1. God gives us the power and authority to proclaim the forgiveness of sins to burdened sinners who entrust us with their pain, guilt, and defeat.
  2. The sign of the cross, according to the earliest centuries of Christians, is “the sign of the Lord,” and every baptized Christian was “marked” with it.
  3. The law had to have its way with the expert to bring him around (and back) to Abraham's response.
  4. God resolves his wrath through the unexpected giving of his Son.
  5. Maybe, just maybe, our goal for 2023 should not be to live more but to die more.
  6. Toy Story is indeed a Christmas story.
  7. That great truth of creedal Christianity – that God is man in Christ – is not set forth for our speculative enjoyment.
  8. The good news of the Gospel is Jesus has come, and Jesus will come again.
  9. It makes perfect sense that the day honoring Jesus' birth would be observed in a decidedly less than refined manner.
  10. When we pray to Jesus, we pray to the King's right hand. We know one who has the Father's ear, respect and trust. And the one who intercedes for us is still one of us, with nail-pierced hands.
  11. Psalm 98, with its promise of a sea and mountains singing, takes these imposing natural features and turns them into a praise choir.
  12. Despite our best efforts to avoid him, King Jesus remains very much unavoidable.