This Christmas, we have the opportunity to direct our attention, contemplation, and worship to our Lord Jesus Christ as we celebrate the day He was born of the Virgin Mary. This year, we also have the unique privilege of observing Christmas Day in the 1700th anniversary year of the Council … ∞
Immanuel is my favorite name for Jesus. It encapsulates the mystery and miracle of the incarnation. God came to be with us. I love Advent and Christmas; they’re a reminder of the light that breaks in despite the increasing darkness all around us, metaphorically and literally (Isaiah 9:2, John 1:1-14). … ∞
Every Advent season, Christians return to the mystery of the incarnation: the eternal God entering human flesh, the infinite becoming finite, the untouchable becoming touchable. Many images have been used to describe this mystery. But this year, as I dwelled on the familiar texts of the season, another image emerged … ∞
I would like to invite readers to listen to Anna Madsen’s rendition of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” an 8th-century hymn traditionally associated with the Advent season. The first verse of this solemn hymn says: O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here … ∞
In November 2023, during my campus visit to Calvin University, I sat across from Professor Victor Norman in a job interview for a Computer Science position. He asked a question that unsettled me: “What does it mean to develop hospitable code?” I had no answer—only fascination with the connection and … ∞
Hospitality is a core part of what it means to be a minister of the gospel, whether formally ordained or as a lay leader in our churches. Henri Nouwen once wrote, “Hospitality is the virtue which allows us to break through the narrowness of our own fears and to open … ∞
In his book Dangerous Calling, Paul David Tripp says there is danger in letting ministry define one’s identity. Oftentimes, ministers forget that they are children of God, and mainly themselves as a shepherd of the sheep. This potential danger not only affects how pastors view themselves, but also has side … ∞
Thanksgiving is a traditional celebration that has its roots in the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th. In 1789, George Washington declared it a national holiday. Thanksgiving as we celebrate it today, however, dates back to 1863 when Abraham Lincoln officially made it recurrent on … ∞
Autumn has long been regarded as the season of change. Leaves release their hold on the branches, the air grows crisp, the light softens. Every falling leaf whispers that transformation is not a threat to life, but the very rhythm by which life continues. Watching these slow, quiet shifts in … ∞
There’s something exciting about a new season. Whether it’s in the weather or in life, a new smell fills the air and feels electric. I’m someone who loves a new season. My entire adult life has been composed of dances from one major movement to the next. Whether it was … ∞
Reformation Day is celebrated each October 31st, reminding us of the year 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses at All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg. Theologians believe that Luther chose this day, bearing in mind that many people would attend the church on All-Hallows’ Day (November 1st). In the … ∞
“I grew up in Latin America, in a country where hardly 4 or 5 percent of the population was Protestant. It was also a time and a place where Protestantism was understood almost exclusively in terms of opposition to everything Catholic, and where most Catholics knew very little about Protestants, … ∞
INTRODUCTION In the year of our Lord, 2025, we celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (AD 325). At this first ecumenical Church council, over two hundred bishops gathered to discuss a controversy surrounding another bishop, Arius, and his teachings–later deemed heretical–about the Son of God’s nature. For … ∞
“For he gives to his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:2, ESV) Each night, I wrestle with my baby in my arms. I never imagined how exhausting it would be to soothe a child who refuses to stop crying, twisting and turning restlessly instead of yielding to sleep. I once thought sleep … ∞
Everyone craves an identity. For several generations, Americans have sought identity in employment. “What do you do?,” we ask each other when we meet. We don’t actually want to know what we do; we want to know the job title we identify with. Having that job title means that we … ∞
