1. Rightly distinguishing between law and gospel, as Paul helps us see in 2 Corinthians 3, is, quite literally, a matter of life and death.
  2. Even as he was dying, the heart of God poured itself out for the sake of sinners.
  3. I think the problem with the idea of eternity is that we do not have any direct experience of it, but we encounter enough of its possibility to be unsettling.
  4. 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.
  5. Fullness, truth, reality – all this God gives us as his gift in Christ.
  6. The law had to have its way with the expert to bring him around (and back) to Abraham's response.
  7. The usual acclamation when one becomes King is: “Long live the King!” But this King of kings, this son of David, has come to die.
  8. Maybe, just maybe, our goal for 2023 should not be to live more but to die more.
  9. If Jesus shows up and you are a sinner, ‘tis more blessed to receive than to give
  10. All our sin and shame is answered for in the death and resurrection of our Lord.
  11. It all starts with God; and it all ends with God. He is the alpha and omega of giving and generosity.
  12. You are a child of God. You’re blameless, holy, perfect, and righteous. Don’t feel that way? Too bad. God is greater than your heart.