1. Predestination, Jim knew, is no longer a frightening doctrine of mystery when you understand that God makes his choice about you in the simple word of God, given from one sinner to another.
  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. 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.
  6. Despite our best efforts to avoid him, King Jesus remains very much unavoidable.
  7. If Jesus shows up and you are a sinner, ‘tis more blessed to receive than to give
  8. 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.
  9. When and how did the church start this season of anticipation?
  10. Help comes for those who cannot help themselves. When we bottom-out and come to the end of ourselves, that is where hope springs.
  11. Preachers and church workers must also hear the gospel preached to them.
  12. 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.