Pious Lutheran

Trees are beautiful. I don’t think you could call me a tree-hugger, but I do appreciate trees. Their strong thick trunks, the large looming branches, and the intricate maze of twigs and leaves that stretch towards the sun, are all pleasant to the sight. There is such a plethora of trees in the world: from the strong majestic oak to the droopy weeping willow, all of them beautiful. However, my favorite kinds of trees are the ones that produce food for me. Apples and oranges and peaches and pears and walnuts and pecans! As we read in Genesis: “ Out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. ” Trees in scripture are quite significant, not just because they provide beauty and food, but because trees apart from their beauty frame the lives of Christians in a very substantial way. In the beginning, in the genesis, there were two important trees: “ The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of goo...

Do you believe in the devil? Because according to a Gallup survey conducted just two years ago, only 6 out of 10 Americans said that they believe the devil is real. But the devil does exist, and Jesus really did cast a demon out of this mute man in the Gospel. Jesus is still to this day casting demons out of people. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus casts Satan out of his demon fortress. That’s right, I said Satan has a fortress. And he does, Satan is strong and powerful, he’s the ruler of this earth. Jesus calls it a kingdom, and Jesus calls Satan strong: “ When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe. ” Don’t be deceived; the devil is not weak.  We like to picture him as a red bodied creature with a long pointed tail, horns on his head, and brandishing a pitchfork. Yet, he’s no bigger than a little smurf who sits on one of your shoulders, powerless and easy to flick right off and ignore. Like the Jews, we think of him as weak and powerless, ...

“ This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ” Luther writes that these words “show us that in the sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.” The Lord’s Supper is medicine that heals.  Healing is exactly what people need today. “ For thus says the Lord: Your hurt is incurable, and your wound is grievous. ” The people in this world are sick and twisted. If you look at the news headlines, what are you going to see? Conflict in the middle east. Sexual assaults. Assassinations. Bombings. Shootings. People dying of the flu. Domestic violence. It’s not just others who are sick, but like God says YOUR hurt is incurable, and YOUR wound is grievous. But in our almighty, infallible, human wisdom we think we have the cure, the medicine for the sickness we see in our world. More people should have guns. No people should have ...

“ Remember your mercy, O Lord, and Your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. ” When we pray by calling upon the Lord to remember His mercy and His steadfast love, we’re also reminding ourselves that God is merciful and that He has steadfast love for His people. God really is merciful! God’s love really is steadfast and immovable! God’s mercy is incredible. Not too long before Jesus entered into Syro-Phoenicia where He met this Canaanite woman, He was at Gennesaret in Galilee. “ And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. ”  The Old Testament itself is a testament to God’s steadfast love for His people. Countless times, again and again, the Israelites whored after foreign gods and ceased to worship the one true God. Yet He still loved His people so strongly that He would take on hu...

The first question asked in the Small Catechism concerning the Sacrament of the Altar is: “What is the Sacrament of the Altar?” That’s a good question! What is the nature of this meal? What is it? To which the answer is given: “It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.” This Holy Supper is Jesus who feeds us His body and blood. Now God feeding us is really nothing new whatsoever. God fed Adam and Eve by creating all of the trees from which they were to eat. “ Out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. ” God gave the earth to sprout forth plants yielding all sorts of food, He gave us animals from which we may eat of them, and in the wilderness He gave the Israelites bread from heaven. “ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you.’” Now, it seems like Moses uses the term “...

“And lead us not into temptation,” we pray in the Lord’s Prayer. Open up your hymnal to page 324 where you’ll find the Small Catechism, let’s read together Luther’s explanation to the 6th petition: “ God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory. ” It is true that God tempts no one, however, God does permit us to be tempted by Satan. “ Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say...?” Or later we read about Job’s life, “ And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. ”  Have you ever wondere...