We know that thanksgiving to God is an important part of our corporate Christian living together. But another aspect of that crucial demeanor is the need to be thankful for one another, and to give ourselves to this as a spiritual exercise as a spiritual discipline. The apostle Paul frequently thanks God for particular congregations. …
Communion is the Point
Those who are lost in this world are characterized by a bewilderment concerning whether or not there is any point to life. If they knew there was one, and if they knew what it was, they wouldn’t be lost. But here they are, and lost is the best word we might use to describe them. …
Welcome the Child
One of the more notable features of the life of our Lord, as recorded in Scripture, is the fact that references to the outside world are overwhelmingly political. When Jesus was born, Augustus was Caesar (Luke 2:1) and Quirinius was governor of Syria (Luke 2:2). Herod the Great was ruler in Judea (Luke 1:5), and …
21 Maxims for Discouraged Pastors
1. The ministry is hard, exacting work. “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). In 2 Tim. 2:3-6, the apostle Paul compares the work of ministry to three vocations, and all of them involve a goodly …
Getting Dressed for Christmas
Introduction: Holidays are frequently times when people get trapped by the expectations game. Because everyone around you assumes that the day is going to be “really good,” “special,” or “fantastic,” and is constantly telling you to have a “merry” one, it is easy to assume that having a merry Christmas is an actual possession of …
A Little Holiday Insurrection
As we approach the celebration of Christmas this coming week, we need to remember that such celebrations are an essential part of the cultural glue that holds a people together. When that kind of thing is gone, it is all gone. Battles over nativity sets on county courthouse grounds are not a trifle. But we …
Holiness, Humility, Help
We do not come here to grovel, but rather to glory. We are instructed as Christians, when we glory, to glory in another, to glory in the Lord, but we do in fact glory. This is done on the basis of the Lord’s free gift of justification. Without that gift, we can do nothing. With …
The USS Eschaton
Please bear with a few juxtaposed quotes, followed up by a very brief observation. “We have contrived that their very language should be all smudge and blur . . .” (C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Proposes a Toast). “The gospel was not ‘believe in Jesus and you will have eternal life’. It was the public announcement that …
The Mastiff of the Lord
Robin Phillips has written an article in which he wants to set an “agenda for fresh dialogue” on the subject of covenant renewal worship. Okay. I’m in. But I don’t want to answer Robin point by point — rather I would like to make a series of background observations that might help us to determine …
A Voice Like Many Waters
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of …