1. Even if the numbers are bad, the news about Jesus crucified for sinners and raised to new life hasn’t become any less good.
  2. There is a revival, no less real and even more definitive, taking place in every church, every weekend, where God’s people gather around his gifts.
  3. 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.
  4. Despite our best efforts to avoid him, King Jesus remains very much unavoidable.
  5. Rejoice with Mary as she would rejoice with you. Be blessed, like her, with humility from God, so that you may serve joyfully and willingly wherever and in whatever role God has placed you.
  6. When and how did the church start this season of anticipation?
  7. Help comes for those who cannot help themselves. When we bottom-out and come to the end of ourselves, that is where hope springs.
  8. Preachers and church workers must also hear the gospel preached to them.
  9. If a key part of the Reformation was placing God’s Word back into the hands of the people in a clear, understandable way, then John of Ragusa can be called a “Prometheus” in his own right.
  10. When the Reformers read the Bible (especially when studied in the original languages), they found a God who was gracious and merciful for the sake of Christ.
  11. Through water, blood, and word, the Spirit never stops pointing us to Christ, and even more, giving us Christ.
  12. The good news is that with our God there is always more: more than we deserve, dare, ask, or expect, more than we can see, hear, feel, or think.