Pious Lutheran

The Last Judgment , Leandro Bassano, circa 1600 Be on guard and stay awake, for Christ is coming soon. The time of Christ’s return is unknown, yet according to the signs it is imminent. The warning is that we would remain ready, lest He suddenly return and find us asleep. Let’s take stock, and see how we’ve done, and where we have room to improve. Later today we have the end of the year voters’ meeting, where we look back on the past year and take stock of how it’s gone, and look ahead to the next to prepare ourselves. This end of the year taking stock is a common thing to do in many facets of life. If you run a business you may spend time reviewing your successes and failures, so that going forward you may be able to turn a larger profit. At home you might make plans for maintenance or upgrades, so that your home might run more smoothly. In the church we Christians do this as well, but not just at a voters’ meeting which deals primarily with transient business, but personally we refle...

The Widow's Mite , Joao Zeferino da Costa, 1876 The Lord blesses the lowly The Lord condemns the vainglorious The Lord praises those who submit themselves to God The Lord looks upon the lowly and supplies all of their needs How do you know success when you see it? Typically we perceive success when we see grand displays of wealth. So the president or governor shows up in a big shiny expensive vehicle with a bunch of people and a really sharp looking suit. The businessman owns multiple properties, lake houses, big houses, manicured lawns, hired help, fancy cars, eats at expensive restaurants, wears upper class name brand and designer clothes. Successful people speak eloquently and everyone laughs at their jokes. Everyone wants to be liked by the successful person in order to get invited to their parties. Typically successful people create a following, and people cling to their coattails, hoping to benefit from their successes. Yet the Psalmist sings: “ Put not your trust in princes,...