COVENANTER

What makes you weep? Do you grieve over sin — not only the sin you see in the world, but the sin that dwells in your own heart? May we walk by the Spirit and, out of love for God’s law, pursue grateful obedience to His commandments, bringing honor to our Heavenly Father who gave us His law and to His Son, who died so that our sins might be forgiven.

In just a few short weeks, we will gather to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday is often the one day when friends, neighbors, and family members who rarely attend worship are most open to coming. What a gracious opportunity the Lord gives us each year to extend a simple invitation that He may use to draw someone into the joy, hope, and life found in Christ.

Time has a way of quietly slipping past us, often reminding us how fragile and brief our lives truly are. These sobering moments can serve as gracious teachers, pressing us to consider how we are spending the limited days God has given us. Jesus modeled the wise use of time by perfectly balancing purposeful work and restorative rest, both intentionally directed toward glorifying God and serving others. Let us likewise honor God in both our labor and leisure.

Scripture often holds before us truths that seem, at first glance, to pull in opposite directions. We are called both to fear the Lord and to rejoice in Him, to obey His commands and to delight in His law. Yet in God’s perfect wisdom, these truths do not compete but work together to draw us into faithful, joyful, reverent communion with Him.

Cabin fever has a way of revealing what we miss most, and for the Christian it’s often corporate worship. While online services can be a temporary kindness from the Lord in unusual circumstances, they cannot replace the gathered body of Christ—hearing the Word preached, sharing in the sacraments, and encouraging one another face to face. God designed His people to worship as a body, and seasons of separation should deepen our longing to be together in His house.

Prayer for one another is both a gift and a responsibility in the Christian life, yet it is easy to let earnest intercession for our fellow believers slip into the background. While we are quick to pray in moments of illness or crisis, Scripture invites us to be just as diligent in praying for one another simply because we belong to Christ together. As we consider the global Church and our own local congregation, let us renew a joyful and faithful commitment to praying for one another.

Mercy is often described as not receiving the punishment we deserve, while grace is receiving what we do not deserve. Yet Scripture presses us to see that grace goes even further: it is not merely unearned favor, but favor given in spite of our guilt and rebellion. When we grasp grace this way, its depth and wonder begin to reshape how we understand salvation and respond in worship.

Prioritizing is rarely a matter of choosing between good and bad; more often, it is the harder work of choosing between good and best. Our days are filled with worthy demands—work, rest, responsibilities, and relationships—all competing for our attention and affection. The question before us, then, is not whether these things matter, but whether Christ Himself holds first place among them.

As a new year begins, we are often full of resolve—setting goals, making plans, and hoping that this time real change will last. Yet just as with our New Year’s resolutions, our good intentions in the Christian life often fade, and we find ourselves facing the same struggles and shortcomings as before. The Apostle Paul meets us in that very tension and offers gospel-shaped encouragement for pressing on in Christ, not with fleeting resolutions, but with a steadfast, grace-fueled resolve.

For centuries, God’s people lived in hopeful expectation, longing for the promised Savior who would reverse the curse of sin and make God’s blessings flow to the ends of the earth. That longing was answered at the first Christmas, when angels announced with joy that the Lord had come at last. The hymn “Joy to the World” gives voice to this great hope and celebration, proclaiming the arrival of Christ the King for the salvation of the whole world.

The cherished Christmas hymn “What Child Is This” teaches us who the Child of Bethlehem truly is by asking and answering the most important question of Christmas. Through its verses, the hymn leads us from the wonder of a sleeping infant to the astonishing confession that this Child is Christ the King, worshiped by angels and guarded by shepherds. In just a few lines, it helps us hold together the glorious mystery of the incarnation: Jesus is truly man and truly God, who came in humility to save sinners and is worthy of our wholehearted worship.

One of the most cherished Christmas hymns of all time, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” is anonymous. Its unknown authorship reminds us that Christ’s first coming was likewise marked by obscurity, not because His identity was uncertain, but because the world did not recognize the long-promised Son of David and eternal Son of God. There is something wonderful about a hymn — and a Savior — who steps quietly into the world, veiled in humility yet full of glory.