At the center of any society are its festivals. What you celebrate defines and manifests who you are and who you wish to be. They have both descriptive and prescriptive power. If you want to see what is important to a culture, don’t look at their work, look at what they take off work for. Look at the parades, the feasts, the holidays.  

We see this in the Israelite feasts and festivals. God ordained yearly, monthly, weekly festivals for His people. We are gathered right now in continuation of the Sabbath: the festival at the heart of Israelite life. What and how we celebrate defines who we are.

This is why the Pride parades and the drag shows and the Juneteenth observances are big deals, because they are attempts to redefine a people. And it is also why the seasons of Advent and Christmas are so charged and fraught with temptation, because they are strategic points in the battle for the soul of a people.

So as we enter Advent and the Christmas preparations begin, recognize that you are entering the fray. The powers of Earth and Hell are arrayed against you, and they are subtle and crafty and have long desired this last bastion of Christendom to crumble. You may encounter outright persecution and snarling atheists flinging themselves at the walls, but more likely you will face subtler ploys, treachery and sappers under the walls: temptations to envy, to sloth, to sentimentality, to gnostic notions disguised as spirituality.

But your God has not left you defenseless. He has given you fudge. And hot chocolate and eggnog and some of the finest songs ever written and trees that stay green all year long, giving us token of the eternal life that is ours, and lights and savory meat and bright tablecloths and rich wine. In other words, our weapons are Gospel joy and hope and charity.

So get ye to battle, and above all else, resist the sidelong glance. You are brothers and sisters in arms defending an ancient fortress. Spur one another on towards love and good deeds, but don’t waste time envying one another.

Joshua Edgren – December 17, 2023

Read Full Article

At the center of any society are its festivals. What you celebrate defines and manifests who you are and who you wish to be. They have both descriptive and prescriptive power. If you want to see what is important to a culture, don’t look at their work, look at what they take off work for. Look at the parades, the feasts, the holidays.  

We see this in the Israelite feasts and festivals. God ordained yearly, monthly, weekly festivals for His people. We are gathered right now in continuation of the Sabbath: the festival at the heart of Israelite life. What and how we celebrate defines who we are.

This is why the Pride parades and the drag shows and the Juneteenth observances are big deals, because they are attempts to redefine a people. And it is also why the seasons of Advent and Christmas are so charged and fraught with temptation, because they are strategic points in the battle for the soul of a people.

So as we enter Advent and the Christmas preparations begin, recognize that you are entering the fray. The powers of Earth and Hell are arrayed against you, and they are subtle and crafty and have long desired this last bastion of Christendom to crumble. You may encounter outright persecution and snarling atheists flinging themselves at the walls, but more likely you will face subtler ploys, treachery and sappers under the walls: temptations to envy, to sloth, to sentimentality, to gnostic notions disguised as spirituality.

But your God has not left you defenseless. He has given you fudge. And hot chocolate and eggnog and some of the finest songs ever written and trees that stay green all year long, giving us token of the eternal life that is ours, and lights and savory meat and bright tablecloths and rich wine. In other words, our weapons are Gospel joy and hope and charity.

So get ye to battle, and above all else, resist the sidelong glance. You are brothers and sisters in arms defending an ancient fortress. Spur one another on towards love and good deeds, but don’t waste time envying one another.

Josh Edgren – December 3, 2023

Read Full Article

There are three English words that are often used synonymously, but which nevertheless describe three very different things. They are coveting, jealousy, and envy. Hopefully the distinction between these is well known to you, but even if it is, to write the same thing to you is no trouble to me and safe to you, so it bears repeating. 

To covet is to look at your neighbor’s possession and say, “I want that.” He pulls into the driveway with the brand new truck, and your 2008 Honda Odyssey suddenly seems pretty drab. Or you go over to her house and she’s remodeled the kitchen and it just looks so great, and you want it. Coveting is basic discontentedness.

To be jealous is to look at your own possession and say, “Neighbor, you may not have this.” In many instances this is not wrong. In fact, it is required and godly. Exodus 34:14 says “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous is a jealous God.” There are things that you have that it is not right for others to possess: your spouse, your children, time that you owe to your family and calling, and so on. Jealousy can be misplaced, but overall it is a good thing.

But envy is the subtlest of the bunch. Envy looks at the goods of another and says, “I want you to not have that.” Coveting is an honest and almost humble sin in that it tacitly acknowledges inferiority, but envy is vain and petty. You can envy someone on Instagram you’ve never met and also your best friend. Envy would tear down the world in order to be an inch taller than everyone else. It’s like a sneaky mix of pride and malice. It’s a vice no one boasts about, but no one is free from its pull. 

This vice currently has our nation by the throat and is dragging us down to the pit. Let it have no place among the people of God.

Joshua Edgren – October 22, 2023

Read Full Article

Proverbs 23:23 instructs us to “Buy the truth, and do not sell it.”

This is not a verse that just says, “Read your bible” in a more poetic fashion. Rather, it refers to the maelstrom of opinions and theories and “facts” that are being thrown at you as you try to navigate the big scary world. As you are living your life, you are building and furnishing a house and it will either be founded on Christ’s work and commands or on shifting relativism and arbitrary convictions: rock or sand. It can either be filled with treasures that will bless you and your family for generations, or it can be outfitted from Walmart.

You will only know which truth to buy if you have spent a lot of time with truths and truth tellers and truth lovers. So do that. Meditate on the word and find people who love the word and try to be like them. Study the feel and weight of truth in your metaphorical hand, and then take that knowledge and experience with you everywhere you go. And when someone peddling particleboard as quartersawn white oak tries to snooker you, you can just chuckle and keep walking. 

And as you begin to learn to recognize truth in its various settings, you will then need to acquire them. This means reading widely and consistently. It means securing education for your children. It means applying the truths you have encountered, wearing them so that they fit your hand. It means diligently submitting to the preached word on the Lord’s Day. Unless you are grounded and submissive to the unerring word of God, your house will wash away and your goods will tarnish and crumble.

You will be pressured constantly to sell the truth or to let it get lost in the mix of facts and opinions. So hold fast to it. Don’t move with the times. Refuse to compromise the truth for the sake of ease or convenience. Here’s a really practical example: tell the truth to your children and to your wife. We are often too lazy to be truthful in our explanations and discipline. Do not sell the truth in exchange for ease.

Joshua Edgren – October 15, 2023

Read Full Article