The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

10 Christmas Day Texts


It is my pattern to preach a text on Christmas Day at our special morning service. Since 2007 I have done this ten times. Two of these Christmas Days were Sundays so there was no special service and once I preached in Aberystwyth and someone else was here. I preached Luke 2:19 on two occasions. These are the ten
  1. Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
  2. John 17:18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
  3. Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
  4. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
  5. 1 John 1:1-3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - his we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
  6. Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
  7. Job 42:11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
  8. Hebrews 1:1-4 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
  9. Philippians 2:6, 7 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
  10. John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(Before 2007, I also preached Titus 3:4, Luke 2:30, Hebrews 2:10-18 and Luke 2:14)

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