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 Death of Ritual Murder: Easter 2006
Introduction: We testify to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was crucified, died, and was buried. He came back from the dead on the third day, and He did so in accordance with the Scriptures. This we confess, and confess gladly. But it is not enough to declare that Jesus is risen; …
Take the Blue Pomegranates For Example
It is perilously easy to read your own practices and assumptions back into the history of the Church. This anachronistic impulse is universal, and much of the time it is merely funny and endearing, but when it is elevated to the point of dogma, and insisted upon as a religious duty, the problems that result …
A Psalming People
As we continue to pray and labor for reformation in the church, remember that this is not accomplished in some invisible place. Reformation is manifest in the church; it is manifest to the world. Reformation is not change for the sake of change, but it will sometimes look like this to outsiders. Reformation is not …
So Fight the Dragon
Once there were two young brothers playing together on the living room floor. Well, they were not really playing together, but they were playing at the same time, and without very much conflict. Their parents were both there, sitting and reading. There were toys all over the floor, but one in particular was under the …
For the Food and Wine
Gracious Father in heaven, we thank You for the arrival of another Lord’s Day. We thank You for the fellowship we share around this table. We praise Your name for the food and wine. We are grateful for the opportunity to sing to You and prepare our hearts for worship in the morning. We ask …
Bad Whiskey
The book of Proverbs contains any number of great themes, and one of the first is the teaching of the book on tongue — the words we speak. There are many aspects to this because we sin more with our mouths than any other way. “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from …
Love or Drift
You are accustomed now to all the liturgical changes we have made over the course of this last year. You must now be exhorted to remember the point of all such orders of worship. The fact that you know the order of events frees you to concentrate on worshiping the Lord Himself, just as learning …
Palm Sunday 2006
Introduction: We are seeking to recover a Christian sense of time, and in some sense this means a recovery of the Church year. But though we are seeking to escape a secularized calendar, we must never forget that we got this secular calendar (in part) because of a reaction away from the problem of “saints …