I trust that God has blessed you and yours with a most merry Christmas. That said, it is time for you to go back to fellowshipping with them all, including even your cranky uncle. The normal letters feature here that runs on Tuesday will appear tomorrow, despite the fact that … [Read more...]
The Next Bethlehem
There are few things in this world more audacious than the doctrines underlying Christmas. And when we say this, we are not just talking about what God has done, in fulfillment of His great and precious promises, but we are also talking about what God is continuing to do, and … [Read more...]
Christmas with Both Feet on the Ground
Introduction: One of our great temptations is to project doctrinal anachronisms back into the past. When Jesus was living among us, and teaching His disciples, it is pretty easy for us to take post-resurrection realities, or post-ascension realities, or even post-Nicene … [Read more...]
The Christmas Gift
Introduction: Our celebration of Christmas is all about the arrival of the one who was given to us. For unto us a Son is given (Is. 9:6). The Christ was given. God so loved the world that He gave. In Isaiah’s promise, there are two words that are repeated twice, and they … [Read more...]
Christmas: a Basic Review
Introduction: In our circles, we have often considered the importance of having our times and seasons defined in relation to Jesus Christ. The only alternative to this is to have them defined in reference to someone or something else, and this is obviously an unacceptable … [Read more...]
Have Yourself a Merry Little Chalcedon Christmas
Introduction: King Ahaz was enough of a good guy to at least have the prophet Isaiah trying to encourage him. Ahaz had refused to join in with an anti-Assyrian alliance, and Syria (also called Aram) and Ephraim (also called Israel) had attacked Judah for not joining with them. … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving 2018, Idolatry, and Deuteronomic Pie
Introduction: One of the more pleasant customs around here is to write something every Thanksgiving about how good God has been to us. But this is really not a “break” from all the culture war stuff—gratitude actually ought to be our central weapon in the culture war. … [Read more...]
The Holy, Horror, and Halloween
I want to take the approach of yet another Halloween to address something that is increasingly related to it. A few years ago I wrote about the lawfulness of celebrating Halloween itself — at the little kid dressing up level — but here I want to develop further a thought I … [Read more...]
The Authority of the Spirit/Pentecost 2018
Introduction: Today we are remembering the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. We will be considering the convergence of all things in the Father, coming to Him through the Son, and enabled to do this by the Spirit. But though this must be our central focus, … [Read more...]
Led Captivity Captive/Ascension 2018
Introduction: Today we are commemorating the Lord’s Ascension into Heaven, the time when He received universal dominion, absolute and unfettered, from the hand of His Father. But we must never forget that His Ascension is built on the bedrock of His Descent. We are told that He … [Read more...]
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