Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Our Father and gracious God, You are the God who raises the dead. You speak to dead nothing, and a vibrant, living universe appears. You speak to the inanimate world, and every manner of teeming life appears, from the grass, to the …
The Aisle of Heaven’s Cathedral
The glory that is developing at this Table is far greater than any mortal man can imagine. We do not know the height, or breadth or depth of it—although the apostle prays that we might begin our lessons. He prays that the saints would be able to know that which surpasses knowledge, to grasp the …
The Return of the Blue Pomegranates
Citing the Second Commandment (Ex. 20:4-6), Dr. Paul Owen asks, “Does this commandment forbid physical demonstrations of veneration before images, and the adoration of the Eucharistic host in the worship services of the Church? I do not believe it does” Since I do believe that it does, let me mention just a few brief responses …
Holy Friday Service
Just got back from a joint Holy Friday service with Christ Church and Trinity Reformed Church. It was glorious, and the homily was given by Peter Leithart. I bring this up because it is here, and you really need to read it.
They Shall All Be Taught of God
Our Lord quoted the prophets, saying that it is written there that “they shall all be taught of God.” Jesus interpreted this as meaning that everyone who had heard, and has learned from the Father, comes necessarily to Jesus Christ. This is not to be taken as meaning that anyone can just snap their fingers …
Minds, Hands, Lungs, and Feet
No discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful, Scripture tells us. But afterward, we are promised, it yields the peaceful fruit of an upright life. Such discipline is too often thought of as chastisement for sin. While of course, this is included in what Scripture addresses, it also, and very importantly, includes all aspects …
The Real Problem with “Kill the Wabbit”
“The attraction was essentially erotic. This music bespoke emotion liberated from reason. In the musical realm, the assault on tonality corresponded to an assault on sexual restraint in the moral realm and an attack on the social order in the political realm. Wagner could achieve all three, which would correspond to the deepest needs he …
The Reasonable Limits of Reason
“The cross saves some sinners and baffles others. The ‘reason’ that both sets of sinners hold in common is not competent to judge these things. All our thoughts must be submissive to Christ (2 Cor. 10:4-5); we must love God with all our minds (Mt. 22:37); and we must never presume that God needs our …
As Norah Jones Once Sang With Ray Charles, “Here We Go Again”
I am sure that there were many times during his trek to the North Pole that Admiral Peary had occasion to remark on the vista ahead being the “utter frozen limit.” But then, three days later, there would be more. As we have dealt with the monkeyshines of our intolerabuddies, I have used that expression (UFL) …
Got A Nail?
Allow me to introduce my youngest grandson, Judah. Also let me share some nicknames that have been known to come his way: Judah the Hut, Yehuda Buddha, Barrel-rider, and the Hammer (also his favorite toy, and which he gets to play with infrequently, for obvious reasons). But this last nickname fits well with his Maccabean …