Pious Lutheran

Christ Calming the Storm , Juan de Flandes, circa 1500 Do you believe that Jesus is real and that He’s God and that He has authority over all this creation? Today’s lessons show us that those things are all true. Our readings also show us that we sometimes have a hard time believing it. Thus, the epiphany we have today is that Jesus has authority over creation. In our Old Testament lesson we heard the familiar story of rebellious Jonah fleeing from the Lord and getting on a ship going the opposite direction he was supposed to go. Because God is the Master of creation, “ the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. ” But where was Jonah? Asleep in the belly of the ship! Apparently Jonah did not know the Proverbs too well. Proverbs 6 says that if you get caught in a snare by speaking foolishly with your neighbor, immediately go to your neighbor and fix the situation. “ Give your eyes no sleep and your eyeli...

Christ and Leper , Mosaic in Monreale How far away is God from us? I know it’s easy to at times believe that God is far away from us, and that He doesn’t care for us; that He’s way up in heaven, and we’re left to our own devices here on earth below. But that couldn't be further from the truth! Today’s Bible lessons teach us that God is in fact near to us. Jesus has come down from heaven to have mercy upon us poor sinners. Prior to our Gospel reading, Jesus was preaching His great sermon on the mount. In that sermon He taught us so much about faith, God’s law, and righteous living. But Jesus didn’t just spend His entire ministry sitting on the mountain, or going to wedding parties and fancy dinners, rather He spent His time among the poor suffering people whom He came to redeem. “ When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand...

Marriage at Cana, Jacopo Tintoretto, 1561 Have you always gotten exactly what it is that you’ve prayed for? Probably not. It’s not unusual that in answer to our prayers, God at times says “no” to specific requests, but gives us what it is that we actually need. Our Introit today from Psalm 66 introduced us to this topic: “ Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me! ” In the Collect of the Day we prayed to God who “governs all things in heaven and on earth” that He “mercifully hear the prayers” of His people.  In our Old Testament reading from Exodus, it took place right after the whole Golden Calf incident, in which Aaron made the golden calf at the people’s sinful request. Thousands were killed by the Levites and a plague as punishment. God refused to be present with the people because His very presence would consume them all. The people were stripped of all their ornam...

The Baptism of Christ,  Andrea del Verrocchio & Leonardo da Vinci, 1470-1475 A blessed Epiphany to you dear friends in Christ! On Christmas we commemorated the birth of Jesus and we celebrated that God became man, that the Son took on our human flesh. Jesus is truly man. He was born as a baby, He grew to be a boy and a full-grown man, He ate, drank, slept, breathed, walked, suffered, died all because He is fully human. That’s the great joy of Christmas, that Jesus became man for our sake to live and die and rise as one of us, so that we would live in Him. On Epiphany, which was on Thursday, and we’re still in the season of Epiphany, we celebrate that Jesus is not only man, but that He’s truly God! Even an atheist can believe that Jesus was a real man who lived in ancient Palestine, a man who travelled around and taught great wisdom. But the Christian faith is that Jesus isn’t only a real man, but that He’s also the true God! The visit of the gentile magi from the east who follo...

The Triumph of the Innocents,  William Holman Hunt, 1883 Merry Christmas! Christmas is such a joy filled celebration! Jesus is born, God has taken on human flesh, our Lord has been born for us! The shepherds and angels rejoice and all Christians join in that ancient cradle song: “Glory to God in the highest and peace to His people on earth!” Old Simeon and Anna in the temple sing praises to God and proclaim the Savior’s birth when they meet Jesus as a baby. The magi come from the east to present the little king with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Christmas is such a wonderful thing! But then, after the Magi returned home, perhaps the most gut wrenching story in the Bible is told. “ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ” Herod the Great was an incredible...