On my top menu bar, over on the far right — and some would charge that if I were in full control of my layout, everything would be on the far right — you can see the discrete little word shop. In that little shop, an experiment in publishing is going on, and I invite …
Our Culture, What Remains of It/State of the Church #1
Introduction: Instead of a stand-alone “state of the church” message this year, as has been our custom, I want to spend a number of weeks on the topic. Lord willing, I intend to drill down into the subject, and I trust that the reasons for doing so will become increasingly apparent as we work through …
The Envy Prod
As we consider the meaning of the death of Jesus—intended by God as the death of all envy—and the power of His resurrection, intended as the basis for the proclamation of the gospel of life, what should we do? In the light of this, how should we live in community with one another? Here is …
Life Devouring Death
The psalmist praises God because God prepared a table for him in the presence of his enemies. Surely this would include the presence of the great enemy, death. Now rightly understood, this table is the central example of that gracious provision, and rightly understood, this table is one of the great weapons in the arsenal …
A Meditation: Christmas Eve 2017
As Christians we confess the reality of the true and living and triune God on two levels. The ultimate level is God-as-He-is-in-Himself, independent of any creation. The infinite God is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit—God the Speaker, God the Spoken, and God the Interpretation. This is simply and solely the way …
Two Kinds of Righteousness
Jesus came to save a dark and sinful world, but it was a world that thought itself glorious. And, to a certain extent, that glory was not a sham. The Lord Himself was tempted by it, when the glory of all the world’s kingdoms was paraded before Him by the devil. The world was grimy …
The Glory of Matter
We are created and shaped in the image of God, and we are the crowning glory of matter. Our first father Adam was fashioned out of the earth, and when we die, we return to that earth. For a time, matter is organized in such a way as to love, think, sing praises to God, …
The Night Before Whatsit
So here is some festive doggerel I wrote some time ago, and which I periodically post at appropriate times of the year — and now it is the turn of 2017. Have a merry Christmas. Comments are open, but only if you want to say merry Christmas back. ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all …
The God Who Stoops
Introduction: The message of the gospel is one that not only brings us forgiveness of sin, but also one that upends all our categories. God unmakes our tawdry pasts, and replaces them with a fresh start, a new birth, a clean slate. But He also intends to unmake our officious assumptions about what all those …
And So “Merry Christmas” It Is
Our most common phrase used to celebrate this time of year is merry Christmas. This is good and right, but like everything else it can be ruined if we try it on autopilot. This means that we are claiming that the characteristic keynote attitude surrounding this holiday is cheerfulness. And this is done, at least …