1. The cross not only stands as the measure of our hatred of God but also as the measure of God’s love for us.
  2. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of these early Lutheran hymns – and their physical availability in hymnals – in the piety of common people living in Lutheran towns and territories.
  3. The gospel is for sinners – both the tax collector and Pharisee, both in need of the Great Physician.
  4. For you who are struggling to navigate grief, to cope with pain, or breathe through anxiety, the gospel announces that there is a person whose heart throbs for you.
  5. Some part of us always wants our ability under the law to be just as important (or more) than grace.
  6. The Good Shepherd doesn’t leave the sheep to fend for themselves.
  7. A Christian story untethered from the reality of Christ and his mercy toward sinners becomes a mere fable, while a sermon disconnected from the hearts of its listeners remains a hollow oratory.
  8. The notion that your goodness is “good enough” to make you right with God is a lie straight from the father of lies himself.
  9. Applying the pressure of law to ensure you do not to take grace for granted squeezes the life and power out of the gospel.
  10. Jonah’s biggest blunder was a failure to understand that God’s grace is always undeserved and always falls on those who are unworthy of it.
  11. Don’t get in the habit (or, if you already do it, get out of the habit) of saying, “I could never talk about these things the way my pastor does.”
  12. Zwingli the Pastor provides an excellent introduction to the Swiss reformer’s life and work, focusing on Zwingli’s philosophy of church reform, biographical details, and mode of exegesis.