Salinger and the Incarnation: A Reminder of Hope from an Unlikely Source

by Charles Barrett • December 25, 2013

One benefit of the religious calendar is that we give a whole month to celebrate the wonder of the incarnation. One disadvantage of the religious calendar is that we give only a month to celebrate the wonder of the incarnation. That the Word took flesh ought to move our hearts and fill our minds with an overwhelming sense of wonder each day. The incarnation of the Son of God is the climactic event in redemptive history when God broke into space and time and dwelt among us in the flesh. In a time when it seemed as though God was silent and all hope was gone, God was actively preparing the world for the coming of His Son in the fullness of times. After sin entered this world mankind experienced shame and hopelessness. Yet, God revealed the promise of a Redeemer who would come and reverse the curse and restore hope to a fallen humanity.

One benefit of the religious calendar is that we give a whole month to celebrate the wonder of the incarnation. One disadvantage of the religious calendar is that we give only a month to celebrate the wonder of the incarnation. That the Word took flesh ought to move our hearts and fill our minds with an overwhelming sense of wonder each day. The incarnation of the Son of God is the climactic event in redemptive history when God broke into space and time and dwelt among us in the flesh.

Joy to You and Me -- Part One

By James Boice

Joy to You and Me
Luke 2:8-20
Theme: Rejoicing in the promise.
This week’s lessons teach us that true joy is found in Christ alone.

Lesson

There is no emotion so characteristic of Christmas as joy. The whole atmosphere of Christmas is joyful, and it has been joyful since that very first night when the angels announced their message of joy to the shepherds in Bethlehem. And that’s why we sing about joy so much at Christmas.

The Impossible Possible for God -- Part Five

By James Boice

The Impossible Possible for God
Luke 1:26-38
Theme: Believing the "unbelievable."
This week’s lessons teach us that our God is all-powerful.

Lesson
I like something the great English bishop J.C. Ryle wrote years ago about the God of the impossible. He said,

I like something the great English bishop J.C. Ryle wrote years ago about the God of the impossible. He said,
There is no sin too black and bad to be pardoned. The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. There is no heart too hard and wicked to be changed. The heart of stone can be made a heart of flesh. There is no work too hard for a believer to do. We may do all things through Christ, who strengthens us.

The Impossible Possible for God -- Part Four

By James Boice

The Impossible Possible for God
Luke 1:26-38
Theme: Believing the "unbelievable."
This week’s lessons teach us that our God is all-powerful.

Lesson

We've been learning that with God, all things are possible. Now we need to apply that in a personal way. Let me suggest, first of all, that there are ways in which we obviously cannot apply it. We can’t apply the miracle of the virgin birth or the incarnation to ourselves. God is not going to do that with us. By very nature, those are one-of-a-kind events.

9 Reasons to Pray

by Jason Helopoulos • December 20, 2013

Prayer is a gift from a heavenly Father, who loves to hear from His children. There are countless reasons to pray. Let's be a people of prayer. Never will one minute in prayer closets be a minute wasted or later regretted.

Why should we pray? God already knows our hearts. He already knows our desires. So why pray? We could easily say it is because the Bible commands it. Paul goes as far as to say, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17)—that is reason enough. But let's explore a few other reasons for why we should pray.

1. We pray because we love:

The Impossible Possible for God -- Part Three

By James Boice

The Impossible Possible for God
Luke 1:26-38
Theme: Believing the "unbelievable."
This week’s lessons teach us that our God is all-powerful.

Lesson

On one occasion a rich young man had come to him, asking what most ministers would consider a marvelous question. He said, "Good Master, how can I achieve eternal life?" We would have said, if we had been in Jesus’ position, "Well, here is a heart that has certainly been prepared by God." But Jesus, who knew what was in the heart of man and knew how hard the heart is, began to probe a little bit to perceive the depth of his understanding and the nature in which the question was being asked. He discovered that the man, although he had lived a very good life and had done a lot of very good things, nevertheless, was so consumed by his wealth - and he had a great deal - that he was unable to follow Jesus.

The Impossible Possible for God -- Part Two

By James Boice

The Impossible Possible for God
Luke 1:26-38
Theme: Believing the "unbelievable."
This week’s lessons teach us that our God is all-powerful.

Lesson

The third great impossibility brought about through the birth of Jesus was the salvation of sinners. I don’t know whether Mary specifically had this in her mind when the angel appeared to her and announced the birth of Christ. Very little is said here that would indicate what Mary was thinking, but she may well have been, because just a few verses further on, in that great psalm of praise known as the Magsnificat,

The Culture of Like

Posted on Thursday, December 19, 2013 by Aimee Byrd on Housewife Theologian

I have a fourteen-year-old daughter with a cell phone. I remember back in the day, I would get in trouble for talking too long on my see-through, wired, Conair Phone. But now I join all the other parents navigating through unchartered territory when it comes to their child and social networking. These days, phones are barely used for talking.

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The Impossible Possible for God -- Part One

By James Boice

The Impossible Possible for God
Luke 1:26-38
Theme: Believing the "unbelievable."
This week’s lessons teach us that our God is all-powerful.

Lesson

The annunciation of Jesus’ birth is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible. It tells us of the humble maiden kneeling before the angel of God unburdening himself of the message for which the Jews had been waiting for many long centuries. Mary’s puzzled question, "How can this be?" met the angel’s explanation, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called ‘the Son of God.’ " This is one of the most touching stories in the Gospel, and it is one to be read with a profound mixture of wonder, gratitude, and praise.

The Power of Perseverance

by David Filson • December 17, 2013

Every other Tuesday, one of my church’s elders, Buz, and I head over to another elder’s house for Bible study in the Epistle to the Hebrews. If you have read Hebrews, you know that perseverance is a central theme to that written homily. The idea of perseverance has been heavy on my heart lately because the elder to whose house we go is John Black, a renowned architect and artist in Nashville, whose paintings of 19th century life and struggle in the Mid-South have been the envy of collectors. Not only is John an architect and artist, he is also fighting a courageous battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Our pastoral staff often checks in on him. Our Senior Pastor, Scott, has anointed him with oil and Pastor Todd and other elder have prayed with and for him. While we love being able to minister to John, every time we leave his house we recognize that we are the ones being ministered to!

Every other Tuesday, one of my church’s elders, Buz, and I head over to another elder’s house for Bible study in The Epistle to the Hebrews. If you have read Hebrews, you know that perseverance is a central theme to that written homily. The idea of perseverance has been heavy on my heart lately because the elder to whose house we go is John Black, a renowned architect and artist in Nashville, whose paintings of 19th century life and struggle in the Mid-South have been the envy of collectors.

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PLACE FOR TRUTH

What David Needed Most

Reformation 21

“He fell today; I may fall tomorrow.”