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Rev. David Juhl, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Momence, IL joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.In Christ, you are a new creation! He died for all and that includes you. Paul challenges us to no longer see others according to the “flesh” but as one whom Christ has died. As ones now in the righteousness of God, you are an ambassador of Christ to reconcile others to Him. “O LORD, open our hearts to remember that we have Your righteousness by Christ’s cross and help us to be Your ambassadors in all our vocations. Lord have mercy. In Him, Amen”

Rev. Dr. Steven Schave gives today's sermon based on Luke 2:41-52.Today we pray for Melinda Thews who serves the Lord in Taiwan. Read her story and how to support her work at lcms.org/thews. Find your opportunity to serve at servenow.lcms.org.>> The broadcast of chapel services is brought to you by LCMS International Mission and Ministry to Armed Forces.>> Learn more at international.lcms.org and lcms.org/armedforces.

Rev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study 2 Corinthians 5:1-10.“Be of good courage.” In this life our bodies and world groan due to the brokenness of this world, but as we are in Christ we know that we have a heavenly dwelling that awaits us with Him. As we walk, we do so with faith that we are declared, “good” on account of Christ’s goodness and will enjoy this heavenly dwelling with him. “O LORD, thank you for the hope of the heavenly dwelling and help us to be of good courage as we walk by faith in Christ. In Him, Amen”

Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study 2 Corinthians 4.Paul reminds us, “But we have a treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” We are weak and fragile like a jar of clay. Yet, the treasure of God’s forgiveness on account of Christ, points people away from us and to His surpassing gracious power. “O LORD, may your light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Christ. Amen”

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study 2 Corinthians 3.Paul encourages the Corinthian church as they are his “letter of recommendation” as he defends his ministry against naysayers. He gives a clear proclamation, as a minister of the new covenant, of their need for the Law to bring death to the sinner and the joy of the Gospel to bring freedom in Christ. “O LORD, as we have unveiled faces in Christ, transforms us from one degree of glory to another. In Christ, Amen”

Rev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study 2 Corinthians 2:1-17.Paul writes to the Corinthians out of an “abundant love” that he has for each soul. He exhorts the church to forgive a repentant sinner as the forgiveness in Christ we give is not only for the sinner but also a victory over the devil’s lies. In this forgiveness, we are to be the aroma of Christ in service to Him and in love toward others. “O Lord, help us to be the aroma of Christ in forgiveness and service to others. In Him, Amen”

Rev. Scott Adle, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Collinsville, IL joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study 2 Corinthians 1:12-24.Paul reminds the Corinthian church that he desires to visit so that they would receive God’s grace and work together in God’s joy. Paul’s arrival would not be a normal visit, but a time where he would proclaim the truth that in Christ, everything is yes for salvation, and all we can say is Amen to this grace. “O Lord, bring Your joy upon us as You have established, anointed, sealed, and given Your Spirit into our hearts as a guarantee. In Christ, Amen.”

Rev. Dr. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Fort Myers, FL joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study 2 Corinthians 1:1-11.Paul, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, writes his second letter by giving hope in the LORD, who is the source of all comfort. The first few chapters contrast much of 1st Corinthians, where Paul needed to exhort the church in Corinth to holy living. Paul clearly connects our sufferings to the sufferings of Christ, which also brings us an abundance of comfort in Him. “Lord God, give us comfort in our afflictions and deliverance from the evil one. In Christ, Amen”

Thy Strong Word gives the gift of God’s Word to you. From January 7 until Holy Week we will receive this gift in Paul’s Epistles: 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, and I Thessalonians. We will literally travel with Paul as he encourages, exhorts, proclaims, and points us to Christ and Him crucified for Your forgiveness. Join us. Live or on demand, anytime--anywhere. God has gifts to give for you.We welcome Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, MN, as the new host of Thy Strong Word, a program that reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two LCMS 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.Thy Strong Word is hosted by Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, MN, and graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.

Host Rev. AJ Espinosa studies Acts 3 and 2:36-47.“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” So much of Acts seems confusing because we think in such individualistic terms. But Acts is about the Christian community living as a whole.Peter doesn’t mean that every individual’s baptism will be accompanied with signs and wonders. The miracles aren’t about the strength of our belief, but the authority of Christ over every nation. Similarly, that God “made him both Lord and Christ” doesn’t mean that Jesus wasn’t individually royal or divine before the ascension. Rather, He ascends and is crowned that we would ascend and be crowned with Him. None of us ‘has’ the Spirit per se—the Spirit belongs to Jesus, and by the power of the Word, we share this gift together as His baptized people.

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Matthew 28.“They gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, ‘Tell people, “His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’” We like to say that we make up our own minds, but the truth is that we take most things on authority: doctors, engineers, lawyers, researchers, wellness gurus—we take their words to heart and we spread the word.Which authorities will we believe when it comes to life, loyalty, and identity? In Matthew 28, an angel demonstrates supernatural power and tells the women that someone has come back from the dead. Political authorities use their wealth to bribe the soldiers to say that the body was stolen. A convicted criminal claims the authority of God Himself to authorize the catechesis of Israel’s mortal enemies. Amidst conflicting authorities, only Jesus Christ promises to be “with us” Himself in the resurrected flesh.

Rev. Christopher Maronde, pastor of St. John - Bingen in Decatur, Indiana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Luke 8.“Nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” Luke gives us the keys to understanding chapter 8: the Parable of the Sower is not a cute object lesson about different reactions to our evangelism efforts. The strong Word of God is a word of judgment, its light exposing what kind of soil we are, distinguishing between those with spiritual eyes and those who are spiritually blind—despite appearances to the contrary.The different reactions of fear & faith and rebuke & healing teach us not about ourselves but about Jesus, the one who restores to life the twelvefold people of God. His life and power are 100% effective, but the word goes out selectively, only on His terms: in humility and love, not power and pride.

Rev. Dan Eddy, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Beloit, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 102.“You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come. For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust.” Amidst the “smoke” and smoldering ashes of Jerusalem, the remnant of God’s people cry out as one. The “prayer of one afflicted”—none of the other 149 psalms has such a title. Out of the depths of death, the beautiful lament of Psalm 102 dares to hope for resurrection: “that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.” Because of Christ, amidst tears of repentance we too hope for restoration at the resurrection of all flesh at the appointed time of the Last Day.

Rev. Steven Theiss, pastor of Hanover Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Esther 7.“If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated.” Queen Esther prefigures Jesus Christ Himself. Her selflessness enables her to be faithful both to God as well as to her pagan husband King Ahasuerus.Esther’s delays aren’t just for dramatic effect. By publicly raising the stakes, she allows her husband to save face when she makes her big revelation. Like Esther, we might feel stuck, unable to go to the Judah we long for. Yet in Christ we are kings and queens, and there’s no limit to how much good God can work—even through the least of us.

Rev. Doug Nicely, pastor of Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Nehemiah 6 and 2:1-6.“Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” Nehemiah humbly risks his safety time and again to ensure the wall’s completion. Why were Jerusalem’s walls so important?Cyrus and Nehemiah were the least-expected instruments: a pagan emperor and an unclean eunuch. And yet, God was commanding all things for the most unlikely re-establishment of Judah. Nehemiah’s humility made him bold, even as Jesus Christ’s own humility led Him to boldly establish the church with His own body. We too offer “arrow prayers,” boldly seeking God’s will even when we lack allies or prestige.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 2 Chronicles 34 and 36:1-6.“[Zedekiah] also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God.” Ever since Ahaz, the kings of Judah were in a difficult position: they had sworn allegiance to foreign powers as vassals, but God had prohibited such corrupting alliances. And yet, God tells Judah to serve out their terms of servitude in repentance.Young King Josiah heeds the words of Zephaniah to be faithful with what he’s been given, not unlike young Mary centuries later when faced with the news from Gabriel. The unconquerable Jesus Christ rules over His church today with life and forgiveness, always granting His church ways to be faithful—no matter who is in power among mortals.

Rev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Zephaniah 2.“Seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.” Like John the Baptist, Zephaniah prophesied that disaster was inevitable—God’s judgment was about to fall on Gentile and Judahite alike. Repentance can’t buy God off.And yet, when King Josiah heeded Zephaniah’s words, Judah enjoyed the gospel’s light as it re-discovered the Bible amidst the darkness. It was only for a short while, and it didn’t stop the Babylonians from coming, but God showed mercy to a generation that humbled itself. Zephaniah’s message foreshadows Jesus Christ, who was the Light amidst the darkness, founding the church amidst disaster in Judea, and showing grace to His “remnant” today.

Rev. Shawn Kumm, pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cody, Wyoming, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 101.“Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.” For a psalm about mercy, we expected something more like “Morning by morning new mercies I see”! But Psalm 101 actually complements the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” as well as Exodus 16:21 “Morning by morning they gathered [the mana], each as much as he could eat.” The Catechism says that “good government” is included with “daily bread,” and also that God “breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose.” Government cannot be just without mercy, nor can it be merciful without justice. Although we are constantly tempted to complain, we have hope in the perfect administration of the new David in the new Jerusalem in Christ, where justice & mercy come together.

Host Rev. AJ Espinosa studies Habakkuk 1.“Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?” Habakkuk boldly pours forth his complaint to God, but who is he talking about? It turns out that Habakkuk and Jonah have a lot in common: Jonah didn’t want God to give the Assyrians time to repent, and Habakkuk wants the Chaldeans to come overthrow the Assyrians right away.But God says “If it seems slow, wait for it. [...] The righteous shall live by his faith.” He assures Habakkuk that God’s righteous people—Israel—will not be wiped out; they will survive Assyrians. And in Jesus Christ, they do more than survive: they come back to life.

Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 2 Kings 16.“I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel.” When Judah makes a deal with the devil, they sign up for everybody’s gods. In 2 Kings 16 we see how Judah becomes even worse than Israel, effectively signing the North’s death warrant as Ahaz sacrifices his own son—to become Assyria’s son, instead of God’s son.There is no separating the religious and the political, the spiritual and the economic. But even if we have sacrificed family and faith for career and success, God still offers forgiveness, just as He did for Judah. Grace comes from Jesus Christ, not merely “King of the Jews,” but “King of kings.”