Imaging the Word

“For the hour is coming, when all that are in the tomb will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life.”  John 5:28–29 There are not many works of art that capture the moment of resurrection. The work that for me is most memorable is a sculpture called “Resurrection” by American Lutheran artist Paul T. Granlund. You’ll find “Resurrection ”  on the sidewalk outside the First Lutheran Church in downtown Pittsburgh. In this imaginative w

The Baptism of Christ, early 6th century. Ceiling mosaic, Arian Baptistery, Ravenna, Italy. Photo: Peter Milošević Mark 1:1-8   John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his wa

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: 2  As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3  the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”   4  John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and we

Matthew 25:14-30   Jesus said:   “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,  but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.  And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to the