Introduction: What does it mean to be pro-life across the board? We know, of course, that abortion-on-demand is a gross violation of the law of God, and we also know that biblical parents are really “into” their kids. But the question is much larger than this, and so we need to consider the politics of …
Deep Lessons for a Shallow People
Israel has already been warned against chauvinism because of their election by God (7:6-10), and against economic smugness because of their coming prosperity (8:17ff). And here they are warned against the moral self-righteousness that afflicts those who are granted military superiority. “Hear, O Israel: Thou are to pass over Jordan this day . . .” …
Charge It to Christ’s Account
We serve the living God. We are a people who have been ushered into new life. We have heard the word of life declared. This is the bread of life; this is living wine. Life is a mystery, and only the dead think they understand it. Life is glory; life is movement; life is joy; …
Common Era, Humbug!
N.B. This is an old exhortation. It is not really Advent yet. Nor is it 2002. But I stand by everything else. This is the second Sunday of the Advent season. As Christians, we seek to live our lives before God moment by moment and day by day. Unfortunately, we tend to taper off after …
Some Liturgical Housekeeping
Introduction: As a congregation we have grown a great deal over the years. We are very grateful for what God has given us, and we are even more grateful for what He has taken away from us. By faith, we trust that as the years go by, we will grow our roots even deeper into …
Worship As a Daily Office
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the ends of the earth, My voice goes out to You. When my heart is overwhelmed, Lead me O God, Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. You have …
What Pagans Always Do
Christians have been living in exile for far too many years. This exile is the exile of an arbitrary dualism, one that separates our private faith and the public faith. This is the heresy of modernity, and the political expression of that heresy is the ideal of liberal democracy. According to this heresy, what you …
Speaking Mush to Power
Here is an interesting and valuable article on American Empire, N.T. Wright, the emergent church, and Pauline studies (HT: Justin Taylor). And here are just a couple of random (and brief) observations on the same general subject. I am not going to argue for these; I am just going to say them. 1. It is …
Show Us the Covenant
Our Father and God, You are the God who has promised to show us the covenant. We thank You that we are in the covenant, but we seek more than this—we ask that You would show us the covenant, in accordance with all Your promises. We sit down at this meal, ready to thank You …
Obedience or Death
Recall that chapter eight of Deuteronomy is structured chiastically. We will now consider the second half of this chiasm. “Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day” (Deuteronomy 8:11-20). Remember the central point of this chapter is …