“Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and […]
Ends of the incarnation
Christmas (along with Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost) is one of five “evangelical feast days” that celebrate key moments in the Son of God’s saving mission. On these days, the church turns its attention in a special way to the redemptive historical events that mark “the fullness of time” (Gal 4:4; Eph 1:10): the time […]
Ten Things I am Thankful for in 2019
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Ps 103:1-2). Giving thanks is the most fitting action that intelligent creatures can perform in response to the manifold goodness of God. God bestows upon his people […]
Leadership lessons from 3 John: notes on a “Diotrephen” spirit
The thin little letter of 3 John punches well above its fighting weight when it comes to theological and pastoral insight. And I mean punches. Third John further elaborates the conception of truth expounded in John’s Gospel and other letters. John identifies the truth as a way of life, and rejoices that his children are […]
God clothed in metaphor: “the Lord God is a sun” (Ps 84:11)
God clothed in metaphor The scriptural God is a metaphorical God, not in the sense that he is not “literally” God, but in the sense that God frequently reveals himself to us in Scripture by means of metaphors. The scriptural God is a God who clothes himself in metaphors. Often these metaphors are taken from […]
Soul care today and in the Christian tradition
Soul care today Personality tests seem to be all the rage in the broader evangelical world at the moment. Whether it’s in the context of leadership training, church small groups, or campus ministries, there is a widespread hunger to understand what makes us distinctive as individuals and to understand how our distinctive traits and tendencies […]
