Pious Lutheran

The Calling of Saint Matthew , Caravaggio, 1609 Filled with the Word Empty yourself of worthless wealth Be filled with God’s Word Follow Jesus despite the world’s enmity A blessed feast of St. Matthew to you my brothers and sisters! Today we give thanks to God for the apostle and evangelist Matthew. Through his local ministry in Ethiopia he proclaimed the Gospel to many, and through his book of the Bible he proclaimed the Gospel to many more millions and millions of people. According to tradition, he was martyred in Ethiopia during the Divine Service by a soldier sent from the king, since Matthew had rebuked the king for his sins. So Matthew fulfilled Christ’s command, and rose and followed Jesus through life and death, and one day shall follow Him to rise from the grave. Indeed, as we heard Matthew write of himself: “ As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. ” Our Lord Jesus call...

Christ on the Cross , Andrea Solari, 1503 Let Us See Jesus Upon the Cross The cross looks like foolishness to the world But therein is wisdom The cross looks depressing to Christians But therein is hope and life A blessed feast of the Holy Cross to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ! This feast, Holy Cross Day, is perhaps one of the more controversial feast days among us Lutherans. Holy Cross Day is named after the discovery of the cross Jesus was crucified upon, by Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, in the 4th century. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was then constructed on the site where it was discovered, and the cross was exposed for the public to see on September 14th, 335.  The controversial part of this is that as time progressed the relic trade became very popular, and pieces of the “true cross” were “discovered” all over the world and superstitiously venerated by the faithful. Instead of focusing upon Jesus who was crucified upon the cross, the focus became t...

Agnus Dei, Stained Glass at Church of St John the Baptist, Stockton Dear children and grandchildren, family and friends of Belle, according to the great mercy of our God and Father, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. In holy baptism, on January 24th, 1926, Belle was born again through those waters into that hope which filled her life of 99 years. On May 28th, 1939, Belle was confirmed in that same faith, given the instruction: Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. So as we mourn our loss of her from our lives today, we grieve with hope, for Belle shall rise from the dead with Jesus Christ on the final day and inherit a kingdom in the heavens with all the saints in splendor. A lot can happen in a short amount of time, and when you live nearly 100 years, there is a lot of life to have lived, and a lo...

Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and Saint John , Jan van Eyck, 1435 The Holy life of a Sanctified Congregation The blood of Jesus sanctifies us, and therefore We are united in Jesus as a Sanctified family As a sanctified family, we mutually live holy lives We had a phenomenal celebration a few weeks ago to celebrate our 75th anniversary. Lots of memories from the past few generations of Christians who have been a part of this congregation. The stories and memories of the events and activities are absolutely delightful! I love learning more about what makes this congregation what it is and what has been done. But the trouble about memories is that they’re in the past, and while it can be fun to engage in nostalgia, you can’t bring it back.  However, the incredible thing about celebrating a congregation’s anniversary is it’s not just about the memories of bygone days, but it’s a reminder of why our forefathers built this congregation from the bus barn up, and why this congregatio...