Happy Friday,
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Paul, Romans 8
I suspect we overlook one of the more profound comforts of this passage—Paul’s use of the completed tense of glorification. As Luther noted, we are presently simul justus et peccator— i.e., though we’ve been declared just, we remain sinners. But if that’s true, why does Paul suggest our glorification is a done deal? The answer: because it is certain. He who began a good work in us will complete it! Our gracious Lord finishes what he starts. Your glorification awaits.
Overheard: 1) The Advent stories of Elizabeth, Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph suggest our Kingdom impact is shaped more by our availability than our ability; 2) Emerson was wrong. If you teach a man to fish, he’s going to buy a truck and a boat and be gone all weekend; 3) America was never a Christian nation in the way some imagine, but it was a nation of Christians—and it was shaped by a Christian worldview—in ways that are no longer true; 4) In most churches in the West, the most important item in the building is the clock; and 5) Manna is always just enough for the day.
LBRIA: This week’s Long But Read it Anyway is Theo of Golden, a 400-page self-published novel that is light, encouraging, thoughtful, occasionally beautiful, and worth your time.
Managing T-Day: The blogosphere is full of advice should you find yourself sitting next to your crazy Uncle Buck, your left-of-left sister-in-law, or both: set boundaries, use humor, acknowledge without agreeing, excuse yourself, redirect (Who wants pie?). To these, I would add not only pray, but also seek to understand and protect the vulnerable. I would encourage you to be secure enough in Christ to absorb some of the anger in the room. Jesus has loved me when I am unlovable. And because of his grace, I do not need to win every argument.
Quote Worth Requoting: 1) “Talent is never enough. With few exceptions the best players are the hardest workers.” Magic Johnson; 2) “The primary declaration of Christianity is not ‘This I do!’ but ‘This he did;’” and 3) “For the wise men of old, the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue. For [mankind today], the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men.” C.S. Lewis
Significance: It’s being claimed that the most consequential breakthroughs in the 20th cent. were: the interstate, the telephone, and air conditioning. Perhaps. I’m more settled on Jesus being the most consequential person across all the centuries. The revolution he started remains the most disruptive, the most enduring, and the most influential. It’s impossible to imagine today without his impact.
Without Comment: 1) Per this report, half of Gen Z suffers from “eco-anxiety;” 2) Per this report, 2x as many military vets end their lives as civilians do; 3) Per this report, red states are not only growing because of blue state transfers, they are also growing because of higher fertility rates (click here for color color-coded map); and 4) Per this report, the recent election saw the fewest references to religion in American history.
WOTW: Nominations include argle-bargle (meaningless talk), salad bowl (cited to suggest America is no longer a “melting pot” in which cultural identities are merged into a new unity. In a salad bowl, tomatoes remain tomatoes and lettuce remains lettuce). Honorable mention goes to 4B (the South Korea-inspired movement encouraging women to fight discrimination by bi-hon (saying no to marriage), bi-yeonae (saying no to dating), bi-chulsan (saying no to having babies), and bi-sex (saying no to sex)). Full honors go to moral injury, which is the social, psychological, and spiritual harm that arises from a betrayal of one’s core values, such as justice, fairness, and loyalty. Note: I am now receiving nominees for Word of The Year. Either NT Wright, Taylor Swift, or Patrick Mahomes will record a personal greeting on the answering machine of the winner.
Corrections: After rightly attributing last week’s closing prayer to Thomas Wilson, I listed his life span as 1663-1775 (i.e., I claimed he lived to be 112). FWIW, those dates can be found online, but as Abraham Lincoln said, “You can’t trust everything you find on the Internet.” Wilson died in 1755 at the age of 92. As always, I am blaming my proofreaders.
Resources: Click here for last week’s sermon on Ephesians 6:10-18 on spiritual warfare. Click here to read an article I wrote for The Gospel Coalition (it’s a summary of On the News, the book you can get for free here).
Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, our Savior, let us now come to you: Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with your selfless love. Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with your precious blood. Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with your joyous Spirit. Our hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence. Lord Jesus, our hearts are yours; possess them always and only for yourself. Amen (Augustine of Hippo, 354-430)