Pious Lutheran

Adoration of the Shepherds , Gerard von Honthorst, 1622 December is a very dark month here in Minnesota. December 21st was the darkest day of the year and now the days are growing longer and the sun is shining longer and longer. It’s incredible that Christmas falls at this time of year when the days are so short and the darkness seems overpowering. The date of Easter was chosen before the date of Christmas, since we do know approximately when Jesus was crucified and risen. The date for Christmas was chosen based upon Easter, because it has been a long standing tradition that saints die on the day of their conception. Thus, if Jesus was crucified and conceived on March 25th, nine months later is December 25th, which would be His birth. Perhaps what’s most interesting is that others have attempted to date Jesus’ birth, and typically they conclude that He was very likely born the end of December! Really, this is something worthy of marvel, that the Lord chose such a birth and we would cel...

The Preaching of St John the Baptist , Giovanni Battista Gaulli, circa 1690 The Word Gathers the Church in the Wilderness The world apart from Christ is a barren desert The wilderness is prepared through repentance Christ is the fruitful vine growing in the desert into whom we are grafted This world, apart from Christ, is a barren, fruitless, wilderness; a desert if you will. In a way however, Satan imposes a mirage in front of you, suggesting that this world is able to satisfy your every desire. Christianity tears down that illusion, revealing the ugly truth hidden behind the mirage, in order to transform this barren landscape into a fruitful field. Christianity reveals the sin sickness infecting our souls, in order to sow God’s Word and reap a bountiful harvest of faith. So it is that the Word gathers the church in the wilderness. This is stunningly illustrated in the book of Exodus. While the Israelites were in Egypt they were slaves to the Egyptians, although they were surrounded b...

Mosaic of Ambrose in the church in Milan, made while Ambrose was still living Make here Your home History of Ambrose The Son of God chose to come to man in a humble virgin birth Many do not receive Him Let us receive Him Our theme hymn for Advent this year is a hymn by Ambrose of Milan. If you picked up one of the little Feasting and Fasting booklets I put together, you may have read a little about Ambrose already. I would like, however, to briefly introduce you to Ambrose since I’ve found that reflecting on the stories of our greatest hymns can make singing the hymn that much richer. Ambrose grew up an aristocrat, trained in government and rhetoric, and midlife became officially involved in the government like his father. Ambrose was a catechumen of Christianity, but hadn’t been baptized. Nevertheless, when the city of Milan was choosing their next bishop, the debate became quite heated, and Ambrose had to attend the assembly in an attempt to quiet them down. In the midst of that unr...