Pious Lutheran

The Crucifixion from Isenheim Altarpiece,  Matthias Grunewald, 1516 Blessed contemplation on the Crucifixion We do not understand the cross as we should The cross is seen most clearly through suffering Don’t be silenced and pushed away from the cross, but draw near to contemplate the death of Christ for you “ See… the Son of Man.. will be delivered over to the Gentiles… But they understood none of these things. ” I suppose we often think of ourselves as knowing and understanding the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus completely. Afterall, little children know to sing: “Jesus loves me, He who died, heaven’s gate to open wide, He has washed away my sin, lets His little child come in.” Even little kids know that Jesus died to forgive our sins, and because He rose we will rise with Him. But because we think it’s so simple, so easy, we often just leave it there and quickly grow tired of thinking of Jesus' death. But it’s more than just growing tired of the crucifixion, it’s that we d...

Jesus Healing Blind Bartimaeus,  Johann Heinrich Stover, 1861 Jesus is our Savior In times of need, where do we look for help? Jesus is our merciful Savior. We follow Jesus where He leads. “If there’s something strange in your neighborhood who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!” Or more seriously, if there’s actually a real life emergency, the first thing we’re taught to do is call 911. If you’re having a health problem you call your doctor. If your water heater breaks you call your plumber. If you’re depressed you call your psychologist. If your house is damaged in a storm you call your insurance agent. That’s all fine and it makes sense, but where does God fit in in your times of need? Where does your help come from? “ Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me. ” Our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. The blind beggar knew to call out to Jesus for help. When he was t...

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...

The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus,  Fernando Gallego, 1480-1488 What is love? No, I’m not quoting a song from the 90’s, because this is a legitimate and important question. What does it mean to love? Typically love is said to be a feeling, a sympathy and affection for another. But that doesn’t actually help define love, it actually makes it harder to define. If love were simply a feeling, then love would be entirely subjective, dependent on each individual and dependent on their emotional state at any given time. Love would be defined by the heart. But what’s so wrong with that, you may ask. Well, Jesus said what comes out of the heart: “ Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. ” The heart is not exactly the prettiest place, contrary to popular opinion. When we define love based upon what we feel in our hearts, then love is defined as evil. To illustrate, we’ve legally (at least by the courts) defined love as a feeling ...

                                February  14th is known by us American’s as Valentine’s Day. It’s a day which celebrates romantic love through various acts of kindness, such as giving gifts or going on dates. It’s a healthy thing for husbands and wives to take a day, such as Valentine’s Day, and give thanks to God for granting to them a spouse to love and cherish. That said, the actual man after whom this day is popularly named has nothing to do with romantic love whatsoever. Very little is known about St. Valentine, but we do know that he was a martyr who confessed Christ up until his dying breath, killed under Emperor Claudius II around 270 in Rome. According to tradition, Valentine was both a physician and a pastor, and the day he faced his martyrdom, he is said to have consoled the daughter of his jailer by writing her a note of encouragement. Apparently, the young girl had gotten to ...

“ As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ” Have you ever met and gotten to know a blind person? Not just someone who can’t see very well, but someone who is completely blind, can’t see a thing, their eyes don’t work. I’ve only gotten to know a few folks who’re blind.  One such gentleman I met at seminary: Greg. Such a kind and intelligent man, with a very difficult disability. Simply getting around on our small campus was a challenge for him. Even after a few months of memorizing the layout and creating a mental map of the campus, he would still occasionally get turned around and lost.  You’d see Greg out wandering in the grass or the parking lot calling out for help. So you’d go out to him, “Hi Greg, this is John, can I help you get somewhere?” You’d explain to him where he is and where he’s trying to go, then you’d take him by the arm and lead him there.  In a way, you and I are not unlike Greg wandering in a parking lot o...