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Jesus rides towards that day we call Good, riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and thereby filling and fulfilling Solomon’s coronation and reign. Even so, it is right that we hear about and think about that day on this day, the First Sunday of Advent, also, because Advent means coming. Jesus’ triumphal entry—His riding to His coronation, crucifixion, and resurrection—His coming is a coming to the rescue of the poor, the meek, the lowly, the troubled, the sad, the sick, and t

Wake, awake, Beloved; the Bridegroom comes, awake! Would that you had the urgency of heart and mind to be ready for your heavenly Bridegroom, the Lord Christ Jesus, that you have in the pursuing of all the things that you think are so important in this life. Would that you so eagerly awaited the Lord’s return with the same energy and zeal that you store up for earthly festivities. Wake, awake; the Bridegroom comes, awake! Beloved, this is no time to be fooling around with how

The Day will come when the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, and He shall sit on the throne of His glory. And all the nations shall be gathered before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And yet, in a very real sense, that separation has already occurred. It occurred at the Cross, for that is where destinies are decided. True, the results will indeed be revealed to all on the La

What is even more striking than the vividly grisly details of Jerusalem’s destruction is what Jesus says about it. He says, “There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”  And why this is so striking is because, well, that’s saying a great deal. In effect, Jesus is saying that this event—the destruction of Jerusalem and the bitter demise of its people, of which He prophesied nearly a generation

Now, the kingdom of God is like a King , not  a wedding feast. No, it’s like a   King   who throws a wedding feast for his son.  In other words, the kingdom of God is   not  like a party; it   is , however, like a King who is generous, yet whose patience knows limits: who grows angry with those who disrespect Him; who enacts vengeance and destroys cities. So also, the kingdom of God is like a King who throws out those who would come to the feast and yet will not wear the appr

This Gospel, of Jesus’ healing of the paralytic, is for and about every Christian; it is for you and about you. This Gospel is not only a recounting of an actual event; more importantly, it was recorded for you, that you might recognize that you are one and the same as this poor man.  You are him: you are the sick man, paralyzed and lying on a bed.  For just as he could not raise himself from his sickness and come to Jesus on his own, by his own reason or strength, neither co

The Law will sound good as long as you can keep it. Yet the moment you break God’s Commandments, the Law will leave you hanging, doomed. Jesus, however, was nailed to the tree to hang on the Law for you. By this, you are saved.  By this, also, comes great joy! For Jesus has sorted salvation out for you. Therefore, you no longer need to be like the Pharisees and try to figure out which commandment is more important than the others. No longer must you try to figure out how much

Pride is always looking closely to measure itself against all others. That’s what the Pharisees did at this meal; they watched Jesus...

This marvelous Gospel is a microcosm—a small picture—of the entire counsel of God: it shows His heart, it shows the whole purpose for...

Jesus trusted His Father in—and for—all things. Beloved, He bids you to do the same, for God Himself, in the Person of His Son, calls you...