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As I write this, we are planning to celebrate our Valentine’s Banquet this weekend. (By the time you read this, assuming it is the print copy on Sunday morning, it will have already happened.) I am really looking forward to it, as it is yet another one of those things that has not been done since the pandemic that just sort of slipped away when we began to get back to normal; it’s a good sign when we revive things…

This article was written by Wes McAdams and published on his blog, “Radically Christian,” earlier this week. I thought it was timely on a couple of levels. For one, as we study through OT history in our Sunday morning Bible class, we encounter Israel making idols and worshipping false gods; this helps to clarify why even those graven images that ostensibly represented YHWH, like the golden bulls of Jeroboam, were forbidden. More importantly, for all of us, it gives practical…

Baptism is a tremendously significant event. In baptism, God promises to extend his grace to the penitent believer, and we appropriate all the blessings associated with the saving work of Jesus Christ. We had several baptisms last year. It is a wonderful thing that these people made the commitment to follow Jesus, had their sins washed away, and were added to his church. Now, baptism is more than just experiencing any sort of rite involving water. For one thing, the…

In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul is dealing with the abusive practice of the Lord’s Supper in the church in Corinth. In the context of criticizing them, one question he asked was, “Do you despise the church of God?” (1 Cor 11:22) That’s something worth meditating on. Hold that in the back of your mind and ponder it for a moment as you consider another question: what are the great tragedies facing the church of Christ in our day and time?…

I read a post online earlier this week by a preacher acquaintance of mine to the effect that putting Christmas at the beginning of winter was a mistake—the best part of the season is out of the way just a few days in with nothing but dreary days stretching out in front of it for the next few months. As a confirmed lover of winter, I completely disagree with the premise; I might be the only person in Liberty County…

There is an old story, a sort of parable—I am not sure of its original source. But many of you have likely read it before. If so, you are going to read it again. It is about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to do and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry because it…

It seems hard to believe, but this is the final Sunday—the final day—of 2023. Tonight at midnight, we will close the book on this year and then embark on 2024 (the beginning of our seventh year here, incidentally, which is also hard to believe!). We are probably all focused on the challenges of the coming year, the changes we would like to make, the improvement we would like to see. As we think about that as it relates to the…

Most of you are probably at least somewhat familiar with J. R. R. Tolkien. He was a philologist by training, a professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford. But he is best known today as a writer, particularly for his epic works of fantasy, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was famously a devout Catholic. His religious beliefs clearly influenced a number of his works in terms of their worldview, though he did not write much…

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. – Psalm 98 Isaac Watts is considered the father of…

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of…

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:13- 14) Joseph Mohr was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1792. In 1815, he was ordained to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church and served in a number of parishes in the Salzburg area. As of Christmas 1818, he was the assistant priest at St. Nicholas church…

The Apostle Paul encountered opposition to Ephesus. The silversmiths, who made trinkets to honor the pagan goddess Diana, were concerned that the growth of the Christian Faith would cut into the profits of their trade. Bringing some of the leading Christians before the civil magistrates, they delivered the charge: “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6). While intended as a rebuke, in one sense, this charge was a great compliment. The pagans…