This weekend, I will be heading back to my hometown for the first time in more than two years. It is an odd feeling to be going home. I love my hometown. However, I will not be going back to my childhood home, as my parents moved into a condo about a month ago. I am not sure that I will get a chance to see any of my childhood friends while I am there. I will get to see my parents and my brother while he is on leave, which is part of the reason I am going "home" now. Because we need to be back so Peter can be at church on Sunday, I will not even get to visit my childhood church.
All of this makes me a bit homesick. Homesick for my friends especially (both the ones from home, but also the ones from college, camp, and other areas of my life). Living far away from those I care about most is quite challenging at times. I think I feel it most during the summer, because that's when I have the most downtime. So, for all of my friends, know that you are loved and greatly missed. (And, if any of you want to make a trip to Southern Illinois to visit me, the door is wide open!)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Grace - For Real
Lately, I have been noticing the number of churches called "Grace Something-or-Other." Now, I think that "Grace" is a great name for a church. However, what I have also noticed is that a great many of these churches don't actually preach about grace. This is, of course, not universally true. I am sure there are plenty of Grace Churches that do preach the Gospel with all of its sweetness, and have even been to one. However, there are at least an equal number that do not. If you are going to call yourself "Grace," you had better be preaching about grace, and not just state it in a mission statement. After checking out a variety of Grace Churches on the internet and listening to their sermons or reading sermon manuscripts, I am even more sure that these churches do not actually understand the concept of grace. The sermons that I looked at from these churches were all about how to be a better person, live a better life, or the things that we must do. They did not address the fact that we are poor miserable sinners, and, that no matter how hard we try, we will always be poor, miserable sinners who need the redeeming blood of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23-24, NIV)
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. '" (2 Cor. 12:9, NIV)
God's grace is sufficient. Yes, I do need to hear the Law. I need to hear about what a terrible creature I am on my own so that I can realize that I cannot save myself. Then I need to hear the Gospel message of Jesus Christ crucified and raised for me. I need to hear both of these things every week. (Frankly, I need to hear both of these things every day.) So, if you are going to call yourself "Grace Something-or-Other," please, please, please preach the Gospel. Because, without it, everything else is meaningless.
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23-24, NIV)
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. '" (2 Cor. 12:9, NIV)
God's grace is sufficient. Yes, I do need to hear the Law. I need to hear about what a terrible creature I am on my own so that I can realize that I cannot save myself. Then I need to hear the Gospel message of Jesus Christ crucified and raised for me. I need to hear both of these things every week. (Frankly, I need to hear both of these things every day.) So, if you are going to call yourself "Grace Something-or-Other," please, please, please preach the Gospel. Because, without it, everything else is meaningless.
Monday, April 9, 2012
The Lamb Once Slain and Raised Again
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
I want to wish a blessed Easter to everyone. Christ is victorious over sin, death, and the devil! That is a reason to celebrate. Besides spending a lot of time in church (at least, we do), another way people tend to celebrate is with food. So, today I am going to verge a bit off the normal path for this blog (although, considering that my posting has been few and far between lately, nothing is really normal) and talk about Easter food. And, how can I talk about Easter food without a recipe?
One long held tradition in the church is to eat lamb for Easter. "Lamb?" you say. "I thought the traditional food was ham?" (Especially in Southern Illinois, where most people have never eaten lamb, and some think that is is gross, even though they have never tasted it.) Frankly, in the scope of church history, ham is a newer tradition. I'm not sure where the idea of eating ham on Easter came from, even. However, the tradition of eating lamb has deep roots. When the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt, God sent an angel to kill the first born son of everyone in Egypt. Everyone except for those who put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. The angel "passed over" these homes. This, of course, is where the Jewish celebration of Passover comes from. Jesus also celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. At this meal, Jesus gave the disciples his own body and blood. The next day, Jesus, the one and true sacrificial lamb, died on a cross to save all mankind. On the third day, this Lamb rose from the grave. Now we can say with Paul, "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55, ESV)
On Easter we celebrate the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world and has victory over death. What better way to do this than to eat lamb, the same way the Israelites did when the Angel of Death passed over their homes?
There are many different ways you could prepare lamb for Easter. I love a good leg of lamb or rack of lamb, but, they are a bit out of our budget. Plus, there are only two of us in our household. We need something that is a bit more practical. The recipe I am about to share comes mostly out of the cookbook For One or Two (Parragon Publishing, 2004). However, I have made a few small modifications. And, in tribute to my friend Dan over at The Narnian Chef (http://narnianchef.wordpress.com/), I have a couple of pictures I took while cooking this meal yesterday.
Roast Lamb and Tomato Packets (serves 2)
olive oil
2 large (or 4 small) lamb chops
8 cherry tomatoes (or 4 roma)
2 cloves of garlic (diced) (The original recipe calls for crushed garlic, but I like my garlic a little stronger, so dicing it helps with that.)
fresh torn oregano (about 4 tsp, but I never measure it)
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Salt and pepper the lamb chops to taste.
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over high heat and brown the lamb chops on both sides.
Cut a large square of aluminum foil. Drain the meat and place in the center of the foil. Spread garlic over the lamb. Arrange tomatoes on top of the meat and sprinkle with the torn oregano. Fold the foil to seal the packet and transfer to a cookie shete.
Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.
Opening the packet carefully, transfer the lamb and tomatoes to a plate or serving dish. Spoon on the juices from the meat.
Next Easter, consider lamb a must-have for your Easter table. Have a blessed Easter, everyone!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
I want to wish a blessed Easter to everyone. Christ is victorious over sin, death, and the devil! That is a reason to celebrate. Besides spending a lot of time in church (at least, we do), another way people tend to celebrate is with food. So, today I am going to verge a bit off the normal path for this blog (although, considering that my posting has been few and far between lately, nothing is really normal) and talk about Easter food. And, how can I talk about Easter food without a recipe?
One long held tradition in the church is to eat lamb for Easter. "Lamb?" you say. "I thought the traditional food was ham?" (Especially in Southern Illinois, where most people have never eaten lamb, and some think that is is gross, even though they have never tasted it.) Frankly, in the scope of church history, ham is a newer tradition. I'm not sure where the idea of eating ham on Easter came from, even. However, the tradition of eating lamb has deep roots. When the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt, God sent an angel to kill the first born son of everyone in Egypt. Everyone except for those who put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. The angel "passed over" these homes. This, of course, is where the Jewish celebration of Passover comes from. Jesus also celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. At this meal, Jesus gave the disciples his own body and blood. The next day, Jesus, the one and true sacrificial lamb, died on a cross to save all mankind. On the third day, this Lamb rose from the grave. Now we can say with Paul, "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55, ESV)
On Easter we celebrate the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world and has victory over death. What better way to do this than to eat lamb, the same way the Israelites did when the Angel of Death passed over their homes?
There are many different ways you could prepare lamb for Easter. I love a good leg of lamb or rack of lamb, but, they are a bit out of our budget. Plus, there are only two of us in our household. We need something that is a bit more practical. The recipe I am about to share comes mostly out of the cookbook For One or Two (Parragon Publishing, 2004). However, I have made a few small modifications. And, in tribute to my friend Dan over at The Narnian Chef (http://narnianchef.wordpress.com/), I have a couple of pictures I took while cooking this meal yesterday.
Roast Lamb and Tomato Packets (serves 2)
olive oil
2 large (or 4 small) lamb chops
8 cherry tomatoes (or 4 roma)
2 cloves of garlic (diced) (The original recipe calls for crushed garlic, but I like my garlic a little stronger, so dicing it helps with that.)
fresh torn oregano (about 4 tsp, but I never measure it)
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Salt and pepper the lamb chops to taste.
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over high heat and brown the lamb chops on both sides.
Cut a large square of aluminum foil. Drain the meat and place in the center of the foil. Spread garlic over the lamb. Arrange tomatoes on top of the meat and sprinkle with the torn oregano. Fold the foil to seal the packet and transfer to a cookie shete.
Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.
Opening the packet carefully, transfer the lamb and tomatoes to a plate or serving dish. Spoon on the juices from the meat.
Next Easter, consider lamb a must-have for your Easter table. Have a blessed Easter, everyone!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas!
"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." Galations 4:4-5 (ESV)
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 (ESV)
"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."
Micah 5:2 (ESV)
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (ESV)
"And in your (Abraham's) offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed..." Genesis 22:18 (ESV)
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 (ESV)
"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."
Micah 5:2 (ESV)
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (ESV)
"And in your (Abraham's) offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed..." Genesis 22:18 (ESV)
Friday, December 23, 2011
Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People
Today's Advent hymn, "Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People" by Johann Olearius and again translated by Catherine Winkworth, is by the request of Pete.
"Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People"
Comfort, comfort, ye My people,
Speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning 'neath their sorrows' load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover
And her warfare now is over.
Yea, her sins our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved His anger
He no more will see or heed.
She hath suffered many a day,
Now her griefs have passed away;
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever-springing gladness.
Hark, the Herald's voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Bidding all men to repentance
Since the Kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him
And the hills bow down to greet Him.
Make ye straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain;
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o'er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.
And, since it was Pete who requested this one, the video is a brass quintet recording of the hymn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xare0pbxxs&feature=related
"Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People"
Comfort, comfort, ye My people,
Speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning 'neath their sorrows' load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover
And her warfare now is over.
Yea, her sins our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved His anger
He no more will see or heed.
She hath suffered many a day,
Now her griefs have passed away;
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever-springing gladness.
Hark, the Herald's voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Bidding all men to repentance
Since the Kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him
And the hills bow down to greet Him.
Make ye straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain;
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o'er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.
And, since it was Pete who requested this one, the video is a brass quintet recording of the hymn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xare0pbxxs&feature=related
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending
Today's Advent hymn is Charles Wesley's "Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending."
"Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending"
Lo, he comes with clouds descending,
Once for ev'ry sinner slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.
Ev'ry eye shall now behold him
Robed in glorious majesty;
Those who set at nought and sold him,
Pierced and nailed him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, shall their true Messiah see.
Those dear tokens of his Passion
Still his dazzling body bears,
Cause of endless exultation
To his ransomed worshipers.
With what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!
Yea, amen, let all adore thee,
High on thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow'r and glory,
Claim the kingdom for thine own.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and thou a lone!
This is not my favorite tune for this hymn, but it is the one that is in our current hymnal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08cGl44SWGM
"Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending"
Lo, he comes with clouds descending,
Once for ev'ry sinner slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.
Ev'ry eye shall now behold him
Robed in glorious majesty;
Those who set at nought and sold him,
Pierced and nailed him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, shall their true Messiah see.
Those dear tokens of his Passion
Still his dazzling body bears,
Cause of endless exultation
To his ransomed worshipers.
With what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!
Yea, amen, let all adore thee,
High on thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow'r and glory,
Claim the kingdom for thine own.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and thou a lone!
This is not my favorite tune for this hymn, but it is the one that is in our current hymnal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08cGl44SWGM
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Hark the Glad Sound
Today's Advent hymn is "Hark the Glad Sound" by Philip Doddridge.
"Hark the Glad Sound"
Hark the glad soung! The Savior comes,
The Savior promised long;
Let every heart prepage a throne
And every voice a song.
He comes the pris'ners to release,
In Satan's bondage held.
The gates of brass before Him burst,
The iron fetters yield.
He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor.
Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim,
And heav'n's eternal arches ring
With Thy beloved name.
This is a fun organ arrangement of the hymn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GxACjvrujo
"Hark the Glad Sound"
Hark the glad soung! The Savior comes,
The Savior promised long;
Let every heart prepage a throne
And every voice a song.
He comes the pris'ners to release,
In Satan's bondage held.
The gates of brass before Him burst,
The iron fetters yield.
He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor.
Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim,
And heav'n's eternal arches ring
With Thy beloved name.
This is a fun organ arrangement of the hymn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GxACjvrujo
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
Today's hymn is "Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates" by Georg Weissel and translated by Catherine Winkworth.
"Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates"
Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!
Behold, the King of glory waits.
The King of kings is drawing near;
The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring;
Therefore rejoice and gladly sing.
To God the Father raise
Your joyful songs of praise.
A righteous Helper comes to thee,
His chariot is humility,
His kingly crown is holiness,
His scepter, pity in distress,
The end of all our woe He brings;
Therefore the earth is glad and sings:
To Christ the Savior raise
Your grateful hymns of praise.
How blest the land, the city blest,
Where Christ the Ruler is confessed!
O peaceful hearts and happy homes
To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless Sun of joy is He,
Who comes to set His people free.
To God the Spirit raise
Your grateful hymns of praise.
Fling wide the portals of your heart;
Make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for Heaven's employ,
Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sovereign enter in
And new and nobler life begin.
To God alone be praise
For word and deed and grace!
Redeemer, come and open wide
My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!
O enter with Thy grace dinne;
Thy face of mercy on me shine.
Thy Holy Spirit guide us on
Until our glorious goal is won.
Eternal praise and fame
We offer to Thy name.
(I couldn't find an even half-way decent video of this one, expecially with the tune I like.)
"Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates"
Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!
Behold, the King of glory waits.
The King of kings is drawing near;
The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring;
Therefore rejoice and gladly sing.
To God the Father raise
Your joyful songs of praise.
A righteous Helper comes to thee,
His chariot is humility,
His kingly crown is holiness,
His scepter, pity in distress,
The end of all our woe He brings;
Therefore the earth is glad and sings:
To Christ the Savior raise
Your grateful hymns of praise.
How blest the land, the city blest,
Where Christ the Ruler is confessed!
O peaceful hearts and happy homes
To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless Sun of joy is He,
Who comes to set His people free.
To God the Spirit raise
Your grateful hymns of praise.
Fling wide the portals of your heart;
Make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for Heaven's employ,
Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sovereign enter in
And new and nobler life begin.
To God alone be praise
For word and deed and grace!
Redeemer, come and open wide
My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!
O enter with Thy grace dinne;
Thy face of mercy on me shine.
Thy Holy Spirit guide us on
Until our glorious goal is won.
Eternal praise and fame
We offer to Thy name.
(I couldn't find an even half-way decent video of this one, expecially with the tune I like.)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Savior of the Nations, Come
The Advent hymn for today is "Savior of the Nations, Come" by (most likely) Ambrose of Milan and later translated into German by Martin Luther.
"Savior of the Nations, Come"
Savior of the nations, come,
Virgin's Son, make here Your home!
Marvel now, O heav'n and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.
Not by human flesh and blood,
By the Spirit of our God,
Was the Word of God made flesh -
Woman's offspring, pure and fresh.
And, another video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqKpdIFX5LE
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
