Recovering Thanksgiving
By Donavon Riley
11/27/25
11mins

Recovering Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, then, is not just about plenty. It is about redemption.
Giving Thanks in Adversity
Steven A. Hein
Steven A. Hein
11/26/25

Giving Thanks in Adversity

Why is it truly meet right and salutary that we should at all times and all places give thanks to God.
A Review of The Well That Washes What it Shows by Jonathan Linebaugh
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
11/25/25

A Review of The Well That Washes What it Shows by Jonathan Linebaugh

“The well that washes what it shows” captures the essence of Linebaugh’s project, which aims to give the paradigmatic law-gospel hermeneutic a colloquial and visual language.

All Articles

Chad Bird
Chad Bird
01/05/22

Why Not Diapers and Casseroles Instead of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh?

Couldn't Mary and Joseph have used more practical gifts? Why did the magi bring such unusual presents to the Christ Child? And how do these Gentiles fit into this very Jewish part of Matthew's Gospel? Let's ask some Old Testament prophets and poets for the answer.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/31/21

The Key to the Ear of Jesus and the Meaning of His Hebrew Name

The angel was very specific when he told Mary and Joseph to name the boy, Jesus. Why? What is the Hebrew background and meaning of his name? And how does knowing his name give us the key to his ear?
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/30/21

A Two-Faced Look at the Coming New Year

Buried deep in our human psyche, there seems to be more than a need—almost a necessity—to celebrate the arrival of a new year. It’s like an unspoken, unlegislated cultural demand, as instinctual as moving to music or smiling at a newborn. Why? What deep human need is at work here?
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/28/21

The Christmas Story No One Wants to Talk About: The Holy Innocents

A madman king. State-decreed infanticide. A fleeing holy family. What does all this have to do with Christmas? And how did a day of horror also become a day of hope? Today, December 28, the church remembers The Holy Innocents.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/22/21

Christmas in Isaiah: Dog Soldiers, Army Boots, and Baby Jesus

Gideon’s “foolish” weaponry of clay jars and shofars will give way to the Messiah’s “foolish” ways of doing things, for his weapons will be humility, fidelity, and, above all, the word of his Father.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/20/21

The Jewish Nesting Doll of Christmas

To understand the Nativity we need to grasp the Jewish nature of Christmas. God sent his Son into the womb of a Jewish virgin, to be born in a Jewish town, and to be crucified with a sign over his head that reads, “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews,” in order that salvation might go forth to all people from him.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/15/21

Debunking Popular Christmastime Myths: Temple Shepherds, Migdal Eder, and Swaddling Lambs

The Bethlehem shepherds were raising lambs for the temple? Jesus was born in a shepherd's tower called Migdal Eder? Shepherds swaddled lambs to keep them unblemished then placed them in a manger to keep them safe? What are we to make of these popular claims?
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/10/21

O Bad Little Town of Bethlehem

The early biblical stories about Bethlehem are dark and violent. They wreck us. They frighten us. In this little town, we see a microcosm of the vast and mangled mass of humanity, each individual thirsty for even a single bead of light to be dropped into the blackened depths of their souls. He who is born in Bethlehem is that Light.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/08/21

The O Antiphons of Advent

Preparing for Advent? Discover Seven Ways to Better Know the Christ of Christmas in this free guide.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/26/21

Implications of the Incarnation: Christmas in the Garden of Eden

In Genesis 1-2, the Lord reveals—or, at a bare minimum, starts dropping some big hints—that he will be quite comfortable becoming a human being himself someday.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/22/21

From the Mark of Cain to Baptism

Throughout the Scriptures, God puts "signs" or "seals" upon people. Often these are placed upon the forehead. How do all these connected stories take us from the mark of Cain, to the Exodus, to the cross, and finally to baptism?
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/10/21

Unloving Ex-Sins and Laughing at Scars

Fourteen years ago, drowning in the muck of dark despair, in the middle of a life gone terribly wrong, I wrote in my journal, "I wonder how, once this is all over, how I’ll be, how I’ll turn out…” Now I know.
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