Support First Things by turning your adblocker off or by making a  donation. Thanks!

O Holy Night (7)- Born To Be Our Friend

This is the seventh part in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.The King of Kings Lay thus in lowly manger;In all our trials Born to be our friend.The King of Kings is a lofty title. I used to think of it merely as God ruling over all the . . . . Continue Reading »

O Holy Night (6)- Here Come the Wise Men

This is the sixth part in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.So led by light of A star sweetly gleaming,Here come the wise men From Orient land.These two lines again point to the star over Bethlehem. But there is a subtle difference to its . . . . Continue Reading »

O Holy Night (4) - Fall On Your Knees!

This is the fourth part in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels’ voices!O night divine, O night when Christ was born;O night divine, O night, O night Divine There are two pictures of heavenly worship . . . . Continue Reading »

Five Holiday Songs to Avoid

I love Christmas and the jollification that comes with it and the carols that come with the Holidays are a big part of the reason.Christmas brings out the best in many tune writers: think Handel, Wesley, and the obscure pious pastor who wrote Silent Night. Hallelujah! Clever, but aging, singers have . . . . Continue Reading »

Unity through Beauty

Longtime readers know of my obsession with mathematical beauty, so it should come as no surprise to find me hopping up and down most eagerly and pointing you towards Matthew Milliner’s very immodest proposal in Public Discourse. My only quibble with the article is that the proportion of . . . . Continue Reading »

Filter Tag Articles