Wade Johnston, Life Under the Cross: A Biography of the Reformer Matthias Flacius Illyricus, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis: MO, 2025.
This ancient “tale of two mothers” concerns far more than theological semantics—it is the difference between a God who sends and a God who comes.
This story points us from our unlikely heroes to the even more unlikely, and joyous, good news that Jesus’ birth for us was just as unlikely and unexpected.

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In the upside-down wisdom of God, the place of the cross becomes the place of life, absolution, and triumph.
The addict’s condition speaks a hard truth: that we are all beggars before God, every one of us bent toward the grave.
The gospel is best understood in terms of those two most important words: for you.
The gospel gives us faith, hope, and love, all of which proceed from Christ’s death and resurrection.
The crucified and risen Christ comes to renew, restore, and build up.
Show me a sinner, and I’ll write you a story of a God who saves them.
More certain than death or taxes and more certain than “anything else in all creation” is the fact that God loves you.
Jesus Christ is relentless. He does not give up. And with him comes the certainty of redemption.
The story of Jesus's temptation has much more to offer than merely giving us a "how-to" guide on kicking Satan to the curb.
Let your soul grieve, yes, but don’t let it be eaten alive by worry.
The sinful nature loves self, and pride is its native tongue.
John inspired me to see each sermon as an apologetic opportunity.