The world has sinned since the time of Noah, and there have been times when the world has sinned most grievously. But though the world has sinned, the Lord has nevertheless promised that this sinful world will never again be under water. In an analogous way, the saints of God have sinned since their conversion—and …
Take Your Hands Away
The central lesson we must learn as we approach God in worship is the lesson of honesty. Confession of sin is agreement with God over what constitutes sin, and in order to do this we have read two things rightly. We have to read the text rightly, which is harder than it looks, and we …
Table Choices
We are the people of God, and so of course He promises to feed us. We are the sheep of His pasture, and He also promises to feed us in the presence of our enemies (Ps. 23:5). And while we are being fed, our enemies are not silent about it. While we are being fed …
Kind of Ugly Anyway
Grace is free and more than a little wild, and this is why we are given the gift of being the servants or bond-slaves of the Lord. The grace of God is absolutely consistent with God’s holy character, and this is why His well-favored sons and daughters are free, and more than a little wild. …
Worship Music Rip Tides
I have often told people that they need to evaluate their lives by the video, and not by the snapshot. That is, they should not just look at one moment in time, but rather consider trajectories, tendencies, and narrative arc as well. I would like to suggest that we need to do the same thing …
The Seal on Damnation’s Vault
Everyone gathered here, although we are gathered in Christ, is still aware of our remaining sinfulness. We are, in addition to this, aware of our sins, those which we have committed, and which we have confessed at the beginning of this service. Some of those sins are egregious, as man reckons them, and all of …
The Game of Virtue Tag
It is easy to drift into the mindset that is willing to become virtuous, provided the virtues drift our way. We would welcome them, we think, provided they took the initiative, and came to us. But the Scriptures tell us to pursue godliness. In the game of virtue tag, we are “it.” Righteousness, godliness, faith, …
Mozart and Vince Gill
Let me begin this post with a list of the last twelve songs I listened to (at the time of writing), somewhat randomly, and working backward: (Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay by Sara BareillesBuild a Levee by Natalie Merchant29 Ways by Marc CohnLake Charles by Lucinda WilliamsSlow Dancing in a Burning Room by …
Let the Word Apply It to the Wound
The Word that accompanies the sacrament here is a Word that should be spoken to the occasion, to the circumstance. The bread and wine are constant; we have no authority to substitute other elements. We have no authority to adjust the sacrament itself. But do we speak words of warning or words of comfort? Do …
Choreographed Liturgy and Nano-Theology
You have often heard me use the word evangelical. What am I going on about? The Scriptures insist, from beginning to end, on the absolute necessity of the new birth. If we are all objects of wrath by nature, and we are, then something must happen to each one of us at some point if …