weber

Text: I Corinthians 15:1-28
Hymn: 412, The People That in Darkness Sat
Kretzmann Commentary: I Corinthians 15:1-28
Bonus Bumper: Handel, Messiah, Since By Man Came Death

I Corinthians 15 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It separates fact from fable and reminds us that everything rests on the death and resurrection of the God-man, Jesus Christ. This wasn’t something written on golden disks or told to one single prophet by an angel. The risen Christ appeared to Peter, then James, then all the apostles, then over 500 other witnesses. And what is the big deal? This God-man takes our sin, our death, our flesh, and dies with it, the holy paying for the unholy, the Christ paying for the sins of the world, even those of Paul, who persecuted the Church.

The resurrection was real. It is something we can have faith in, an event that has everlasting consequences for you and me.

 
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Text: Mark 1
Hymn: 532, The Head that Once Was Crowned With Thorns
Kretzmann Commentary: Mark 1
Bonus Bumper: Cherubini, Requiem, Sanctus

Guests: Anna Baseley and Cantor Jake Weber.

There’s no Christmas for Mark. He fast-forwards to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Now.

 
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Text: Hosea 2
Hymn: 578, Thy Strong Word
Kretzmann Commentary: Hosea 2
Bonus Bumper: Kevin Boese, Great Is They Faithfulness

Hosea 2 is a little not-safe-for-work-ish in its description of unfaithful Israel. God promises to cut her off from those who take credit for what God has given her, and then he will betroth her to himself. Those who have not received mercy will receive mercy, and those who weren’t His people will be. This is all accomplished through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus our Lord.

“Thy Strong Word,” is one of Martin Franzmann’s more famous tunes, and Cantor Weber makes this one fly. I particularly like the justification language in verse 3: God bespeaks us righteous, and it is so. Verse 5 is also an acknowledgement that our ability to praise comes first from Him.

Thanks to Anna Baseley and Cantor Jake Weber for their performances on this hymn, and thanks to John Baseley for recording and mixing.

 
Text: © 1969 Concordia Publishing House
Podcast under OneLicense.Net A-718131.
Setting from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission.

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Text: Daniel 9
Hymn: 940, Holy God, We Praise Your Name
Kretzmann Commentary: Daniel 9
Bonus Bumper: Cannonball Adderly Quintet, Mercy Mercy Mercy

Righteousness belongs to God, so he is the one to whom we repent and the one who makes us right on His terms. Like the Israelites, we ask him to turn his wrath not because of anything we have done, but we are counting on Him, trusting in Him to be merciful.

The pew edition of LSB 940 doesn’t have all seven stanzas of this versification of the Te Deum laudamus, but we have them for you here. Anna Baseley and Cantor Jake Weber perform; enjoy!

 
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