O Jesus Christ,Thy manger isMy paradise at which my soul reclineth.For there, O Lord,Doth lie the WordMade flesh for us; herein Thy grace forth shineth.He whom the seaAnd wind obeyDoth come to serve the sinner in great meekness.Thou, God’s own Son,With us art one,Dost join us and our children . . . . Continue Reading »
A meditation on what the incarnation means for you and me:An unspeakably great, unexplorable divine mystery is at the bottom of all this. God’s holiness and righteousness must shut the doors of heaven to us sinners, and He knows that neither we ourselves nor any creature in heaven or on earth . . . . Continue Reading »
This is the final post in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,His power and glory Evermore proclaim.His power and glory Evermore proclaim.The carol ends on a note of proclamation, its fourth . . . . Continue Reading »
Christmas is a season of expectation and the joyful fulfillment of our deepest yearning. That is easy to forget as we strive with the tensions and complexities of modern life. So, let us take a brief pause to embrace hope and experience the simple joys of giving, receiving, and . . . . Continue Reading »
Need a last minute gift recommendation for a young reader? Check out Joseph Bottum’s discussion of over eighty children’s books from the Victorian era to the presen day. . . . . Continue Reading »
If the world was really coming to an end from global warming, there would be no NIMBY (not in my back yard) rejections of alternative energy projects, and more leadership by example—notably unlike the approach of Al Gore. Now Senator Diane Feinstein won’t let a solar and wind farm . . . . Continue Reading »
This is Pastor Paul Gerhardt’s great Christmas hymn. It first appeared in a collection of hymns published in Leipzig by Johann Crüciger in 1653, with the tune that Crüciger specifically prepared for it. The hymn is a sermon on the meaning of Christmas, and a deeply devotional . . . . Continue Reading »
A fun and interesting blogger named Ellen Painter Dollar takes up the seasonal reminiscence we reposted here on the First Things website, ” Dakota Christmas .” She likes my writing—”so gorgeously, lucidly written that I wanted to lay my hands on my laptop screen, hoping I . . . . Continue Reading »
Exhibit A is this insightful bit of prose written in response to the plot of James Cameron’s Avatar : The question is whether Nature actually deserves a religious response. Traditional theism has to wrestle with the problem of evil: if God is good, why does he allow suffering and death? But . . . . Continue Reading »
In one of the most morally corrupt and cynical acts of recent political history, the Senate has passed Obamacare. More fighting ahead with a required blending with the even worse House version. But I predict ultimate passage. That ends it, right? Not on a bet.Obamacare . . . . Continue Reading »
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