Pious Lutheran

David and Goliath , Guillaume Courtois, between 1650-1660 Battling Temptations Jesus’ triumph against temptation is our victory. Jesus’ battle against Satan is an example for us. How the devil tempts us. These temptations are all ultimately idolatry. We combat temptations with God’s Word. We combat temptations with physical actions. We live in a highly individualized age in which individuals define right and wrong, good and evil, for themselves. I’ve heard it said many times “you can’t legislate morality.” Except, that’s exactly what God’s law is and how God desires His law to be used among us: the law must legislate morality, define right and wrong. But, our world doesn’t like objective truth, it prefers to operate based upon individual feelings.  One of the consequences of this is that there are very few preventative measures in our society, very few things that hinder us from falling into vices and evil behaviors. Afterall, if morality is left exclusively for the individual to d...

Heavenly Treasures Forsaking this world, its treasures, and our sins Returning to the Lord and treasuring His gifts “ When you fast... ”Jesus assumes that we will fast. Fasting has become fairly popular lately as a health fad, which isn’t all bad. Christians have been fasting for thousands of years, it’s a good practice because fasting voluntarily foregoes earthly treasures in order to meditate upon our heavenly treasures. Lent has long been understood as a forty day fast, just like Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness. It’s somewhat common among Christians today to give up something for lent, maybe social media or pop or chocolate or coffee. These are good practices, and I commend them to you. However, the primary scope of lent isn’t just giving up some random vice for 40 days, but it’s a time for reflection and to make some real changes in our lives. These changes are not only outward, but inward; to make a change of heart. Like the prophet Joel preached: “ “Yet even now,” d...

The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus , Fernando Gallego, 1480-1488 God’s wisdom is hidden in the cross. David did not outwardly appear like a king, but God sees not as man sees. The Messiah suffering, dying, and rising isn’t grasped by human wisdom, since the world seeks outward glory. Christ is glorified in His suffering; so Christians too must take up their crosses and suffer with Christ. Dear brothers and sisters, this Wednesday we embark upon the great lenten fast, where we seek greater devotion to the word of God and pull ourselves away from our love of this world. This world blinds us, like our brothers Bartimaeus and the apostles were, to the wisdom of God. Today therefore we are reminded that God’s wisdom is hidden in the cross. In order to meditate on this, we shall consider that: (1) David did not outwardly appear like a king, but God sees not as man sees. (2) The Messiah suffering, dying, and rising isn’t readily grasped by human wisdom, since the World seeks outward glory. Final...

From Hortus Deliciarum , Herrad of Landsberg, circa 1180 Hearing the Word Challenges to hearing Hearing rightly  At the height of popularity during Jesus’ ministry we read: “ A great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to Him. ” Cloaked in a parable Jesus taught them about what they were currently doing: hearing the word. To His apostles He privately explained that there are challenges to hearing and how we ought to hear rightly. Jesus’ parable is very appropriate for us today as well, since it helps to explain many of our current experiences. We live in an age which is rather depressing at times since we still remember, quite vividly, the good old days at church. The days when the pews and church calendar were filled to the brim. But especially the past twenty years there’s been a lot of change and decay in all around we see, like the hymn writer penned. Our attendance and membership has plummeted over the past couple of decades. This trend is true to our larg...

Cohabitation Before Marriage Living together before marriage has become very popular in the past couple of decades. So much so that the majority of the population doesn’t consider it wrong to live together, especially if the couple is planning to get married anyway. However, just because cohabitation has become common and popularly accepted doesn’t mean that it is okay or even morally neutral. The Word of God teaches us that marriage is the lifelong union between one man and one woman. Jesus said: “ Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Marriage is God’s institution which He founded for our good. Marriage exists for the sake of raising children, for the chastity of the husband and wife, and for  mutual...

Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard,  Rembrandt, 1637 Laborers in the Vineyard God calls us into His kingdom to labor We are in His kingdom all by grace A warning against idleness and self-righteousness The context for today’s parable of the laborers in the vineyard is that of the rich young man. The rich man asked what he must do to inherit eternal life, saying that he had already kept the commandments, so Jesus told him to give away all of his possessions. But the rich man walked away sorrowful when he heard that. So Jesus said that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Who then can be saved? “ With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. ” But St. Peter then pointed out to Jesus that he and the other apostles had left everything to follow Him. So Jesus said: “ Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will rece...