What are the advantages of preaching consecutively, chapter after chapter, all the way through a book of the Bible? There are five reasons…
The essence of Christmas is the mysterious, glorious and profound claim that God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. To this astounding truth one might be compelled to ask: did it have to be this way? Was there any other way for God to redeem us? The second chapter of Hebrews gives us three reasons why God had to become a man:
Next Saturday (April 19, not tomorrow) is Record Store Day. This annual celebration of independent record stores has been taking place since 2007, and gives special attention to the vinyl record, which happens to be the main reason independent records stores are still in business. As music consumption moves away from CDs and increasingly toward MP3 downloads or direct streaming, there has been a movement back toward buying records the old fashioned way. Vinyl sales have been on the increase for the last few years, and show no signs of slowing down.
One thing that can be said about Francis Spufford’s book, “Unapologetic: Why, Despite Everything, Christianity Can Still Make Surprising Emotional Sense,” is that it is utterly unique. I don’t know of any book quite like this. Lots of books seek to make a case for the Christian faith, but few (if any) do it in such gritty, earthy and edgy prose.
Woody Allen once commented that he was not afraid of death – it’s just that he doesn’t want to be there when it happens. It’s a witty remark that captures the way many of us deal with death: we laugh at it. We make jokes. Because, let’s face it: there is nothing more certain in this life than the fact that it will all end in death. The obituary section of the local newspaper will one day include your name, with your place of birth, calling hours and an address where the grieving can send flowers.
You will be reading news reports this week, if you haven’t already, explaining that “Presbyterians” have decided in their annual General Assembly meeting to allow gay marriage.
As The Economist seems to concur, there has been a rise recently in the popularity of documentary films. It is true that documentaries can suffer when they fall prey to the temptation to misrepresent facts, to be voyeuristic, or sometimes to be just plain boring, but a well-crafted documentary can be fascinating, educational and inspiring. They tend to confirm the cliche that truth is stranger than fiction, and they often expose the very real and visceral effects of life in a broken and fallen world.
A few years ago, I decided to start working into my schedule a personal spiritual retreat, where I withdraw for a few days, away from the church and away from the family, to devote myself to reading, prayer and planning. I have found these retreats so helpful that I now recommend them to everyone engaged in full-time vocational ministry.
