Pious Lutheran

Saint John on Patmos , Limbourg Brothers, 1416  We accept our lot now, and look forward to eternal life in the age to come Wealth doesn’t help us enter into the kingdom of God We may suffer much for the sake of Christ and the Gospel Whether much or little in this life, regardless of the toil and persecution, we enjoy the days given us and anticipate the reward awaiting us The way life often works today is that if you want something you can have it, and it's just a matter of paying the right price. In some ways this feels liberating, because it makes you feel like you can have whatever you want, so long as you can afford it. In other ways it feels very depressing, since it means that if you can’t afford the things you want they remain just out of your reach. But this is not the way that it works with eternal things; it’s not a matter of affording them, instead it’s a matter of humbly receiving them. Regardless of how much or little we have, we are to accept our lot now, and look for

If You Want to be Perfect (Christ and the Rich Young Man) , Andrey Mironov, 2017 Forsaking every earthly treasure to follow Christ Knowing Jesus and keeping the law is not enough Following Christ means we must forsake all worldly goods Greater Treasure in heaven awaits those who love the Lord alone “ He went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. ” Perhaps when you heard the readings this morning you were also filled with sorrow, because Jesus’ words are very challenging. “ Sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. ” For the rich young man these words were devastating, because he was now at a crossroads and must choose either to follow Christ and gain a heavenly treasure, or follow this world and keep his worldly treasures. Today Jesus places us at the same crossroad, and our Lord bids us to forsake every earthly treasure to follow Him. The tempting thought for us though is that we can have both treasures: treasure on

Saint Michael the Archangel Vanquishing Satan,  Rafal Hadziewicz, 1830 The Comfort of the Angels The angels were created for the sake of Christians Angels are always beholding the face of God and therefore always do His will Angels guard the children of God A blessed Michaelmas dear brothers and sisters in Christ! I know you’ve heard of Christmas, a church service celebrating the birth of Christ Jesus. But Michaelmas may sound a bit strange to your ears. In centuries past, however, Michaelmas was as well-known as any other holiday, marking the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Michaelmas is a church service celebrating St. Michael the Archangel, and in general all of the good angels. It’s unfortunate that this feast day has gone out of vogue, but it’s worth remembering yearly, because on this day God reveals His comfort for us through the holy angels. I think it’s a safe guess to make that the majority of people believe in angels. Perhaps there are more people who believe in a

Taken From:  The life of Luther in forty-eight historical engravings.   König, Gustav Ferdinand Leopold. 1900.  The ministry of heavenly wisdom draws us near to God The ministry of the pastor delivers heavenly wisdom and gifts The pastor’s goals are to lead the congregation to: Resist the devil Draw near to God Live forever in unceasing joy before the throne of God Let us pray:“ O Lord God, dear Father in heaven, I am indeed unworthy of the office and ministry in which I am to make known Your glory and to nurture and to serve this congregation. But since You have appointed me to be a pastor and teacher, and the people are in need of the teaching and the instruction, be my helper and let Your holy angels attend to me. Then if You are pleased to accomplish anything through me, to Your glory and not to mine or to the praise of men, grant me, out of Your pure grace and mercy, a right understanding of Your Word and that I may also diligently perform it. O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the livin