O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Despite its familiarity and frequent usage, the imagery in "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," is often underappreciated.
Contributors
Kyle G. Jones
Kyle G. Jones is a husband and father. He serves as Director of Youth and Family Ministry at Calvary Lutheran Church in Brookfield, WI. He graduated from Concordia University Texas with a B.A. in Religious Education with an emphasis in Worship and the Arts through the Director of Christian Education program. He is the co-author of "The Sinner/Saint Lenten Devotional" and is a contributor for 1517, Christ Hold Fast, and other online publications.
Give Us This Day Our Daily Thanksgiving
To pray that God’s name is hallowed among us is to pray for the continual proclamation of the gospel in truth and purity that we would hear the word about Christ crucified for sinners.
When the Dead Preach the Gospel
His kingdom is not one of force and might for our exploitation and his gain, but one of his patience and long-suffering for our benefit.
On Freedom in Christ and the Parable of the Forgiving Father
Like the younger son, we can return to our Father every time our sinful hearts rebel against him. Like the older brother, we can complain and lament to our Father without fear of being destroyed.
Confessing the Father's Confession About the Son
When it comes to confessing the truth of the Christian faith, Christians are given the words. We don’t have to formulate them ourselves.
Crucified Expectations: The Great Reversal of the Cross
By pouring out his life unto death, Jesus reverses our death.
A Look at 1 Peter 2: That We May Be His Own
He calls us to suffer as Christ suffered. That is, we are to suffer in service to our neighbor even if they caused the injustice.
Our Righteous Doorman: A Reflection on 1 John 2:1–6
We walk to the cross by the faith that God bestows on us, not by our own power, reason, or might.
Staring into the Sun on Holy Trinity Sunday
On Holy Trinity Sunday, God draws our attention, not to the inner workings of the Trinity, but the outer workings of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
A Communion of Saints for the Forgiveness of Sins
The Holy Spirit gathers us together and keeps the church in the true faith, and He does it all by way of the Gospel.
Can Christianity and Science Coexist?
In life, we make decisions, from the most basic to the most lasting, lacking specific knowledge about the outcome.
Beyond Our Grasp
We would rather be God ourselves. But, being God is always beyond our grasp.
A Spirit-Wrought Confession in the Midst of Suffering
In the midst of our suffering, grief, and distress, David gives us words to confess.
Our Great Worship Leader
Worship not only starts with God; it also returns to Him through the filter of the cross. Jesus did not enter a cosmic retirement after his ascension.
Carried to the Table of the King
In Christ, the new and better David, we are redeemed from our lame condition of sin
Practice Your Righteousness in Fasting
Our enoughness before God cannot be earned by our piety or bestowed by our neighbor. Our righteousness and our justification come from Christ and His work for us
Examples of Grace
I was once asked why I thought young people were leaving the church in droves after they graduated high school.
Marked
Our sin marked Christ. Jesus was marked with the scars of nails and a spear for us. His hands, feet, and side are marked with scars displaying the cost of our redemption.
What Happens When Jesus is Separated from the Gospel
Holding to Jesus’ teaching while denying His divinity presents a host of complications that make it difficult to take one and leave the other.
The Hidden Fences of the Law
Like the Pharisees, as well-meaning, contemporary Christians we too can often add fences to God’s Law.
It's Time to Take Christ Out of Christmas
Our sinful nature is ever present this side of eternity. We need a constant reminder of what a friend of mine once said, “Jesus is the reason. Period."
Every Day is New Year's Day
As is usually the case with God, He uses something strange and earthly as a picture of His grace and mercy.
God's Christmas Name
God’s name is no different. It, too, carries power. The power of a promise only God can make.
A Day For All Sinners and Saints
It’s been my experience that All Saints’ Day, celebrated on November 1st and observed on the first Sunday following, gets overshadowed by the celebration of Reformation Day.
The Good News of Suffering
The biblical response to suffering, to recognizing that things are not as they ought to be, is lament.
The Difference Between Belief and Ideology
When we Christians shoehorn Creedal Christianity into any of these ideological positions we obscure the Gospel mingling it with the Law and strip the Good News of its catholicity.
Hearing the Gospel with Old Testament Ears
As a bass player, when I listen to music, I listen for what the bassist is doing. But, when I listen to music in my 2004 Honda Civic I have a problem: only one of the four speakers works.
Scripture Speaks with an Accent
Though written in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) by around 40 different people, over the course of 2,000 years, all of Scripture speaks with the same accent.
Baptized With Fire
Few smells are as pervasive as the smell of smoke. Anyone who’s sat around a campfire can attest.
Running From God's Undeserved Grace to God
Jonah is not who you'd want to speak to an evangelism committee. In fact, it's arguable that he's the Bible's worst missionary.
God’s Word in Our Mouths
What makes a meal more than food? We all have important meals in our lives; birthday meals; anniversary meals; traditional holiday meals.
Absolution Over Resolution
As a new year approaches, a mawkish paranoia sets in. Looking over our shoulders, we add up our good choices, our praises, and our reasons to celebrate.
Every Sunday, a Mini Advent
We aggrandize time. It certainly possesses power over us. It irreversibly moves us in one direction and can’t be replayed to different ends.
More in Christ Than Was Lost in Adam
All manner of theologians, philosophers, and historians have used more ink and paper than can be weighed to expound upon the incarnation of the Son of God and its implications for humanity.
Go And Be Dead
We sinners share a common problem when it comes to Jesus’ parables. We read them with an eye to our own righteousness.