Pious Lutheran

The Multiplication of Loaves,  Daniel Halle, 1664 God blesses small things We are small when faced with the big challenges of the world God works through small and ordinary things God blesses small things to address big problems In some ways radio, television, and the internet has made the world seem smaller. Although, it’s not actually smaller, it’s just closer and more visible to us. Thus, in other ways the world appears to be even larger and the problems insurmountable. When you see a photograph from space of our planet, you feel smaller than an ant. How could you ever expect to resolve the problems faced internationally, let alone in the city next door? You’re so small, the problems are so big, who are you to do anything about it? This is the conundrum which the disciples faced. A great crowd of 4,000 men (not counting women and children) had gathered to see Jesus perform miracles and listen to Him teach. Jesus explained the situation: “ I have compassion on the crowd, because ...

Feeding of the Five Thousand , Anonymous, circa 1750 St. Paul wrote in Galatians: “ For freedom Christ has set us free. ” And here in Romans St. Paul wrote: “ Present your members as slaves to righteousness. ” So which is it? Are we free or slaves? In short, Christ has freed us from our slavery of sin to be slaves of God. The freedom we have from Christ is a bit more nuanced than we Americans typically think. As Americans a fairly significant ideal is freedom, having individual autonomy and not being subject to authoritarian tyrants. That freedom is a good ideal, it’s a part of what makes the US such a desirable place to live. We can argue over the current state of freedom in our country and how things have changed since our founding, but I think it’s still safe to say we Americans by and large value our freedoms. Afterall, the motto of Iowa is: “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.” While these freedoms are great in terms of our citizenry, we have to be careful that...

The Miracle of the Five Loaves and Two Fish, Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1472-1553 Sometimes we doubt God’s providence. Over the past year and a half for example, there have been ample opportunities to worry. A contagious virus and tyrannical rulers were just the beginning. Now recently there are various economic concerns: we have obviously high inflation since the cost of everything is going up and yet our investments have pitiful interest rates. So we’re losing our wealth, and on a fixed income especially, that’s no good. Those things are really just the tip of the iceberg of all of the things to worry about. I’m sure each one of us has our own set of concerns and worries. So it’s a good thing we’re all in church today and can listen to Jesus address these worries. “ In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have ...

A few weeks ago in Bible Study at St. Paul the ancient motto or proverb was brought up: “God helps those who help themselves.” It’s an old saying, with origins dating back to ancient Greece, but it’s not found anywhere in the Bible. We discussed how the phrase can be understood within a Christian framework, understanding that God has commanded us not to be lazy sluggards, but we are to diligently labor in our life. If we’re unwilling to work, then neither will we eat.  While that’s a kind interpretation of the phrase which is designed to help people self-motivate and get work done, that’s not really how people commonly understand the phrase. In some Barna surveys done over the past few decades, a majority of Americans actually believe that this phrase is a Bible verse or even one of the ten commandments, they believe that this phrase is the central message of the Bible.  This message of self-reliance is helpful in terms of motivating a sluggard to activity, however, the p...

In whom do you place your hope and your trust to care for you in your bodily needs? If things were to turn sour in your life, and the money dried up and you needed help, who do you go to first? I suppose firstly you trust in yourself and your own hardworking intuition, maybe you trust in a retirement account or a Social security check or a pension, something that you worked for and have now earned. But secondly, you trust in your government, after yourself the next place you turn is to see if the government has some money to give you. Then, third, if you can’t do it, if the government can’t help, then you finally give a last ditch effort and pray to God.  But we have that order a little mixed up, because it’s Jesus who has compassion on us in both our spiritual and bodily needs. “ In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now t...