O Rex Gentium – O Ruler of the Nations

O Ruler of the Nations,
Monarch for whom the people long,
You are the Cornerstone uniting all humanity.
Come save us all,
whom you formed out of clay.
Isaiah 2:4
He shall judge between the nations,and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they [...]

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Incarnation & Christmas Shadows – Advent Day 23

Text: Isaiah 31:1-9; Revelation 21:22-22:5; Luke 1:39-56
We’ve all felt the anticipation that leads us up to Christmas day. We’ve all grown in our eagerness to unwrap certain presents that have found their way under the tree. I know, at least for myself, that it doesn’t matter if I know what’s wrapped or not. Perhaps there [...]

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Incarnation & the Grandest Miracle – Advent Day 22

Text: Isaiah 29:9-24; Rev 21:8-21; Luke 1:26-38
What we have tried to do over the last few weeks is look at the birth of Jesus and understand one point from many different angles: the incarnation changes everything. Because of Jesus’ coming into the world, we have hope for both the present and the future. This is [...]

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O Oriens – O Radiant Dawn

O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light,
Sun of justice:
Come shine on those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
Isaiah 9:2
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness
—on them light has shined

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Sunday Quote of the Week

St. Augustine of Hippo on the Incarnation:
But in order to succour us, “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” What is “the Word was made flesh”? The gold became grass. It became grass for to be burned ; the grass was burned, but the gold remained; in the grass it perisheth not, yea, [...]

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O Clavis David – O Key of David

O Key of David
Scepter over the house of Israel,
you open and no one can close,
you close and no one can open:
Come to set free the prsioners
who live in darkness and the shadow of death
Isaiah 22:22:
I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David;
he shall open, and no one shall shut; [...]

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Incarnation & the Fear of Death – Advent Day 21

Text: Isaiah 28:9-22; Revelation 20:11-16; Luke 1:5-25 
 
In America, one of people’s greatest fears is death. In years past surveys have shown that the only thing Americans fear more than death is public speaking (causing the joke that if you’re at a funeral, you’d rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy!). The reason for [...]

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William Lane Craig on The God Delusion

From AP315:
In this audio clip, William Lane Craig speaks to the faculty of the University of Florida and responds to the central arguments of Richard Dawkins’ God Delusion.
Original audio from William Lane Craig’sReasonable Faith website.
Full MP3 Audio here.
[HT: Apologetics 315]

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Where is Christ in Christmas?

Michael Horton, professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster Seminary – California, was recently interviewed by USA Today about Christmas. Here’s an excerpt:
Santa becomes a substitute for Christ. He’ll give you presents whether you were good or bad. It’s hard to imagine Santa returning to judge the human race and consign anyone to hell. [...]

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Incarnation & Illumination – Advent Day 20

Text: Isaiah 11:10-16; Revelation 20:1-10; John 5:30-47 
“The coming of Jesus into the world is the most stupendous event in human history… I cannot but see it as towering sublimely over all others.”[1] No one can deny, even as an unbeliever from a merely historical perspective, that the life of Jesus has forever changed the world. [...]

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