Christ’s kingdom on earth is a cross-kingdom. Not because God enjoys pain, but because this is how He conquers. The throne is a cross. The crown has thorns. The victory is hidden under weakness. And if that is true for the King, it will not be different for the people who belong to Him. View article → #biblestr

The Word became flesh so that nothing human would be left unredeemed. Not only the “spiritual” parts of you. You. Your body. Your mind. Your will. Your suffering. Your death. Christ has entered the whole human condition so that He can heal the whole human condition. #biblestr View article →

This is where joy breaks wide open: God is not waiting for you to get your act together before He comes near. He comes near to rescue you. He comes near to carry what you cannot carry. He comes near to take what is yours—your frailty, your vulnerability, your mortality—so that He can give you what is His: righteousness, life, and peace. #biblestr View article →

If you come tonight with fear, or questions, or weariness, you are not out of place. The angels preached first to people in the dark. If you come tonight with guilt, you are not beyond hope. This is exactly why a Savior is born. And if you come tonight with joy, then let it be this kind of joy: not fragile and forced, but anchored in what God has done. View article →

Christmas Eve: The Nativity of Our Lord—Matthew 1:18–25 #biblestr https://youtube.com/live/yXvCUxp1Cb0

The Shepherds Visit Bethlehem—Luke 2:15-20 #biblestr https://youtube.com/live/aguzuEJlLfk

The Birth of Christ Is Announced to Shepherds—Luke 2:8-14 https://youtube.com/live/XOl21BtpvCo #biblestr

John is a voice. Not the Word. A voice. And that’s what faithful preaching always is: a mouth that points not to itself but to Christ. John is doing exactly what Isaiah foretold, as the Angel Gabriel proclaimed and Zechariah confessed. Right after that fierce, tender opening, God gives John this work: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” (Isa. 40:1) How does God comfort? Not by pretending sin is small or telling people they’re “fine.” He comforts by sending a messenger who tells the truth and by sending the Lord Himself to save. View article →

Sunday’s OT and Epistle—Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Philippians 4:4-7 https://youtube.com/live/zUG6GwALI1Y #biblestr

The Nativity of Our Lord—Luke 2:1-7 https://youtube.com/live/Rke5G2wJC7k #biblestr

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist—Luke 1:57-66 #biblestr https://youtube.com/live/_iyqb-c2z3Q

Stop trying to keep God at a manageable distance. He will not be managed. He will be received. “The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28). And the One who is with you is not an idea. He is Jesus—true God and true man—your Brother in the flesh, your Savior from sin, your King whose reign does not end. #biblestr View article →

The Visitation—Luke 1:39-45 https://youtube.com/live/4MFvkkQW_CU #biblestr

Christ’s Birth Is Foretold to Joseph—Matthew 1:18-25 https://youtube.com/live/sZ2NxSu5WZ8

Any rebellion against God's Word disintegrates into chaos, even if it has the semblance of law and order. #biblestr

The Annunciation of Our Lord—Luke 1:26-38 https://youtube.com/live/hYzXCwTN6Ao

Doubts will still come. Until the Lord returns, you will still be tempted to ask John’s question in a hundred different forms: “Are You really the One? Are You really good? Are You really for me?” When that happens, learn from John. Don’t sit alone in the dark trying to crush your questions or nurture them. Send them to Jesus. Bring them where He has promised to be—in His Word, in His Church, in the gifts that bear His name. #biblstr View article →

Sunday’s OT and Epistle—Isaiah 40:1-11; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 #biblestr https://youtube.com/live/ci2EpVTL3yQ

Contentment is not giving up on life. It is resting in Christ. It is receiving what the Father provides, using it wisely for family and neighbor, and trusting that Jesus—not money—is our life and our hope. In a world that feels like a casino, this is real freedom. #biblestr View article →

All that judgment that should have burned you to stubble falls on Him instead. The refiner’s fire consumes Him, not because He is impure, but because He has taken your impurity as His own. The wrath that should fall on you for your indifference, compromise, lust, and self-righteousness—that wrath is poured out on Him. He, the Bridegroom, lets Himself be treated like the harlot so that His Bride can wear the white robe. He, the righteous Son, is cut off so that you can be called sons. View article → #biblestr