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Every Day Is Thanks Giving Sometimes I get so full at Thanksgiving dinner I skip dessert. This is unfortunate because the end of the meal with its pumpkin pie and whipped cream is one of the best parts. The vision John describes at the end of the book of Revelation is definitely one that sparks thanksgiving. He begins by seeing the Holy City,...

Mediator Between God and Humanity The expression “skin in the game,” often encountered in the world of business and finance, is used when people have a personal stake in reaching a goal. They see their work as much more than “just a job.” They’re risking their own resources or reputation. Their commitment might be emotional, financial, or...

The Living Stone Pondering today’s reading, musician Michael Card wrote the song “Living Stones”: “See, in Zion He is known As a chosen precious cornerstone And the ones who come to trust in Him Will never know the shame That He bore on that cross when it seems That all was lost. He is the Stone that makes men stumble The Rock that makes...

Our Advocate Perry Mason was the title character in a popular series of novels, radio programs, and finally a television series set in Los Angeles starring Raymond Burr. The fictional lawyer specialized in advocating for the innocent, mostly people who had been wrongly accused of murder. Perry Mason epitomized a good lawyer, striving to help...

Head of the Church When Father Christmas entered Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, he brought gifts. For Peter, there was a sword and a shield emblazoned with a red lion. For Susan, there was a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a magical horn. For Lucy, there was a small dagger and a bottle of healing cordial. These...

The Resurrection and the Life “Death be not proud,” begins a famous Holy Sonnet by poet John Donne, “though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so.” Donne addresses Death as a person, saying it has no real power, but is rather “slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men.” He compares it to rest or sleep, even...

God’s Final Revelation In his worship song “Knowing You, Jesus,” Graham Kendrick proclaims: “Oh, to know the power of your risen life And to know you in your sufferings To become like you in your death, my Lord So with you to live and never die.” When we know Jesus, we know God the Father as well, for the Son is the Father’s final, complete,...

Creator of All In 1992, a new large mammal was identified for the first time in 50 years—the saola, a longhorned species of wild ox that resembles a deer or antelope. The saola, however, is both rare and shy. So when one was sighted in 2013 in central Vietnam for the first time in fourteen years, conservationists rejoiced. Said one leader:...

The Eternal Word “A Japanese pastor wrote that the most important message of Christmas is that Jesus was born as a babe, weak and vulnerable to the world,” said artist Makoto Fujimura in his book, Refractions. “A baby is utterly dependent on a mother and a father, and others helping the baby to survive. Imagine, one who would claim to be...

Second Person of the Trinity It may be difficult to understand why Jesus wanted or needed to be baptized by John. After all, Jesus had no sins of which to repent. But Jesus made it clear that being baptized was the Father’s will. When Jesus was raised out of the Jordan River: “[the] heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending...