Entries Categorized as 'Poetry/Scripture/Liturgy/Etc.'

Distant Shores

Date June 30, 2010Posted by Roger Overton

This is the first poem I’m written in a few years. It’s not very sophisticated, but I think it works. “On Distant Shores” is a phrase that teases my imagination. It conjures in my mind thoughts of Aslan’s Country in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. What lies beyond that shoreline? One day we shall [...]

Th’ Inevitable Hour

Date June 13, 2010Posted by Roger Overton

Many of you are likely well aware of former coach John Wooden, who passed away just over a week ago. Wooden’s favorite poem was “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray. After hearing this referenced a few times I made a point of looking it up. It’s certainly worth a read. Here’s an [...]

T4G 2010: Did the Early Fathers Know the Gospel?

Date April 18, 2010Posted by David N

Now there’s a provocative question! But it is certainly a question that needs to be asked. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox apologists like to tell the story this way: The consensus of the Early Church Fathers agrees completely with later Roman/Eastern theology and disagrees fundamentally with Protestant theology. Unfortunately, most Protestants [...]

The End Of The Reformation?

Date March 1, 2010Posted by David N

The Wallstreet Journal has a story about a congregation of Anglicans in D. C. who are moving back to Rome, but retaining some of the “flavor” of their traditional Episcopalian worship.  This is made possible by the Roman Catholic church, which recently began to work actively toward providing an official way for Anglican congregations to [...]

Why I Still Read The NIV

Date January 27, 2010Posted by David N

For the last year and half or so, I’ve been conducting an experiment of sorts.  My church uses the NIV for all Scripture reading and preaching.  But for the last four years I have used the ESV for all of my personal reading and study.  So naturally I bring my ESV with me to church.  [...]

O Holy Night (12) - Christ Is the Lord!

Date December 25, 2009Posted by Roger Overton

This is the final post in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory Evermore proclaim.
His power and glory Evermore proclaim.
The carol ends on a note of proclamation, its fourth response to the gospel. As love was shown to [...]

O Holy Night (11) - Let All Within Us Praise His Holy Name

Date December 24, 2009Posted by Roger Overton

This is the eleventh part in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.
Sweet hymns of joy In grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us Praise His holy name.
The third response to the gospel in O Holy Night is deeply rooted praise from a joyful heart. As we’ve see in [...]

O Holy Night (10) – The Slave Is Our Brother

Date December 23, 2009Posted by Roger Overton

This is the tenth part in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.
Chains shall He break For the slave is our brother;
And in His name All oppression shall cease.
I’ve heard from a couple of readers of this series that these are their favorite lines of the carol. This should [...]

O Holy Night (9) – His Law Is Love

Date December 21, 2009Posted by Roger Overton

This is the ninth part in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.
Truly He taught us To love one another;
His law is love And His gospel is peace.
God the Father did not send the Son simply to die for our sins and then abandon us to continue to live [...]

O Holy Night (8) – Behold Your King!

Date December 18, 2009Posted by Roger Overton

This is the eighth part in a twelve part devotional commentary on “O Holy Night.” See the introduction here.
He knows our need, To our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Behold your King.
Being God, Jesus obviously knows what we need. His omniscience is not limited by our self-perceived liberty [...]