Blogging Break

I'll be away from blogging until about Friday. See you then....

"Labor of Love"

Another Christmas song from "Behold the Lamb."

Here are the lyrics:

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love.

HT: Justin Taylor

"The Great Reversal"

A good meditation for Christmas Eve from Tullian Tchividjian.

"The Advent of Humility" by Tim Keller

Tim Keller's shares a meditation on the place of humility in the Christian life.

Here's an excerpt:

"Christian humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less, as C. S. Lewis so memorably said. It is to be no longer always noticing yourself and how you are doing and how you are being treated. It is 'blessed self-forgetfulness.'"

You can read the whole thing here.

"A Teasing Taste of What They Miss"

I was watching/listening to the the PBS presentation of a Christmas choral concert from Luther College tonight when I heard a song I'd never heard before. Unfortunately I didn't catch the name of the song (or the composer or lyricist), but it include these compelling lines (addressed, I believe, to the angels):

Give earth a teasing taste of what they miss...
Sing of endless bliss; sing of endless bliss...
Sing 'God is love'....

That's beautiful, Biblical truth.

The Pattern of the Gospel

“Think it out! The only way for Jesus to get us out of our spiritual poverty and into spiritual riches was to get out of his spiritual riches into spiritual poverty. This should now be the pattern of your life. Give your resources away and enter into need so that those in need will be resourced.”

- Timothy Keller, The Gospel and the Poor
posted at "Of First Importance"

"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"

Gabe Scott, Kyle Reeder, Andrew Osenga, and Marcus Myers play an instrumental version of "O Come, O Come Emannuel" from "Behold the Lamb of God" at the Ryman Auditorium.

Characteristics of the Gospel

From D.A. Carson's keynote address delivered at The Gospel Coalition's first conference in May 2007. Carson clarifies the gospel from 1 Cor 15:1–19 with eight summarizing words...

1. Christological: The gospel centers on the person and work (the life, death, and resurrection) of Jesus Christ.
2. theological: The gospel tells us that sin is first and foremost an offense against God and that salvation is first to last the action of God, not our own.
3. biblical: The gospel is essentially the message of the whole Bible.
4. apostolic: The gospel is passed on to us by Jesus' disciples as authoritative eyewitnesses.
5. historical: The gospel is not philosophy or advice on how to find God, but rather news of what God has done in history to find and save us.
6. personal: The gospel must be personally believed and appropriated.
7. universal: The gospel is for every tongue, tribe, people, and individual.
8. eschatological: The gospel includes the good news of the final transformation, not just the blessings we enjoy in this age.

"The Gospel and the Poor" by Pastor Tim Keller

Tim Keller is senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, NY and an adjunct professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.

He introduces his essay this way:

"The original question I was asked to address was "How does our commitment to the primacy of the gospel tie into our obligation to do good to all, especially those of the household of faith, to serve as salt and light in the world, to do good to the city?" I will divide this question into two parts: (1) If we are committed to the primacy of the gospel, does the gospel itself serve as the basis and motivation for ministry to the poor? (2) If so, how then does that ministry relate to the proclamation of the gospel?"

You can read the whole thing here.

"The Devil's Latest Marketing Guise"

An essay from Mark Galli, of "Christianity Today." Here's an excerpt:

"Why would a church—a place that is supposed to be characterized by genuineness and humility—ask a group of "savvy professionals" to help it? Isn't there something in the New Testament about the gospel subverting the wisdom of the wise? Is it possible for "savvy professionals" to understand what a church is really about?

"Is worship that is practiced 'secretly,' with the goal of 'assessing' the 'experience on a very objective and non-emotional level' really worship of God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth? Can one truly enter into a worshipping community objectively, secretly, and without emotion? Worship is not about judging the 'worship experience,' but about putting oneself humbly before God to be judged and forgiven by him. "

John Newton On How Faith Faces Trials

Concerning a believer, Newton writes, "...his faith upholds him under all trials, by assuring him, that every painful dispensation is under the direction of his Lord; that chastisements are a token of his love; that the season, measure, and continuance of his sufferings, are appointed by Infinite Wisdom, and designed to work for his everlasting good; and that grace and strength shall be afforded him, according to his need.

"Thus, his heart being fixed, trusting in the Lord, to whom he has committed all his concerns; and knowing that his best interests are safe; he is not greatly afraid of evil tidings, but enjoys a stable peace in the midst of a changing world. For, though he cannot tell what a day may bring forth, he believes that he who has invited and enabled him to cast all his cares upon him, will allow nothing to befall him but what shall be made subservient to his chief desire—the glory of God in the sanctification and final salvation of his soul.

"And if, through the weakness of his flesh, he is liable to be startled by the first impression of a sharp and sudden trial, he quickly flees to his strong refuge, remembers it is the Lord's doing, resigns himself to his will, and patiently expects a happy outcome."

Pastor James MacDonald Responds to the News that He Has Cancer

Justin Taylor summarizes the post from Pastor MacDonald.

Letters of John Newton available online

I came across a website that includes, among other things, the letters of John Newton (the pastor who wrote the lyrics for "Amazing Grace"). Newton's letters are filled with Biblical wisdom applied with pastoral care and precision to real-life situations.

Here is just a brief excerpt from one of the letters:

"It is not only plain, from the general tenor of Scripture, that a covetous, a proud, or a censorious spirit, is no more consistent with the spirit of the Gospel, than drunkenness or whoredom; but there are many express texts directly pointed against the evils which too often are found among professors.

"Thus the Apostle James assures us, 'That if any man seems to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, his religion is vain;' and the Apostle John, 'That if any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him;' and he seems to apply this character to any man, whatever his profession or pretenses may be, 'who having this world's goods, and seeing his brother have need, shuts up his compassion from him.'

"Surely these texts more than intimate, that that faith which justifies the soul, does likewise receive grace from Jesus, whereby the heart is purified, and the life regulated as befits the Gospel of Christ."

"The Measure of Our Growth or Decay in Grace"

“If I have observed anything by experience, it is this: a man may take the measure of his growth and decay in grace according to his thoughts and meditations upon the person of Christ, and the glory of Christ’s Kingdom, and of His love.”

- John Owen, quoted in A Puritan Golden Treasury complied by I. D. E. Thomas (Carlisle, Pa.: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1989), 184.
posted at "Of First Importance"

"We are not mushrooms, but oaks..."

“Remember, the growth of a believer is not like a mushroom—but like an oak, which increases slowly indeed—but surely.

"Many suns, showers, and frosts, pass upon it before it comes to perfection. And in winter, when it seems to be dead—it is gathering strength at the root.

"Be humble, watchful, and diligent in the means, and endeavor to look through all, and fix your eye upon Jesus—and all shall be well."

—John Newton, Letters of John Newton (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth: 2007)
(HT: Grace Gems)
posted at "Of First Importance"