The revchristruelsen’s Podcast

(A revisit from November 10, 2023)

Text for discussion: Luke 10.

There are many paradoxes to the way God operates in this world.  The rich and powerful will struggle to see God’s Work in this world, and indeed may willfully disobey it.  They may succeed on this earth, but eternity is a different thing than earthly success.  It is the meek, the innocent, the poor in spirit for whom God’s Kingdom and ways will most clearly come into focus.  When we set aside worldly attitudes, different priorities come into focus.

 

Hymn: My Soul, Now Praise Your Maker (Public domain hymn).

Image: Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (Johannes Vermeer, 1654, public domain).

 

(A revisit from November 3, 2023)

Text for discussion: Luke 9.  

God will no longer tolerate the power of Fallenness over His creation.  His Son brings with Him the Kingdom and will break the power of sin, death and the devil . . . .

Painting: Karl Bloch - The Transfiguration of Jesus.  (Public domain.)

Hymn: For All the Saints.  (Public domain hymn).  

(A revisit from October 27, 2023) 

Text for discussion: Luke 8.  

Happy week of the Lutheran Reformation! 

Luke 8 covers the Parable of the Sower, a powerful parable, but powerful events also ensue.  Jesus calms the storm, frees a man of a "legion" of demons, and He raises a child from the dead.  Who is this who calms the storm, who the demons must obey, and even death itself must yield?  This Jesus is none other than God Himself, clothed in human flesh . . . .  

The hymn: A Mighty Fortress is Our God 

The picture: by Rembrandt.  1633. "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee."

(A revisit from October 13, 2023) 

Luke 7.  

Jesus heals a centurion's servant in Capernaum, raises a young man at Nain, and makes waves felt in Judea.  

His mercy and forgiveness abounds.  

The hymn: We Praise you O God.  Public domain.

The image: Palma il Giovane, "Penitent Woman Anointing the Feet of Christ at the Table of Simon the Pharisee."  Late Renaissance.  Public domain.  

(a revisit from September 8, 2023) 

Text for discussion: Luke 6

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, and in Him we build a firm foundation for our lives.  

 

Hymn: Built on the Rock

Image: Sheaf of Grain, Franz Marc, 1907.  Public domain.  

 

To the Savior (INRI) 

Just wanted to share a song that I wrote and recorded.  It is called "To the Savior. (INRI)." It is a paraphrasing and retelling of events in the Gospels.  

Music by Chris Truelsen (Copyright 2026) 

with lyrics based on Scripture. 

Painting: Christ in the Storm by Rembrandt.  (public domain). 

 

(a revisit from September 1, 2023)

Text for Discussion:  Luke 5.  

Jesus is gathering disciples, but it does not seem like He is gathering the most righteous of people . . . .  What we are seeing is "new wine" when people are so used to the old.  

He is bringing about something that hasn't been seen before . . . . 

Hymn of the Day: My Faith Looks Up to Thee.  (A public domain hymn).  

Painting: Jan van Hemessen, 1536.  "Jesus Summons Matthew to Leave the Tax Office"

(A revisit from August 25, 2023)

Text for discussion: Luke 4.  

In this chapter, Jesus is tempted in the desert and begins His ministry.  

Jesus shows us how He is going to stand between us and evil.  The full victory is won at the cross.  It is not just a temporal victory, but an eternal victory, for you . . . . 

 

Hymn: Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me.  A public domain hymn.  

Image: Christ in the Desert by Ivan Kramskoy, 1872.  

(This one goes back to July 21, 2023) 

Discussion: Luke 3.  

When Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River He is baptized into our sin and we in turn our baptized into His mercy and grace. Interestingly, when Jesus goes to the Jordan he is south of the Mesopotamian Mt. Olympus, so to speak.  His ministry is not just to gather in Israel, but to claim the people of the other nations, and Jesus does so by uprooting and overturning their gods.  In this episode you will discover that there is a bigger battle taking place than meets the eye.  

This is a revisitation from a podcast from Friday July 07, 2023.

Text for discussion: Luke 2. 
 
Everything mentioned in the narrative of the birth of Christ has significance from beginning to end.  In this one we join the shepherds by the manger . . . . 
 
Hymns: What Child is This, On My Heart Imprint Your Image, We Praise you, O God, Eternal Father, Strong to Save, The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Art: Public domain, John Singleton Copley, "The Nativity" dated, 1776-1777.