Gospel Truth for a Great Tragedy

           Today our nation is reeling in the wake of a horrible and heart-wrenching tragedy. A man in Newtown, CT walked into a school and opened fire, killing 26 people, 20 of which were children. While all of the lives that were taken today were precious, it is the death of those children that particularly bothers us. Like most parents, I looked at my own children very differently when I picked them up from school this afternoon.

In Matthew chapter two, we find a story that no doubt carried the same sting we feel today, though we are removed from it by some 2,000 years. In Matthew 2:16, we read this chilling record:

“Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under…”

           How many babies and toddlers were slaughtered in Herod’s paranoid and evil massacre we are not told, but they were real children with real parents, and their death no doubt shook that region, just as the death of those little ones in Connecticut has our country today.

         And yet, the one baby that Herod was really trying to kill he could not. He had been told that a King of the Jews had been born, and Herod wanted to eliminate Him before He could fulfill that prophecy, even if Herod didn’t fully believe it. But that infant King escaped Herod’s sword.

           Ultimately, this King would die; not by the sins of an evil man like Herod, but for them, and for billions like him. He willingly laid down His life on a God-forsaken but God-appointed cross. But, He did not stay dead. His cold, nail and spear-pierced corpse came back to life three days later on a Sunday morning that changed everything forever. The tragedy of death was overcome by the Resurrection and the Life.

          In the wake of a tragedy like the one we have seen today let us not forget that our God is not disconnected from the violence, evil, horror, and pain of death. He entered into this violent world to live among us, died in the midst of its evil, and rose from the dead to ultimately rescue us from it forever. When He returns, and He will, the last enemy of death and the sin that initiated its curse will be removed forever. He will wipe away all tears and make all things new. For that reason, those who know Him and believe His gospel, a day like this only leads us to cry with a renewed groaning in our hearts, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

            

His,

Terry Trivette

2011 Reading Recommendations

                Whenever I have the chance to spend some time with another pastor, I usually ask them the question, “What have you read lately that helped you?” I don’t always get a good answer (or any answer), but many times I am pointed to a book or a writer that I didn’t know about and am glad to discover myself. With that in mind, here are some of the books I’ve read this year (and am still reading, for that matter) that have proved helpful to me. I will try to organize them by category.

Commentaries:

R. Kent Hughes, Genesis: Beginning and Blessing

As I have preached through Genesis this has been by far my favorite commentary. I love Hughes’ sermonic commentaries. His illustrations are very good as well.

N.T. Wright, The Epistles of Paul to the Colossians and Philemon

I know that Wright caused no small stir with his recent book, New Perspectives on Paul, but prior to this, Wright had been a sound scholar and writer. I have found his commentaries to be fresh and insightful.

Tremper Longman, Song of Songs

I spoke at a marriage retreat this year, and taught from the Song of Solomon. I appreciated Longman’s honest approach to this difficult book. He avoids allegory and imposed typology.

Theology and Christianity:

Russell D. Moore, Tempted and Tried

Russell Moore is my favorite contemporary theologian. This book is a fresh and powerful look at the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. I highly recommend it.

Carson, D.A., The God Who is There

I have come back to this book several times to reference something Carson said about a particular Biblical theme. This is an overview of the Scriptures and it is excellent.

Steven Smith, Dying to Preach

I was only recently introduced to this book. Though I am not completely finished with it, it has already challenged me deeply. If you are a preacher, get this book. Now.

Craig L. Blomberg, Sung Wook Chung, A Case for Historic Premillennialism

This book is a series of lectures given on a premillennial position other than dispensational premillennialism. I haven’t finished it yet and it is not the most exciting book. It is, however, thought provoking. The subtitle is “an alternative to ‘Left Behind’ Eschatology.”

Kyle Idleman, Not a Fan

Idleman pastors a large “Christian” church, whose doctrine I would not totally agree with. However, this book is really good.

Other:

Siddhartha  Mukherjee, The Emperor of Maladies

This book is essentially a biography of cancer. It is written by an oncologist, but most of the language is pretty accessible. I really enjoyed certain parts of this book.

Wendell Berry, The Distant Land

This collection of Berry’s short stories is a great read. Reading fiction makes you a better preacher, and this is good, clean fiction.

Stacy Schiff, Cleopatra: A Life

I love biographies, and especially historical biographies. This one is exceptionally good. (The end is the best)

David R. Stokes, The Shooting Salvationist

This book covers the story of Pastor J. Frank Norris’ trial for murder, after shooting a man in his office at the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth. Though Stokes seems to have a bit of a bias against Norris, the story is still worth telling and reading.

Ron Owens, Manley Beasley: Man of Faith – Instrument of Revival

I have heard the name of Manley Beasley for years. This biography helped me to understand why. Beasley was a unique servant of God in his day, and would be even more so today.

Obviously, I don’t endorse everything in these books or by these authors. However, these books stuck out in my reading this past year. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. God bless!

By the way, all of these books were read on my Amazon Kindle. If you don't have a Kindle, shame on you.