Pious Lutheran

The Crucifixion from Isenheim Altarpiece,  Matthias Grunewald, 1516 Blessed contemplation on the Crucifixion We do not understand the cross as we should The cross is seen most clearly through suffering Don’t be silenced and pushed away from the cross, but draw near to contemplate the death of Christ for you “ See… the Son of Man.. will be delivered over to the Gentiles… But they understood none of these things. ” I suppose we often think of ourselves as knowing and understanding the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus completely. Afterall, little children know to sing: “Jesus loves me, He who died, heaven’s gate to open wide, He has washed away my sin, lets His little child come in.” Even little kids know that Jesus died to forgive our sins, and because He rose we will rise with Him. But because we think it’s so simple, so easy, we often just leave it there and quickly grow tired of thinking of Jesus' death. But it’s more than just growing tired of the crucifixion, it’s that we d...

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard , Rembrandt van Rijn, 1637 The Joy of Laboring in the Vineyard God receives us into the vineyard by Grace and the aim to be in the vineyard as part of God’s family, not just to receive payment The Kingdom of God is like unto a vineyard, a place of feasting and joy Living in the Kingdom is one of much labor, but because it’s labor in the vineyard it is always pleasant work I suspect that the parable of the laborers in the vineyard is many people’s most frustrating parable, because it’s just so unfair. Many people experience this today with inflation such that new hires often make nearly the same as a long-time employee with loads of experience. Today’s parable presents us with day-laborers, some of whom began work at the crack of dawn and bore the burden of the day and the scorching heat, and others who showed up at the final hour and hardly did any work. Yet, each of them received a denarius. So the longest working laborers point out the unfa...

The Burial,  Carl Bloch, 1873 Dear family and friends of Kathy, may God’s peace be upon you today as you grieve and mourn the death of a dear woman. King David sang in the 23rd Psalm: “ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. ” Even though we are today walking through the dark valley shrouded in death, the Lord is with us, and this evil of death needn’t frighten us. Our Good Shepherd’s rod and staff, His cross upon which He was crucified, guards us against the wolfish devil’s threat of death growling at us. Like king David, Kathy shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever, and no evil thing will ever harm her again. It was just over a year ago that we gathered here for Wayne’s funeral, laying him to rest and await the resurrection of the dead. His death weighed heavily on Kathy the past year. We often talked about him and her desire to be with him again. Over the past number o...

St. Peter Preaching in the Presence of St. Mark,  Fra Angelico, 1433 Boldness to Confess Jesus and His Word What does it mean to confess? What is at stake? Boldness to confess the truth in my daily life. “ Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered Him, “You are the Christ.” ” That is a confession of faith! Today we commemorate St. Peter’s bold confession of the truth that Jesus is the Christ. In remembering his confession, we are also encouraged to have that same boldness to confess Jesus and His Word before this adulterous and sinful generation. Regardless of whether or not the world asks for your confession of faith, Jesus does, and just as Jesus asked the disciples so does Jesus ask you today: Who do you say that I am? The question has been asked of you, the command to make the confession has been made, but what does that mean? What does it mean to confess your faith? I suspect the task of confession seems a bit daunting because you would assume it r...