This is an excerpt from Chapter 6 in Sinner Saint: A Surprising Primer to the Christian Life (1517 Publishing, 2025). Sinner Saint is available today from 1517 Publishing.
On its journey from Byzantium to Constantinople to Istanbul, this special place helps us understand the broader arc of Christian history, which goes on until Christ's return.
We needn’t fear statistics and studies as palm readings into a certain future. God is God, and his Spirit is alive through his Word.

All Articles

Three Lenten songs express the same astonishing wonder of a Lord who willingly suffers and dies.
To be happy is to be the object of God’s love in Christ and to love God and others with the love of Christ.
Christians don’t need a bucket list. We’ve got the whole bucket: the Word fulfilled, life fulfilled, and life in full.
Epiphany is one of the most important festivals of the church year, although often sadly overlooked.
As you step into the days ahead, remember this: no matter how lost you may feel, you have a God who seeks you out, celebrates your return, and rejoices over you.
Be relieved, whatever has had you anxious. He is with us and about his Father’s business, which is your salvation.
We now are the magi: we worship Christ because of who he is, but also because of what he has done for us and what he continues to do in his gift-giving to us.
The “Chalking of the Door” is a way to celebrate and literally mark the occasion of the Epiphany and God’s blessing of our lives and home.
The narrative of the Nativity is what Christmas is all about.
In Simeon's hands and Anna's gaze, we are reminded of God's promise—not distant, not fading, but alive.
The name of Jesus holds us fast.
It is impossible to live our lives in a way that would convince God of our value because he already knows our value. He is the one who gave it to us.