Rap Metaphors

I really like metaphors in rap music.  They can either make or ruin a song, and, when used effectively, showcase the peak of creativity in hip hop lyricism.  Often I especially enjoy them when I understand them for the first time after having heard them several times before.  Since hip hop injects massive amounts of information so quickly, good metaphors are easy to miss.  I think this is especially true in Christian hip hop, where listening to the lyrics involves intentional concentration on theological content, often at the expense of musical creativity.  Metaphors are also fun when they’re personal.  When you can relate to the city/concept/experience repped in the line.

Piper says that metaphors are used to explain a higher reality.  So a metaphor is a smaller scale, or less glorious than the original.  So, for example, we say that God is like a human father.  This doesn’t mean that human fathers are Godlike.  The metaphors go the other way.  This is helpful for rap metaphors, because they serve to illustrate greater reality.  Kimbo slice fights hard, just like we should fight hard against sin.  This means that our fight against sin is harder and tougher than kimbo’s fight against weak fools.  It does not mean that we should model our fight against sin by what Kimbo does in the ring.  The metaphor goes the other way.  Ok, I’m done.

I know that this post is different from what I usually have to say.  I make no apologies; this is my blog.  You don’t have to be here.

All of that aside, the point of this post was only to put up a few metaphors that I’ve enjoyed recently:

“…homey you gotta fight, go hard in the ring like ya boy kimbo slice” – ‘Fight’ by J’son  For the record, I love references to Kimbo.  And I love looking at Kimbo.  Google him.  He is an absolute beast.  And I don’t even care for whatever kind of fighting he does.

“When life throws you curveballs, like, Nolan Ryan on ‘em; won’t give up in the field, Detroit Lions on ‘em”  - “Kobe Bryant on ‘em” by Sho Baraka (download the free mixtape with the song here: http://reachrecords.com/news/9221.  See, this is what I was talking about.  Detroit!  That’s us!  We know more than anyone how bad the Lions are.  So it’s funny.  One more:

“[I'm not sure what the first half of this line is, but], [God] traded for me but I don’t help the team, just like Iverson.”  Dang.  I don’t even remember what song this was in.  Ok, well this post is going downhill fast.  I feel bad for AI, because this is totally a shot at him.  Ha.  Well, it is kinda true.  Give us Chauncey back!!

For the record, I love the ways that Weezy uses metaphors (usually, some of his are corny).  Other secular rappers are great at using them too (see: eminem, ludacris).  I just listen to more triple H than secular rap now.

Copy and Paste

This is from Justin Taylor’s blog yesterday.  Subscribe to his blog.  His title was “Illustration for Children: Why Faith Glorified God.”

John Piper, from a sermon in 1999:

Your daddy is standing in a swimming pool out a little bit from the edge. You are, let’s say, three years old and standing on the edge of the pool. Daddy holds out his arms to you and says, “Jump, I’ll catch you. I promise.” Now, how do you make your daddy look good at that moment? Answer: trust him and jump. Have faith in him and jump. That makes him look strong and wise and loving. But if you won’t jump, if you shake your head and run away from the edge, you make your daddy look bad. It looks like you are saying, “he can’t catch me” or “he won’t catch me” or “it’s not a good idea to do what he tells me to do.” And all three of those make your dad look bad.

But you don’t want to make God look bad. So you trust him. Then you make him look good–which he really is. And that is what we mean when we say, “Faith glorifies God” or “Faith gives God glory.” It makes him look as good as he really is. So trusting God is really important.

And the harder it seems for him to fulfill his promise, the better he looks when you trust him. Suppose that you are at the deep end of a pool by the diving board. You are four years old and can’t swim, and your daddy is at the other end of the pool. Suddenly a big, mean dog crawls under the fence and shows his teeth and growls at you and starts coming toward you to bite you. You crawl up on the diving board and walk toward the end to get away from him. The dog puts his front paws up on the diving board. Just then, your daddy sees what’s happening and calls out, “Johnny, jump in the water. I’ll get you.”

Now, you have never jumped from one meter high and you can’t swim and your daddy is not underneath you and this water is way over your head. How do you make your daddy look good in that moment? You jump. And almost as soon as you hit the water, you feel his hands under your arms and he treads water holding you safely while someone chases the dog away. Then he takes you to the side of the pool.

We give glory to God when we trust him to do what he has promised to do–especially when all human possibilities are exhausted. Faith glorifies God. That is why God planned for faith to be the way we are justified.

John Calvin Was A Hedonist

By “Hedonist,” I mean someone who lives according to the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.  Supreme pleasure is given to us when supreme glory is manifested in our enjoyment of God himself.  Obedience, then, is an issue of how satisfied the heart is in Christ instead of the fleeting pleasures of sin.  Calvin had this down way before I was breathing:

“For, until men feel that they owe everything to God, that they are cherished by his paternal care, and that he is the author of all their blessings, so that naught is to be looked for away from him, they will never submit to him in voluntary obedience; no, unless they place their entire happiness in him, they will never yield up their whole selves to him in truth and sincerity.” (The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Bk I, Ch. 2) (courtesy of firstimportance.org – make it your homepage)

Sanctification is a matter of belief, not moral striving.  The fight to grow in Christlikeness is the fight to live by faith in future grace.

A Meditation on 2 Peter 3:8-10

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  I was struck by God’s goodness today in 2 Peter, and I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on this passage.  As a note, my plan is/was to spend two sessions on this passage, so this meditation focuses more on God’s will in the application of the atonement and less on the eschatological implications of the second coming.

As a brief background, here is the ESV Study Bible’s note on 1 Timothy 2:4, with my emphasis italicized:

Evangelistic prayer for all people is rooted in the fact that God desires all people to be saved. It appears that Paul is countering an exclusivist tendency in the false teachers or at least their downplaying of the importance of evangelizing the Gentiles (along with their emphasis on the Jewish law). This statement figures prominently in theological disagreements over the extent of the atonement. It cannot be read as suggesting that everyone will be saved (universalism) because the rest of the letter makes it clear that some will not be saved (4:1; 5:24; 6:10; cf. Matt. 25:30, 41, 46; Rev. 14:9–11). Does that mean God desires something (all people being saved) that he cannot fulfill? Both Arminian and Calvinist theologians respond that God “desires” something more than universal salvation. Arminians hold that God’s greater desire is to preserve genuine human freedom (which is necessary for genuine love) and therefore he must allow that some may choose to reject his offer of salvation. Calvinists hold that God’s greater desire is to display the full range of his glory (Rom. 9:22–23), which results in election depending upon the freedom of his mercy and not upon human choice (Rom. 9:15–18). However one understands the extent of the atonement, this passage clearly teaches the free and universal offer of the gospel to every single human being; “desires” shows that this offer is a bona fide expression of God’s good will. Come to the knowledge of the truth highlights the cognitive aspect of conversion, i.e., individuals must come to understand key truths in order to be converted. “The truth” occurs often in the Pastorals as a synonym for the gospel (cf. 1 Tim. 3:15; 4:3; 2 Tim. 2:15, 18, 25; 3:7, 8; 4:4; Titus 1:1, 14).

Here is how I worked through the passage this morning:

Text: (8) But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  (9) The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  (10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Observations

1. The scoffers (v.5), who are facing coming judgment, are so because they “overlook this fact,” which is the exact same language as v.8.

2. The context here (vv. 1-10) is Peter arguing for Christ’s swift, triumphant return.

3. Initial command to not overlook fact.  What fact?  The comparison of the Lord’s relation to time to ours.

4. v.9 begins with a truth: God is not slow to fulfill his promise (or at least according to the scales of slowness some measure by).

5. That is contrasted with God’s patience

6. His patience is highlighted in that God wishes none to perish (which is itself contrasted with his wish for all to repent (notice “but”)).

7. Exclusive “any” (perish) and inclusive “all” (repent)

8. God wants life for us!  (see Ezekiel 18:23, 32, 33:11)  A helpful cross reference for the entire passage is 1 Timothy 2:4 (the note for which is copied above).

9. v.10 contrasts God’s patience with his swift return (which is compared to a thief)

10. Passing away of the heavens described as “with a roar.”

Interpretation (the numbers match up with those of the observations):

1. Peter’s repeated language means we are to learn something here, namely, that not overlooking facts about God dictates our behavior.  Right understanding of truth begets obedience.

2. The context demands a certain interpretation of v.9.  his argument, in essence, is the reason that Christ has not yet returned (in response to the scoffers in v. 4) is that he is exercising his patience and giving people a chance to repent (see Romans 3:25, 11:25).

3. v.8 means that God can take as long as he wants and still be swift in his return.  But it also means that he may return tomorrow and still have his patience towards us upheld.  Both serve to highlight God’s absolute divine sovereignty in doing what he wants as the ruler of the universe and accomplishing redemptive history as he pleases.

4. There are scores of texts to corroborate this (cf. Hab. 2:3, Heb. 10:7), but what is also highlighted is that our conceptions of quickness and slowness mean nothing if not aligned with God’s.  Our thinking is the problem, not God’s!  We must be conformed to Him!

5.  God’s swiftness and patience are held in tension as a mystery we cannot fully tease out (but this is not an excuse for intellectual or theological laziness).

6. v.9 means what it says, but not more.  This is the reason Peter gives that Christ has not yet returned: he wants us to REPENT!  How gracious and patient towards us is He!  Though he does not wish any to perish, he must also, in the end, uphold his righteousness and justice, fully punishing sin.  Therefore his primary allegiance (to himself) overrides his allegiance to patience with us.  Otherwise God would cease to be God.

9. The Lord’s return will come unnoticed at first, but there will be no mistaking the events of the end times; you don’t fail to notice the “roar” of the heavens passing away or the burning and dissolving of the earth.

Application:

1. REPENT!  This verse isn’t just for unbelievers!  Jesus commands all men everywhere to repent (see Romans 2:4)!  The Christian life is to be marked by continual repentance.  Fall on your face, daily!

2. EVANGELIZE!  We should be moved to hasten the Lord’s return by being his ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20) and taking his command of repentance to others.  The motivation for this is in no small part due to the fact that we are unsure of how soon Christ will indeed return.

Soli Deo Gloria

AC

I’ll take three dollars of gospel, please

I picked up “Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians” today when I saw it in Jon’s office in hopes that it would aid my study of the book this month, even though I’m intimidated of Carson’s writing because of references to him as “spooky smart” (see: Mark Driscoll) and the fact that he gives talks on “the entire Bible” (see BBC’s page: http://www.hopeingod.org/CalendarDetail.aspx?ID=102492).  In reality, his writing (or at least this short volume) is more like the other well-known reformed guys of the day (see: www.thegospelcoalition.org) than what I’ve heard quoted from Stott or Edwards.  Here is how he opens the commentary, with the first chapter entitled “Put the Gospel First:”

I would like to buy about three dollars worth of gospel, please.  Not too much — just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted.  I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust.  I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self-denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture.  I want ecstasy, not repentance; I want transcendence, not transformation.  I would liek to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad-minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races —  especially if they smell.  I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged.  I would like about three dollars worth of gospel, please. (Basics for believers 12-13)

And I say, “the truth is, this is me.”  Usually I am content to only be excited about the gospel when it is comfortable for me, makes me look good in the eyes of other believers, or boosts my own thoughts of how “moral” I am.  I don’t like discomfort, and I don’t like my life to be difficult.  I want a savior who will meet my needs, freely give me all things (Romans 8:32), and work everything for my good (Romans 8:28).  Carson challenges us (me) to instead pursue four goals: (1) Put the Fellowship of the Gospel at the center of Your Relationships with Believers (Phil. 1:3-8), (2) Put the Priorities of the Gospel at the Center of Your Prayer Life (Phil 1:9-11), (3) Put the Advance of the Gospel at the Center of Your Aspirations (Phil. 1:12-18a), and (4) Put the Advance of the Gospel at the Center of Your Aspirations (Phil. 1:12-18a).  Paul begins Philippians this way (with a heavy dose of gospel) because the centrality of the gospel is his top priority.  He wants it to not be a list of theological points we agree with, but a deeply-rooted worldview that actually determines how we live our lives.

I needed to read this today, a kick in the pants to a saint with wavering faith.  As challenging as this is for me, Carson’s words on chapter two are all the more comforting.  As he explains, it is not the strength of my faith that is of utmost importance, but the object of my faith.  This widely-read passage deserves to be recycled:

Imagine the first Passover, just before the exodus.  Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones, two Hebrews with remarkable names, are discussing the extraordinary events of the previous weeks and months.  Mr. Smith asks Mr. Jones, “Have you sprinkled the blood of a lamb on the two doorposts and on the lintel over the entrance to your dwelling?”

“Of course,” replies Mr. Jones.  ”I’ve followed Moses’ instructions exactly.”

“So have I,” affirms Mr. Smith.  ”But I have to admit I’m very nervous.  My boy Charlie means the world to me.  if, as Moses says, the angel of death is passing through the land tonight, taking out all the firstborn in the land — I jut don’t know what I’ll do if Charlie dies.”

“But that’s the point.  He won’t die.  That’s why you sprinkled the lamb’s blood on the doorposts and on the lintel.  Moses said that when the angel of death sees the blood, he will ‘pass over’ the house so protected, and the firstborn will be safe.  Why are you worried?”

“I know, I know,” splutters Mr. Smith somewhat irritably, “but you have to admit that there have been some very strange goings-on these last few months.  Some of the plagues have afflicted only the Egyptians, of course, but some of them have hit us too.  The thought that my Charlie could be in danger is terribly upsetting.”

Rather unsympathetically, Mr. Jones replies, “I really can’t imagine why you’re fretting.  After all, I have a son, too, and I think I love him just as much as you love your Charlie.  But I am completely at peace: God promised that the angel of death would pass over every house whose door is marked by blood in the way he prescribes, and I take him at his word.”

That night the angel of death passed through the land.  Who lost his son, Mr. Smith or Mr. Jones?

The answer, of course, is neither.  The fulfillment of God’s promise that the angel of death would simply “pass over” and not destroy their firstborn depended not on the intensity of the faith of the residents  but only on whether or not they had sprinkled blood on the doorposts and on the lintel.  In both cases the blood was shed, the houses marked; in both cases the firstborn son was saved. (Basics for Believers 40-1)

And I can hear Piper’s voice echoing in my head: “Both were spared because both responded to God’s word by faith in future grace.”

Nuggets

Another installment of my quest for understanding grace through faith as the God-appointed means of both justification and sanctification. Again, Piper’s work in Future Grace speaks wonderfully (this entire post will be mostly an extended quote):

…the faith that justifies and the faith that sanctifies are not two different kinds of faith…It is all by grace.  Therefore, as we have seen, it must also be through faith.  For faith is the act of the soul that connects with grace, and receives it, and channels it as the power of obedience, and guards it from being nullified through human boasting.

…The simple reason why the faith which justifies is also the faith which sanctifies is that both justification and sanctification are the work of sovereign grace.  They are not the same kind of work, [see footnote] but they are both works of grace.  … If both justification and sanctification are works of grace it is natural that they would both be by faith.

… God has determined that we will receive all by grace so that he will get all the glory.  Charles Spurgeon put it like this: “One thing is past all question: we shall bring our Lord most glory if we get from Him much grace.  If I have much faith, so that iI can take God at His Word…I shall greatly honor my Lord and King.”  Which confirms why the grace of justification and the grace of sanctification are both by faith – because faith is the one response to grace that guards all the glory for God.

… So faith not only fits with the freeness of grace, it also fits with the design of grace to bring all glory to God.

… Faith is the God-appointed means of justification and sanctification because, better than any other act, it fits with the grace of God and magnifies the glory of God.  The effect this truth should have on our hearts is expressed by the psalmist: “The Lord gives grace and glory…O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in Thee!” (Psalm 84:11-12).  he exults in the blessedness of the person who trusts in the God of all grace.  We need to let it sink in that grace is not only gotten by faith, but glorified by faith.  This doubles our blessing in being people who trust in God.  On the one hand, we long for the blessings of God’s future grace, and they come to us by faith.  But on the other hand, we long for God’s grace to be glorified in our lives, and this too comes by faith.  Faith receives the goodness of future grace, and faith reflects the glory of future grace.  It is a double wonder.  These two things are not at odds – our receiving the joy and God getting the glory.  O, how this should set our hearts on a passionate quest to trust God hour by hour for all we need – for God’s sake!  Every moment of faith is a tribute to grace. (Future Grace 193-5)

The footnote, which I found helpful, reads:

Some may prefer to be more precise and say that justification is an “act” of God, while sanctification is a “work” of God.  A.A. Hodge, for example, says, “[Justification] is an act of God pronouncing that with respect to this person the law has no penal demands – that all its demands in the covenant of salvation have been satisfied…[But sanctification] is not an act but a work of God’s grace, wherein he sustains and develops, perfects and continues, the work which he has commenced [in regeneration].” Evangelical Theology (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1976, orig. 1890), pp. 295-296.  Leonardus Riissenius gave the traditional Protestant distinction between justification and sanctification as follows: (1) justification is a forensic action; sanctification is physical and real; (2) justification takes place to a great extent outside a man in the word of God and in Christ; sanctification takes place in a man; (3) justification involves no more than a moral change and one of status; sanctification imports a real and new creation; (4) justification takes place perfectly once for all; sanctification is gradual.”  Quoted in Heinrich Heppe, Reformed Dogmatics, ed. Ernst Bizer, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, orig. 1861), p. 566.

So sanctification being by grace (1) fits perfectly (unlike any other means) with God’s grace to us in justification, and (2) makes much of God’s glory in the face of Christ.

The Gift of Repentance

After I took a moment to send Dave Koch a congratulatory wall post for getting flippin married (!!), one of his notes on facebook caught my eye.  I won’t spoil the secrets for you, but i really liked the way Dave approached Scripture with a fair mind and a faithfulness to the text.  I think what he writes here is a good example of taking our theology from the text itself, and letting Scripture interpret Scripture, instead of reading a meaning into it.  Plus, to give a brief thought on one of his follow up questions, I think this truth is a strong biblical argument for the so-called “Calvinistic gospel,” without which Spurgeon asserts we have “no gospel at all.”  What follows is Koch’s note in its entirety.  Congratulations Dave and Casey!

Hey hey,

Not too much time to write at the moment – I have yet to finish the final Harry Potter! – but I was so struck by something I read this morning that I thought it might be cool to share it. A warning – this will probably only interest those with at least a moderate liking of theology and of thinking about theological matters critically.

I have many opinions I would like to spew out right now, but I’m not sure that would best, for you or for me. So instead, let me point you to a verse, to another verse which carries the same (at least to me) perplexing notion, explain briefly why this notion is so perplexing to me, and then let you ponder the issue yourself.

The verse I read this morning is Acts 5:31, English Standard Version: “God exalted [Jesus] at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” The NIV reads: “God exalted [Jesus] to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.” Here also is the King James: “[Jesus] hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” And The Message: “God set [Jesus] on high at his side, Prince and Savior, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven.”

Of course, reading this verse in its context (say, at least from 5:27-32) may help you understand what exactly is going on here, but I don’t think it will be of much assistance with what I want to point out. I gave you three translations just so you couldn’t accuse me of choosing a version to fit some sort of bias or preconceived hypothesis. Notice that three of the four versions (the three more word-literal translations) use the phrase “give repentance.” It is this phrase that baffled me.

Being the nerd that I am, I looked up the word ‘repent’ in an online ESV Bible search, and I found another place in Scripture where this curious idea of a God-given repentance is mentioned. 2 Timothy 2:24-25, English Standard Version: “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsom but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.” (I will not give other versions, but once again, three of four include the key phrase “grant/give them repentance.”)

These verses baffled me primarily because the word “repent” is normally used in a command form, given by God or by one of His servants to a person or people in a state of rebellion against God. “Repent!” says, “Turn back from your rebellious ways and submit yourself to God’s Lordship!”. So, in most places where the word is used in Scripture, we see a command issued by God which gives its recipient a choice, that being whether or not to repent. In it’s most normal context, and disregarding the testimony of the rest of the Bible (which, of course, you ultimately never want to do in interpreting Scripture) the word would seem to imply that God extends His hand in His command, but that we must do our part in taking it by submitting ourselves in an act of repentance. As some tote as a bit of a mantra when free will arises in discussion, “God can’t/doesn’t make us love Him.”

But these verses, or simply the idea contained within them that God gives repentance, seem to suggest otherwise. If repentance is granted by God, then a person’s repentance does not ultimately depend on that person choosing to repent, or merely on God’s offering or commanding repentance, but on His giving it. In other words, God gives people the response to His own command. (To me, this conclusion follows directly from the two verses I mentioned – I don’t feel as though I am pulling a fast one on you, and I certainly don’t mean to do so – but it is possible I have overlooked something.)

Of course, I did not plan on spilling so many of my beans in this “brief” explanation, so maybe I should leave you (and myself) a few questions to ponder in light of these verses. How is God’s granting repentance consistent or even compatible with His commanding it? Wherein lies free will? On what is God’s gift of repentance based? How does this notion impact Biblical arguments for Arminianism or Calvinism?

If you feel so inclined, I would love it if you left comments on the wall of this note; otherwise, you could write me personally. Either way, to God be the glory!

dk

A few recent thoughts

Yes, Evers, I do realize that I’ve not posted in a while.  Don’t assume that just because this page exists that it means it will be regularly updated.

With that said, I have had a few recent ideas to develop blogs around.  For the sake of length and ease on my mind, I won’t be exhaustive about any of the following, but without further ado:

I find it increasingly common around this time of year for people to exhort each other to remember the ‘true meaning of Christmas,’ namely NOT lights, trees, and presents.  While I”m sure this is well intentioned, I’d like to stir the pot a bit and posit that Christmas is exactly about those three things: the Light, the Tree, and the Present.  You know where I’m going with this, because you know Christmas is about Jesus.  But think about it.  Why do we give gifts around the holidays?  Is it not to celebrate the gift we have been given?  What better way to view Christmas trees and Christmas lights than constant holiday reminders of the Light of the world and the work on the tree?  I recently had the reference to the following inked into my skin: For the wages of sin is death, but the free GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Faith is a gift; salvation is a gift; Christmas is a gift.  We don’t pay God back for them, and we don’t make him smile any harder by being good giving people.  Our calling is to receive, for God is and never will be grateful, otherwise he would not be God.

I’m already at nearly 300 words, so if you want, you can quit reading now.  But if you’re still here, I was really jacked to read the following in the Pleasures of God today (which, by the way, I highly recommend, as it is turning out to be far better than I anticipated):

“I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and him crucified, unless we preach what is nowadays called Calvinism.  It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.  I do not believe we can preach the gospel…unless we preach the sovereignty of god in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the Cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Autobiography, 168, quoted in POG 145)

Finally, in the spirit of Christmas, what follows is today’s posting on firstimportance.org.  Make it your homepage:

“On this side of eternity, Christmas is still a promise. Yes, the Savior has come, and with him peace on earth, but the story is not finished. Yes, there is peace in our hearts, but we long for peace in our world.  Every Christmas is still ‘a turning of the page’ until Jesus returns. Every December 25 marks another year that draws us closer to the fulfillment of the ages, that draws us closer to . . . home.  When we realize that Jesus is the answer to our deepest longing, even Christmas longings, each Advent brings us closer to his glorious return to earth. When we see him as he is, King of kings and Lord of lords, that will be ‘Christmas’ indeed!”  (Joni Eareckson Tada, “A Christmas Longing” in Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus)

Sorry for the length; keep in mind that this was really three separate posts worth of stuff.  So celebrate Christmas by looking back and looking forward, and looking to the cross always.  Read good books that will help you comprehend glory more.  And for goodness sake, be a Calvinist!

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