All Hail the Conqu'ring King

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
– Philippians 2:12-13

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend; That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new. I, like an usurp'd town to'another due, Labor to'admit you, but oh, to no end; Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend, But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue. Yet dearly'I love you, and would be lov'd fain, But am betroth'd unto your enemy; Divorce me,'untie or break that knot again, Take me to you, imprison me, for I, Except you'enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

-John Donne (1572-1631)

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,Till released from flesh and sin,

Yet from what I do inherit, Here Thy praises I'll begin;

Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help I’ve come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,Interposed His precious blood;

How His kindness yet pursues me, Mortal tongue can never tell,

Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me, I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face;

Clothed then in blood washed linen, How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,Take my ransomed soul away;

Send thine angels now to carryMe to realms of endless day.

- Robert Robinson (c. 1758)

“Sin stands in contrariety to God. It is rebellion against his sovereignty, an opposition to his holiness, a provocation to his justice, a rejection of his yoke, a casting off, what lies in the sinner, of that dependence which a creature hath on its Creator. That God then should have pity and compassion upon sinners, in every one of whose sins there is all this evil, and inconceivably more than we can comprehend, it argues an infinitely gracious, good, and loving heart and nature in him; for God doth nothing but suitably to the properties of his nature and from them. All the acts of his will are the effects of his nature.”

- John Owen (1616-1683), Works, Vol. 6, Temptation and Sin, The True Nature of Gospel Forgiveness, p. 399

How grateful I am for the persistent and effective work of the Holy Spirit. He can do what none other can do. He can (and determines to) change me into something other than I am by nature. The Holy Spirit is the glad and willing accomplice in effectually applying the work of redemption to my heart and life, and without the work of the Spirit there is no hope of ever being changed. In other words, without the aid of the Holy Spirit this leopard cannot change his spots (Jer. 13:23). Without His work I would ever and always be carried along on a perpetual merry-go-round of destructive fleshly appetites and disparaging besetting sins. To be sure there is a battle to be engaged, but I am profoundly grateful for the enemy’s sure vanquishing by the Conqu’ring King. If this process were left up to me alone I would be in deep weeds. The cross and the resurrection are the signum (seal) that this battle has ultimately been won. Christ is victor. The immediate and real ‘death to life’ regeneration of the Christian and the gradual sanctifying change from the ways of death to the ways of life is the special provenance of the Third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit effectually applies the work of Christ by transforming us from darkness to light. What an amazing and glorious Triune God! Think of this - the character of particular love that sent the Savior to the Cross for our sins is the same character of the Holy Spirit in assuredly changing us from one degree of glory to another. God is committed to ultimate salvation wrought for His people that will be thoroughgoing, pervasive, and complete. Emmanuel will save His people from their sins.

The gospel is the good news that Christ is the Conqu’ring King and of His Kingdom there shall be no end. This gives us great hope as we look to 2008 and beyond.

"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.” – Revelation 11:17

A glad subject together with you under the rule of the Conqu’ring King.

The Importance of the Virgin Birth

The Patriarch Moses - “The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:14,15)

The Prophet Isaiah - “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

The Historian Luke 1:26-31 - “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed1 to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Luke 1:26-31)

The Apostle’s Creed - I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried…

The Westminster Shorter Catechism 1:22 - Question - How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
Answer - Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin.

B.B. Warfield - “I can only say that I have myself no doubt whatever of the fact of the supernatural birth of Jesus, as that fact is recorded in the opening chapters of the gospels of Matthew and Luke.” (Biblical and Theological Studies, The Supernatural Birth of Jesus, p. 157)

J. Gresham Machen - “In the first place, it may be held that the Church came to believe in the virgin birth for the simple reason that the virgin birth was a fact; the reason why the creed came to say that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary is that He was actually so conceived and so born.” (The Virgin Birth of Christ, p. 1)

James Montgomery Boice - “The doctrine of the virgin birth is not neglected today because it has been disproved. Quite the opposite is the case. It is disregarded out of simple unbelief.” (The Christ of Christmas, p. 28)


This time of year reminders of the supernatural are all around us. With angelic visitations, men who go mute, and old women and virgins who conceive, the Christmas story is full of the miraculous. Christianity is supernatural religion and there are no two ways around it. Throughout redemptive history God has intervened in the course of history in supernatural ways. When the Children of Israel were released from the bondage of Egypt there was an intensification of the miraculous, because deliverance had come. And surrounding the birth of Jesus there was an intensification of the miraculous, because the Deliverer has come.

Believing in the supernatural, miraculous virgin birth is not popular these days. Hyper-rationalism, anti-supernaturalism, and anti-Christian philosophies carry the day. In this age of enlightenment the doctrine of the virgin birth is relegated to archaic ignorance and superstition. Unless we can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch it, it cannot possibly be true. For the Christian, to believe in Jesus is to gladly acknowledge and embrace the virgin birth. The Christian faith is not the Christian faith without it. In theoffspring of the virgin’s womb God did the impossible. In the virgin birth God and man intersected. In a supreme act of divine condescension God humbled Himself to take on human flesh in the womb of a virgin and in the form of a helpless baby. The virgin birth was as necessary to secure our salvation as the crucifixion and resurrection, because in the virgin birth there is a ‘…uniting of full deity and full humanity.’ (Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 530) The Christian rejoices with the angels in the virgin birth because this is good news of great joy (Luke 2:10). In the sweeping magnificence of God’s redemptive work in Christ the offspring of the virgin’s womb will save to the uttermost all those who trust in Him. Rejoice, hope has come!

Rejoicing with you in the virgin birth,

Dan

The Market Day of the Soul

“Hail, thou that art highly favored of God, thou map of heaven, thou golden spot of the week, thou market day of souls, thou daybreak of eternal brightness, thou queen of days, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among days. All the graces triumph in thee, all the ordinances conspire to enrich thee; the Father ruleth thee, the Son rose upon thee, the Spirit hath overshadowed thee. On thee light was created, the Holy Ghost descended, life hath been restored, Satan subdued, sin mortified, souls sanctified, the grave, death and hell conquered! Oh, how do men and women flutter up and down on the weekdays, as the dove on the waters, and can find no rest for their souls till they come to see their ark, till thou put forth thy hand and take them in. Oh, how they sit under thy shadows with great delight, and find thy fruits sweet to their taste! Oh, the mountings of the mind, the ravishing of the heart, the solace of the soul which on thee enjoy in the blessed Savior.”

- George Swinnock (1675), quoted in The Market Day of the Soul, by James T. Dennison, p. 3

"If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

- Isaiah 58:13-14

“For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

- Matthew 12:8


A recent visitor to COR sent me an email and mentioned Swinnock’s quote (see above) calling Sundays, “the market day of the soul”. That got me thinking. I was reminded of how often I skate into our Lord’s Day meetings and often the last things on my mind are calling this day a delight, and considering Jesus Christ as the Lord of the Sabbath. It seems to be easy to get caught up in the pronounced busyness of Sunday mornings and neglect the real reason for our Sunday gatherings. After all there is set-up and take-down, a resource table to put up, announcements to make, regulars to greet, visitors to greet, a sermon to consider, music, and all sorts of things to do. It seems like I can be so busy. But this day ought to truly be the market day of the soul. Because of the gospel labors of our Savior we have ceased from our labors and now enjoy true Sabbath rest.

On this day in particular, we have the body of believers gathered, songs are sung to God through the Risen Savior, the word is preached, offerings are given, the sacraments are administered, prayers are prayed, prophetic gifting is practiced, and a host of other things are engaged in that we don’t do at other times during the week. To love the Savior is to love Sundays as we gather with God’s people. These two things are inseparable, because this one day is the day that most resembles heaven. This one day ought to be the day most anticipated. This one day, of all days, ought to be our delight.

As I’ve thought about this I’ve been convicted to be more intentional about making the Lord’s Day a delight and to be more intentionally joyful on this day of days. Will you help me to remember? If you see me running around in a lather, because I’ve got so many things going on, please remind me to remember the Lord of the Sabbath and help me to make Sundays a delight.

Grateful for rest in the Savior,

Dan

What's the Big Deal with Christmas?

Dear Christ Our Redeemer Friends,

I lieu of my typical weekly email I’m sending you the message below. I was recently invited to speak at Firm Foundation Christian School in Battleground, WA. The body of the email was given as a message to the 6th through 10th grade classes at an assembly earlier today (12/5/07).


What’s the big deal with Christmas?

What’s the big deal with Christmas? I mean, you all probably know that Jesus was likely not born on December 25th, right? We don’t really know for sure when He was born. It’s likely close to that date, but no one knows for sure. But what about all of the other stuff going on? There are Christmas specials on TV. There are people in town with Christmas lights up. And there are decorations on display at the local stores. But what’s the big deal? Why is there something instead of nothing? Why don’t we celebrate “Merry Snow Day”? Or “Happy Leaves Falling Off the Trees Season”? Why Christmas, and what’s the big deal?

My suspicion is that if you asked most people on the street what Christmas is all about, they would respond with “family time” or “presents”, or “days off of school.” What is the big deal with Christmas? What about your own answer? If I were to ask you about Christmas, what could you tell me about it? Some might say, “It’s when we celebrate Jesus’ birth”, and that would be true. But is there more than that to it?

What’s the big deal with a baby being born? Babies are born all the time aren’t they? What was different about this baby? What was so special about him? Do you have any idea? What about being born of a virgin? That would be a big deal, but that isn’t it. He was born in a manger, and wasn’t that significant? He was born where all the cows and sheep slept. He was born in a barn. Is that the big deal? Okay, what about the shepherds that saw a number of angels, and then the angels told them certain things about the baby. That’s a pretty big deal right? It’s not everyday your minding your own business as a shepherd and a bunch of angels appear and tell you about a special baby being born. But, is that it? Could it be that Christmas is a big deal because of the Magi? Those were the guys that were the wise men. They were the ones that brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn baby. That’s a big deal, right? He must have been a pretty special baby for men of learning and wisdom to bring him gifts. Is that it?

I’m going to give you a big word to confound your friends and amaze your parents. When they ask you what you learned in school today, you can tell them this new word. Here’s how it’s spelled, i-n-c-a-r-n-a-t-i-o-n. Christmas is a big deal because of The Incarnation. Do you know what it means? Incarnation means the "act of being made flesh" or “enfleshment”. Hold your left hand up and shake it. Now pinch it. Did it hurt? It hurt because you are made out of flesh. You aren’t a ghost or a disembodied spirit. You are made out of flesh and blood and bones. But you’ve always been made out of flesh and blood and bones. You were never a disembodied spirit. Christmas is a big deal because a long time ago in a faraway place God took on flesh and blood and bones. God became a man. Christmas is a big deal because it’s about the Incarnation. God, who had never known what it was like to actually be made of flesh and blood and bones, became like us in Jesus Christ. He could have shaken his hand and pinched it and it would have hurt him. He became like you and me. Christmas is a big deal because God came in the flesh as a helpless child. In the mystery of the Trinity the eternal Son took on flesh and became a tiny infant.

Now, if you are smart kids, and I am assuming you are, you should be asking yourselves, why? Not, why you are smart kids, but why the Incarnation? Why did Jesus have a body like ours and what difference would it make? Some religions say that Jesus was just a spirit. They say he was just a spirit and not a body, because it would be bad if God had a body. But that isn’t what the Bible says. The Bible says in John 1:14, “...the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...” In Jesus Christ God lived here on earth in a real body made of flesh and blood and bones and nerves and emotions. You could touch him, he could speak to you in an audible voice, and he slept and ate and did everything like you and me. But why? Why did he do this? Why did he become a man?

In Jesus Christ God became a man, but there’s something he did not do. He did not sin. The fact of the matter is that all of us have a terrible problem. It’s not just me, it’s all of us. We do the one thing that Jesus did not do. We sin. In fact we sin every day, and not just once a day, but a number of times in a day. We think bad thoughts, we say bad things, we do bad things every day, and day after day. Christmas is a big deal because of the Incarnation. God became a man and not just any man; he became a man without sin. He never had a bad thought, he never said a bad thing, and he never did anything bad. He was always doing everything at all times in perfection to his Father’s will. Have you ever watched the movie Narnia or read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? Do you remember the part where Lucy meets Mr. Tumnus and Mr. Tumnus is plotting how to kidnap Lucy? He finally comes to his senses and begins to confess the plot to Lucy and he begins to tell her about the White Witch that has cast a spell on Narnia. Mr. Tumnus says of the White Witch,

“Why, it is she that has got all of Narnia under her thumb. It’s she that makes it always winter. Always winter, and never Christmas; think of that!” [1]

Without the Incarnation, without God coming in the flesh, it would always be winter and never be Christmas. Something had to be done with our sin. A price had to be paid to satisfy the wrath of God for our sin. Seven hundred years before Jesus was born the prophet Isaiah told about the coming of Jesus. In Isaiah 7:14-15 he said,

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (And)… he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.”

The name Immanuel means “God with us”. And then before Jesus’ birth an angel appeared to Joseph and told him not to be afraid. And then the angel then began telling him what would happen to Mary and said,

“ “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1:21-23)

What’s the big deal with Christmas? The big deal with Christmas is that God became a man in the Incarnation, and he lived a perfect life of obedience, and died on a Cross to satisfy the Father’s wrath for our sins, and then he rose again from the dead. The big deal about Christmas is the Incarnation, and the big deal about the Incarnation is the Cross and the Resurrection. You see, without Christmas there is no Easter, and without Easter there is no hope for sinners. It’s all part of the same story, the story of redemption, where God saves sinners like you and me. What’s the big deal with Christmas? The big deal is that hope for us has come in the Incarnate Son of God. As Christians we ought to celebrate the Incarnation like nobody else. Let the celebration begin….


Forever grateful for the Incarnation, Dan

Playing Hide and Seek with Humility

“But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

- Isaiah 66:2b

“The whole human race is infected with the disease of pride; for by the gospel all the glory of the flesh is reduced to nothing…The doctrine of humility…is…confirmed by the precious blood of Christ.”

- John Calvin, Genesis II:264, cited in Calvin’s Wisdom, p. 154

“That demon of pride was born with us, and it will not die one hour before us. It is so woven into the very warp and woof of our nature, that till we are wrapped in our winding-sheets we shall never hear the last of it.”

- Charles Spurgeon, Fear Not, The Spurgeon Archive, www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0257*

“I am more afraid of the pope of ‘self’ than of the pope of Rome and all his cardinals.”

- Martin Luther

“I know I am proud; and yet I do not know the half of that pride.”

- Robert Murray M’Cheyne (quoted in Humility, the Forgotten Virtue, by Wayne Mack)


How does this happen, and on the Lord’s Day no less? That day when I foolishly think I’m on my best behavior, I found myself acting once again in arrogance. Anxiety led to arrogance and there I was defending my defenseless position. I would have argued all afternoon that I was right. Smug and self-satisfied, it was only later that day that I saw my wrong. My sin then led to a phone call and a confession of sin and a request for forgiveness. “I was wrong…I sinned against you…I was arrogant…You were right…Please forgive me.” She was gracious and freely offered forgiveness.

Why is it that the first place I seem to go is self-defense and a self-assured attitude of my own right understanding? You’d think that by now I would have learned this lesson. And this is by no means the first time. This is ground I’ve walked again and again. Why is it so hard to admit that I am are wrong? The roots of pride run deep in my heart. Its invasive tendrils wrap themselves around everything. I cannot think, say, or do without pride’s ensnaring effect.

The sobering reality is that without the gospel I have no hope. I will ever and always be an arrogant man unless Christ shows me great mercy and opens my eyes to my arrogance. Left to myself I’m frightened at the prospect. When faced with the battle of indwelling sin and the ensuing daily conflict Paul writes to the Romans, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24) He understood that indwelling sin has a power far beyond anything we might try to manufacture. Paul then goes on to give thanks to God through Jesus Christ for help in this ongoing battle.

Dear friends, the Christian life is not for sissies. There is a battle raging and we’re right in the middle of it. Until I take my last breath pride and arrogance lie in wait, ever watching for an opportunity to seize my thoughts, words and deeds. I need the gospel. I need the assurance that this battle is not my own. I need the abundant grace of God in the surety of the ascended Christ that arrogance has been dealt a death blow, and what I’m seeing now is simply the last gasps of a dying enemy.

In all of this I’m grateful for a church where confession of sin is often made and forgiveness is freely given. We are a church of needy sinners living life under the care and protection of a glorious and gracious Savior. Thank you all for letting this be a place where the battle for humility is being fought. Thank you being a humble example to me.

With joy, Dan

Cultivating a Heart of Thanksgiving

“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

- 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

- Colossians 3:15

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

- Philippians 1:3-5

“I have now said repeatedly that he is treated with the honor he deserves when he is recognized as the author of all good things. It follows that our receiving them all from his hand should be attended with continual thanksgiving.”

– John Calvin, quoted by B. A. Gerrish in Grace and Gratitude

“He who would have a double heaven must begin below to rejoice like those above.”

- Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Psalm 33:1


Next week we’ll celebrate a national holiday. I have to admit that this holiday somewhat of an enigma to me. I enjoy it because typically this holiday has escaped all commercialism. It seems to be a time that many family and friends are able to gather, and indeed, some of my fondest memories are of Thanksgivings past. Often it was a wonderful day spent with family and friends with an unmistakable highlight of being the most delicious meal of the year. I think Thanksgiving is enigmatic in that it was intended as a special day for giving thanks. A special day to give thanks? I need a life of giving thanks. So often in my everyday life, thanksgiving, as the posture of my heart, evades me. And I am not thankful because I am not content. I find murmuring and complaining is often my attitude. Rather than seeing everything as coming from God’s gracious hand I grouse about even the minutest details.

Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs preached a series of sermons to help unthankful and discontent people like me. The sermons have been compiled into a little book entitled, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. Burroughs’ own life could have been the seedbed of ingratitude. He was born in 1599 and died in 1646 at only 47 years old. His ministry was filled with difficulty as he found himself in the middle of several large-scale controversies within the church. He was a conscience-bound and Scripture-bound Puritan during the Acts of Uniformity in England in the 1600’s. He was ejected from his first pastorate for non-conformance and his heart was broken over divisions within the church. These sermons were published in book form, posthumously, two years after his death. And now this collection still serves the church over 350 years after his death. Imagine yourself as a persecuted parishioner in an Independent church during the enforcement of the Acts of Uniformity. Likely as a non-conforming parishioner you are experiencing severe suffering. Listen in as Pastor Burroughs exhorts his congregation using these words,

“A gracious heart can indeed tell how to enjoy God as all in all to him. That is the happiness of heaven to have God be all in all.” (p. 67)

“Certainly our contentment does not consist in getting the thing we desire, but in God’s fashioning our spirits to our conditions.” (p. 130)

“Contentment is a sweet, inward heart-thing. It is a work of the Spirit indoors.” (p. 20)

In the middle of conflict-ridden England Burroughs was able to bring a God-ward perspective. My prayer is that both you and I will live in the good of the gospel to the extent that it affects our degree of contentment and thankfulness, and not only on one special day. I think if we could but glimpse the breadth of God’s manifold kindness to us in the work of redemption contentment and thankfulness would be an inseparable part of us. It would change us from the inside out.

May God give us a renewed vision of all He’s done for us in Christ. And may this Thanksgiving be the beginning of a lifetime of thanksgiving.

Desiring to be more content and more thankful, Dan

Joint Heirs Together in the Grace of Life

“Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."

- Genesis 2:18

“…man still needs to be tamed.”

- George Gilder, Men and Marriage, p. 47

“As I considered taking Kate as my wife, I entreated our Lord God earnestly to help me.”

- Martin Luther, cited in Katherine von Bora: A Reformation Life, Rudloph K. Markwald and Marilynn Morris Markwald, p. 70

“Lost in this moment with you, I am completely consumed.”

- Big and Rich, Lost in This Moment


November is a month full of significance for me. It’s the month we celebrate Thanksgiving and it’s my daughter Esther’s, and my grandson Gideon’s birth month. But, truth be known, when I think of the memory of most significance my mind takes me back to November 27th, 1976. That was the day (Thanksgiving weekend) when a very beautiful and very young woman pledged herself to me. This month we’ll celebrate 31 years of marriage. I remember a frequent conversation when we were younger that always started by a matter-of-fact assertion, “We will grow old together.” Thankfully, we’ve gone a ways in that process. Thirty-one years together is an indication of God’s irrefutable kindness to someone like me who deserves nothing but aloneness and alienation. November is a reminder of grace.

This November another celebration is in order. In November of 2002, and in the weakness of post-operative surgery, Judy began what the oncologist would call 21st century barbarism. This month is her 5-year marker. Cancer surgery and chemo-therapy changed the course of our lives, and yet time would prove this to be a severe mercy. Behind a seemingly providential frown there was surely a kindly smile. Marriage had become a means of grace and now suffering was becoming a means of grace as well. In the mystery of covenantal union we had become joint heirs together in the grace of life. Richer and poorer, sickness and health, grace and mercy, were all working together to reflect something much more significant. Even after 31 years we are still a faint shadow of the reality (the mystery of Christ and His church), but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Judy, thank you for saying, “I do.” You are an incomparable gift of grace to me. Here’s to growing old together. I love you more than ever.

Dan