but on purpose—into confrontation with sin, death, and the devil. In this episode we wrestle with why God would lead his b...
God’s Speaking vs God’s Word | Matthew 17:1-9 with Lars Olson
On Transfiguration Sunday, just before Lent begins, we climb the mountain with Peter, James, and John and watch Jesus reveal who he truly is. Our conversation with Lars Olson leans heavily into Luther’s Law and Gospel distinction: G...
Naming Sin, Sin | Matthew 5:13-20 with Sarah Stenson
What does it mean to be the salt of the earth? In today’s conversation, Sarah Stenson tells us, “If you want to preach the gospel and help people, you must be sharp and rub salt into their wounds.” This leads to a discussion about t...
You Will Be Hated | Matthew 5:1-12 with Lars Olson & Sarah Stenson
The Beatitudes. The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. We ask Sarah Stenson and Lars Olson: What is Jesus conveying in this sermon and how can preachers build on that in their own sermons? How do Ch...
Victimhood as Identity | Matthew 4:12-23 with Dr. Chris Croghan & Lars Olson
Jesus calls his first disciples, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Dr. Chris Croghan and Lars Olson explain how Matthew’s version is unique compared to Mark’s version and Luke’s version as well as the importance of r...
What Does “Lamb of God” Mean? | John 1:29-42 with Lars Olson
John the Baptist sees Jesus coming and declares, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”We ask Lars Olson: Why is John the Baptist such a key figure in Lutheranism?What does Lamb of God me...
Baptism is for Sinners | Matthew 3:13-17 with Sarah Stenson & Dr. Chris Croghan
Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. Dr. Chris Croghan and Sarah Stenson make that abundantly clear in this week’s conversation. But that leads to the question, why did Jesus come to John to get baptized? In baptism, Jesus begins...
Grace and Truth, Truth and Grace | John 1:1-18 with Dr. Chris Croghan
In John Chapter 1, John speaks in this one thing after the next kind of cadence, “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.”Dr. Chris Croghan helps us break out of the methodical natu...
Jesus Didn’t Come to Prevent Suffering | Matthew 2:13-23 with Sarah Stenson
There are texts like this one where we can’t make sense of the suffering. Herod authorizes the killing of thousands of children to protect his political power, and we’re left putting God on trial: why would He allow this? But that’s...
Wild, Crazy, Illogical, Out of This World | Matthew 1:18-25 with Sarah Stenson & Lars Olson
Sarah Stenson and Lars Olson teach us in today’s episode that the temptation with this text is to tone down just how crazy this story is into something tame, understandable, and familiar. But, as you’ll hear, this story is truly out of this wor...
A Reed Shaken by the Wind | Matthew 11:2-11 with Lars Olson
Even John the Baptist, the prophet who points his long, bony finger to Jesus, is left to question, "Are you the one who is to come?” Lars Olson teaches us that John, just like all of us, expects Jesus to make the world a better plac...