1. Forty days after giving birth, Mary, along with her husband Joseph, presented their firstborn Son at the temple and "bought" him back with a sacrifice of two small birds. This is known as the "Presentation of Our Lord."
  2. Christ our Word, as with a two-edged sword, burst the devil's belly.
  3. All of Scripture, every last syllable of it, is meant to drive us to "consider Jesus," the One who comes to "make us right" by gifting us his righteousness.
  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. As the writer to the Hebrews affirms, what makes the Christian gospel so much better is that we are no longer dealing with “types and shadows."
  6. God resolves his wrath through the unexpected giving of his Son.
  7. The king has arrived and has already begun his reign forever and ever.
  8. Who would ever want all these screamers and haters? It turns out that Christ does.
  9. The lesson of Malachi reveals God’s love for his people. When the people ask for proof of God’s love, he reminds them of their election.
  10. We will not become hopeless because the Lord is with us.
  11. When and how did the church start this season of anticipation?