Pious Lutheran

First Thanksgiving at Plymouth , Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1925 Thanksgiving is not about the abundance of possessions Early American Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is not just about a feeling of thankfulness but is about giving thanks to God While we give thanks to God for all of our possessions He’s blessed us with, Thanksgiving moves us beyond the possessions and towards faith in God A blessed Thanksgiving to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Thanksgiving is a civic holiday, but a very wholesome one, and I think it appropriate to remember its origins in our country. Days of thanksgiving are historically normal, while we perhaps think of the Plymouth colony pilgrims celebrating Thanksgiving in 1621, a great many of the early settlers to this land also celebrated a yearly day of thanksgiving. In 1789 president George Washington proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving, saying: “Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, ...

Between the Two Thieves , Ioannis Moskos, 1711 Jesus Reigns as King from the Cross to Spare us from God’s Judgment against Sin The Coming Judgement marked by babies Christ was born of the blessed virgin Mary in order to defend us against the impending judgment Through Christ’s crucifixion we may enter into Paradise We’re coming up on Thanksgiving this week, and as such the Christmas decorations are popping up quite quickly. Most of them have nothing to do with Christmas of course, but every now and then you see a manger scene and it reminds you that this isn’t just a big marketing scheme to take your money, but on Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus. I think everyone loves to look at manger scenes, to see Joseph and Mary in a stable, surrounded by animals, and in a manger or in Mary’s arms there rests the sweet little baby Jesus. It’s a touching image because we love babies! What an incredible thing that we can hold such a small beautiful adorable eternal human being in our arms....

Jesus Resurrected and Mary Magdalene , cira 1923 Dear Lowel, children, grandchildren, relatives and friends of Marlys, may God give you peace today, and comfort you with the glorious promise of the resurrection of the dead through Christ Jesus our Lord. St. Paul writes: “ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” Yes, even Marlys’ death which we must now face does not separate her from her Lord Jesus. He was crucified and died for the forgiveness of her sins, so that when the Lord returns on the final day He shall raise her from the dead and bring her into paradise. I regret that I didn’t have a greater opportunity to get to know Marlys. I give thanks to God that when I visited her in the hospital last week she was alert and able to talk with me very clearly. From just that brief ...

Resurrection of the Flesh , Luca Signorelli, 1502 The Resurrection of Man Intro The body/soul composition of man Death is the unnatural separation of the body from the soul The intermediate state of man Resurrection is the reunion of the body and soul “ There came to Him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection. ” Just as today among God’s people, at the time of Jesus there were divisions and distinctions amongst the Israelites. Most well known to us are the Pharisees and Sadducees. Today we see in particular the group known as the Sadducees. The Sadducees were a Jewish sect that flourished right around the time of Jesus. They were wealthy and powerful individuals, primarily made up of high-priestly families and aristocrats who controlled temple worship. Additionally, they were friendly to the Romans and worked with Roman authorities. While the Pharisees were lovers of man-made laws, the Sadducees were more interested in their family heritage. The Sadducees were also...