How Pilgrim Lost His Burden

Lord’s Day Meditation

Now I saw in my dream, that the highway up which Christian was to go, was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was called Salvation. (Isaiah 26:1). Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back.

He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.

Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, “He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his death.” Then he stood still a while, to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked, therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks. (Zech. 12:10). Now as he stood looking and weeping, behold, three Shining Ones came to him, and saluted him with, “Peace be to thee.” So the first said to him, “Thy sins be forgiven thee” (Mark 2:5); the second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with change of raiment, (Zech. 3:4); the third also set a mark on his forehead, (Eph. 1:13), and gave him a roll with a seal upon it, which he bid him look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at the celestial gate: so they went their way. Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on singing,

“Thus far did I come laden with my sin,
Nor could aught ease the grief that I was in,
Till I came hither. What a place is this!
Must here be the beginning of my bliss?
Must here the burden fall from off my back?
Must here the strings that bound it to me crack?
Blest cross! blest sepulchre! blest rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me!”

~from chapter 3 of Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

Christmas is Here!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Rachel’s Christmas Eve Baptism

Comfort for God’s People: The Word of God Stands Forever

Lord’s Day Meditation #2 - Fourth Sunday of Advent 

  Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
  and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
  that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
  double for all her sins.
 

  A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;
  make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
  and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
  and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
  and all flesh shall see it together,
  for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
  A voice says, “Cry!”
  And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
  and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
  when the breath of the LORD blows on it;
  surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
  but the word of our God will stand forever.
 

 Get you up to a high mountain,
  O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
  O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
  lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
  “Behold your God!”
Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
  and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
  and his recompense before him.
He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
  he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
  and gently lead those that are with young.

~Isaiah 40:1-11 (ESV)

“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”

Lord’s Day Meditation #1 - Fourth Sunday of Advent  

“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” 

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six wingÃ?¨d seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Mary and Joseph, and …

…and baby Jesus, too:

Almighty, Omipotent God — Yet Helpless Babe in a Manger

Lord’s Day Meditation #2 - Third Sunday of Advent  

What makes Christ glorious, as Jonathan Edwards observed over 250 years ago, is “an admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies.”

For example, we admire Christ for his transcendence, but even more because the transcendence of his greatness is mixed with submission to God.  We marvel at him because his uncompromising justice is tempered with mercy.  His majesty is sweetened by meekness.  In his equality with God he has a deep reverence for God.  Though he is worthy of all good, he was patient to suffer evil.  His sovereign dominion over the world was clothed with a spirit of obedience and submission.  He baffled the proud scribes with his wisdom, but was simple enough to be loved by children.  He could still the storm with a word, but would not strike the Samaritans with lightning or take himself down from the cross.

~John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, p.29-30

“Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus”

Lord’s Day Meditation #1 - Third Sunday of Advent  

“Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” 

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Advent: Building (On) Tradition

This Advent season has been wonderful so far for me and my family as we wait for the coming of the Lord — both in remembrance of His first coming on Christmas Day and in great anticipation of His promised second coming.  And the reason for that has been the development of our family’s tradition in celebration of each day of this glorious season.

It wasn’t that long ago, though, that I didn’t even know what Advent meant.  I was not raised a Christian, and in my early years after converting in college I worshipped at churches where the church calendar consisted of not much more than Christmas and Easter with great swaths of secular space between. 

After joining Capitol Hill Baptist Church in 1999, Christmas took on more meaning as I (and my soon-to-be wife) began to look at Christmas as more than just what Immanuel meant for me as an individual, but as “God with us.”  Us meant the Church as a whole, spreading hope and the Gospel’s offer of peace with God to the whole world. I began to understand this more as we participated in a number of deeply moving services at church leading up to Christmas Day each year, and for the first time in my life would go caroling around the church’s neighborhood.

Still, I was only faintly familiar with the term “Advent,” and Bonnie and I had yet to develop any family practice in celebration of the season beyond the Christmas tree.  Read the rest of this entry »

Advent Events Schedule

The following is a list of the various church functions and other activities our family plans on attending (and participating in) the remainder of this Advent Season.  Details for the special programs at our home church, Christ Church of Arlington (PCA), are explained in this linked program.  If you are in the area, we hope you will join us at any of these events, as we celebrate the coming of the Lord this Christmas season.

• Bull Run Festival of Lights and Winter Wonderland Holiday Village - when we can find time to make the drive! — Bull Run, Virginia
• Nutcracker in a Nutshell — Saturday, December 16 (3:00PM) — The Center for Ballet Arts, Rachel Schlesinger Concert Hall, NOVA Alexandria Campus
• Live Nativity — Saturday, December 16 (6:30-8:00PM) — see the Holy Family, animals, and hear Eric sing as a part of the “Yuletide Singers”! (yikes!) — Christ Church of Arlington (PCA)
• Lessons and Carols — Sunday, December 17 (10:30AM) - Christ Church of Arlington (PCA)
• Carols on the Hill — Sunday, December 17 (6:00PM) — Capitol Hill Baptist Church
  OR
  Open Our Hearts in Wonder Annual Christmas Candlelight Service — Sunday, December 17 (7:00PM) — Alexandria Presbyterian Church (PCA) 
  (we haven’t decided which we will attend yet)
• Tidings of Comfort — Wednesday, December 20 (7:00PM) - Christ Church of Arlington (PCA)
• Candlelight Christmas Eve Service — Sunday, December 24 (6:00PM)  - Christ Church of Arlington (PCA)