Where is Mr. Knightley when you need him?

We are gathered here today to worship our Creator. God made each of us in his image. Psalm 139 describes him knitting us together in our mothers' wombs. That same psalm teaches that God knew us, and had a relationship with us, even before we were born.

“The old alliances are dead." – Theoden "The world is changed… I feel it in the water… I feel it in the Earth… I smell it in the air…. Much that once was is lost. For none now live who remember it.” -- Galadriel “Our list of allies grows thin.” -- Elrond “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” -- Gandalf “The West has failed.” -- Denethor Now that the Trump era is over, at least as far as his Presidency is concerned, it's worth taking a look back at what happened in the 4+ years that he dominated the political and cultural landscape. I am convinced that Trump himself is nowhere near the most important thing that has happened. Rather, Trump exposed and accelerated trends that were already in motion. The Trump era brought to the surface and revealed many things that had been hidden from view. This has been an apocalyptic moment in American history.

This post serves as a follow up to my sermon, "The Epiphany Star" on Matthew 2:1-12, preached on January 10, 2021. These notes summarize and supplement the sermon.

A few bullet points in light of yesterday's events: As I have preached from the book of James more than once , man's anger can never accomplish God's righteousness. This is true no matter where that anger comes from along the political spectrum. Anger, and the violence that comes from it, are not conservative or productive forces; they are destructive.

Yes, we are technically still in the Advent season for a couple more days, but this is the time of year folks begin to greet one another with "Merry Christmas!" The origin and exact meaning of the phrase "Merry Christmas" is somewhat debatable, largely because the word "merry" has carried different connotations at different times.

This time of year, many Christians say things like, "Remember the reason for the season." The point, of course, is that the real meaning of Christmas must not get lost amidst the presents, the parties, and everything else that typically goes with the Advent/Christmas season. I agree and disagree.

If there is one thing I have learned, it is that there is a Chesterton quote for every occasion. But Chesterton's wit and wisdom especially come through when he is addressing home and family life. A collection of his essays entitled Brave New Family is a very jovial look at family life and a storehouse of insight. His praise for home, especially as the domain of the woman, is unequaled. His expose of the folly of anti-biblical family patterns is winsome and compelling. Time and time again, he uncovered the foolishness of feminist and egalitarian practices, though in his day they were only in their infancy. His wit was disarming and engaging, even when he carving an ideological opponent up. Here we will look at some of his gems, with a few comments along the way.