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by William Upton, The National Pulse: Billionaire Democrat mega-donor Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn and guest of Epstein Island, says he is considering fleeing the United States following President-elect Donald J. Trump’s landslide 2024 election victory. Hoffman, unlike many other Democrat mega-donors, may have good reason to consider leaving the country, as he was intimately involved […]

President-elect Donald Trump scored a landslide victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election for many reasons. If you paid close attention to public affairs for at least the last four years, however, you almost certainly understand the earnestness with which politically-engaged, conservative-minded and freedom-loving Americans came to...

Shortly before the death of a Home Depot co-founder, he stipulated the fate of his massive fortune -- and a deadline for his will to be executed. Bernie Marcus, co-founder of the home improvement giant, died at 95 on Nov. 4 in his Florida home, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution....

A scene from Billy Bob Thornton's new show is going viral after striking a chord with Americans skeptical of the green energy racket. The clip went so viral that it apparently ruffled the feathers of the president behind a powerful green energy trade association, prompting him to pen a long-winded...

Oh, that’s right, when Muslims are the perpetrators of genocide, nobody says a word. The world is silent while Islamist mobs roam around in Bangladesh, violently attacking the Hindu minority in the country. No student encampments on American college campuses. 0 protest marches in London pic.twitter.com/8l0UD3zFng — Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 28, 2024

God is the hope we can cling to. A hope that will fortify our patience as we hold tight to it. And we keep seeking him.

My credit card dreads the months between August and February. After surviving back-to-school shopping and the onslaught of autumn and winter holidays, I wince at the thought of how much time I’ve wasted in the Target curbside pickup lot, waiting for another bag of seasonal kitsch to reach my minivan. By the time I’m buying treats for Valentine’s Day, I frankly feel gross. Materialism is soul-sucking, and Christians aren’t the only ones to notice. In recent years, American culture has offered a solution: “Instead of buying things, prioritize experiences.” When Christians hear this advice, we suppose it sounds close enough to Matthew 6:19—“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal”—so we nod our heads and set to work drafting a list of “experiences” that will make our families’ holiday seasons special. “Experience gifts” can be a great option—especially if your home already feels crowded or if you aren’t confident your recipient truly wants another toy or sweater or coffee mug. Giving experiences can also be an effective way to initiate quality time with your loved ones. However, prioritizing experiences over things isn’t always the cure for materialism we might think it is, and Christians should be wary of several problems inherent in this philosophy. False Dichotomy The terms “experience” and “thing” are simply two vantage points to view a singular reality: God designed his image-bearers as embodied creatures whose actions are intrinsically intertwined with the material world. When people speak about experiences as gifts, what they typically mean is riding in a vehicle to a physical location that’s lovely or novel, doing an activity that requires materials and equipment, and filling their stomachs with quality food and drink. And when we speak of things, we refer to books we read, clothes we wear, and instruments we play. Experiences depend on the use of things, and things are only enjoyed if they can be experienced. False dichotomy aside, the more troubling issue with the trend toward pushing experiences over things is that we rarely deliver this claim as a neutral statement. More often, it has a subtle shade of self-righteousness. We’re tempted to believe that by embracing the pursuit of experiences—since this seems to stand in contrast to the pursuit of possessions—we’ve combated materialism. But what is materialism if not the manipulation of the physical world to suit our pleasure? And what do we typically seek through experiences if not our pleasure? Honest Evaluation The apostle James, describing how covetousness breeds sin and malice, admonishes believers who “ask wrongly, to spend . . . on [their] passions” (James 4:3). The truth is, we’re tempted to chase our passions through pursuing possessions and pursuing experiences. If we aren’t careful, both can distract us from Christ’s sufficiency and the responsibilities of discipleship. The truth is, we’re tempted to chase our passions through pursuing possessions and pursuing experiences. It’s also not lost on me that every person I’ve heard declare his or her preference for “experiences over things” has been financially solvent and not lacking any “thing” necessary to support a safe, healthy, and comfortable life. If we have discretionary income that allows us to pursue experiences nonessential to our survival, we’d do well—rather than patting ourselves on the back for having overcome materialism—to recall that “everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). As ends in themselves, neither things nor experiences can satisfy the human soul. While Matthew 6:19 rightly acknowledges the vulnerability of our possessions to moth, rust, and thieves, so too are our experiences vulnerable to lost passports, food poisoning, and the eventual deterioration of our memories. Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t leave us in our dissatisfaction. Instead, he encourages us to “lay up for [ourselves] treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:20). Better Pursuit So what does this mean practically? Is everyone getting “thoughts and prayers” for Christmas this year? By no means. Things and experiences can distract us from our relationship with Christ, but they certainly don’t have to. To the contrary, at Christmas we celebrate that God’s Son took on flesh so that through our faith in his incarnate life of perfect righteousness, his death, and his embodied resurrection, he might redeem our whole, embodied selves with his Spirit. Now, whether we “eat or drink” (or create art or plant a garden or play pickleball), we may “do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Rather than choosing gifts by prioritizing a pursuit of experiences, Christ invites us to give to one another by prioritizing a pursuit of love—and love is a virtue we can exercise through giving both things and experiences. Love is a virtue we can exercise through the giving of both things and experiences. There’s no need to overcomplicate or hyperspiritualize the prioritization of love. It looks like moderating our consumption so we’re able to give generously to the church and to the “least of these” (Matt. 25:40). It can also look like giving a thoughtful token of affection that demonstrates your honor of and admiration for your recipient. It can look like planning an experience that will foster quality time and build positive, mutually shared memories. It can look like offering a material gift that practically supports your recipient’s personal aspirations or that fills her life with beauty. It can even look like buying a baseball and a couple of gloves so you can regularly have fun by playing catch with your kids. He who chases pleasure through the pursuit of things or experiences will “fade away in the midst of his pursuits” (James 1:11), but “love never ends” (1 Cor. 13:8). This gift-giving season, brothers and sisters, let us be known by our love.

John Calvin died in 1564. His works have been continually read since his death. What more can we learn from his sermons at this point in history? A recent collection of sermons, translated into English for the first time, helps us answer that question. In the Power of the Spirit: Sermons on Matthew, Mark & Luke is replete with instruction and wisdom for modern readers. Roger White, who has translated several of Calvin’s works for the Banner of Truth, relied on the 1562 French text to produce this collection on the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry. In these 18 sermons, Calvin ingeniously harmonizes the Synoptic Gospels as he preaches on their doctrine and practical application. These sermons are new material for today’s readers, but they serve to remind us of ancient truths every generation needs. From the opening sermon, Calvin celebrates the beauty of the gospel message. He writes, “For what are we to think when, as our Lord Jesus Christ was being crucified, his side was laid open, as if to reveal his very heart? Should we be neither moved nor touched when our Lord invites us so winningly to himself and gives us such a pledge of his love?” (8–9). The sermons are worth reading simply to behold this affection for the gospel. Yet readers can also see how Calvin applied the gospel in his context, especially as he instructed about preaching the Word and explored spiritual applications for the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Preparing and Proclaiming Calvin’s sermons show how important the Bible was for sapling churches maturing as Reformed orthodoxy took root in Protestant soil. Calvin emphasizes two distinctives in how the Bible is preached: how church members ought to receive the Word and how preachers ought to deliver it. According to Calvin, church members should actively prepare to receive the Word: “Whenever we come to church, we must have these two things in view: first, we must cast aside all earthly worries and concerns, all empty desires and other such things which stop us drawing near to God; second, we must feel such deep reverence for what we know comes from God that we receive and accept it without dissent, and that we allow him to place his yoke upon our necks, being ready and willing to bend beneath its weight” (166). In Geneva, the Sunday sermon and weekly lecture were meant to be high points of the week for believers, essential to their spiritual growth. So should it be for us. Sitting under preaching includes preparing to receive nourishment from Scripture and prayerfully considering its application. Sitting under preaching includes preparing to receive nourishment from Scripture and prayerfully considering its application. Yet the sermon was meant to be more than instruction. Calvin expects the preacher to place the gospel front and center before the congregation. He emphasizes the evangelistic purpose of preaching: “The gospel is not preached in order to terrify people, but to soothe their sorrow and to call them to Jesus Christ, so that they receive healing from him if they are sick and quickening for their souls, dead though they are” (244). Calvin not only declares these truths but demonstrates them in his preaching. By doing so, he calls preachers to consider their tone as much as their message—all for the sake of making Christ preeminent among God’s people. Spiritual Signs Calvin also addresses baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Most of our contemporary debates are about the mode of baptism and the exegesis of specific passages in support of a particular view. Yet in these sermons, Calvin is much more interested in the ordinance’s spiritual significance. The baptismal water has no power but is a visible sign of God’s work, according to Calvin. However, he argues that “our Lord Jesus Christ is its true substance, its fulfillment and its end, so that the sign is neither empty nor unavailing” (71). As a Reformed Baptist pastor, I heartily agree. Concerning the Supper’s spiritual significance, Calvin writes with a polemical edge: “All we see is the wine, yet Jesus Christ affirms that we receive, and share in, the blood he shed for our redemption. Of course, the bread and wine are not our Lord’s body and blood, as the papists foolishly imagine; but he did not bring us empty symbols in order to entertain us, as if some comedy were being acted on a stage” (189). The significance comes from Christ’s spiritual presence, not from a transformation of the elements. Thus, the Supper is a call to rejoice because the elements are signs of our redemption. As Calvin declares, “When Jesus gives himself to us to be our food, and when by these symbols he shows that he both nurtures and brings us to maturity, he seeks to assure us that all his benefits are also bestowed on us. He does not come to us naked and empty-handed, nor does he come poor” (190). Calvin thus reminds us how beautiful the Supper is, calling us to come to the table with joyous zeal. Contemporary Communication Though they come from 16th-century Geneva, these sermons speak to the modern church. Each generation in the pew needs to hear again the spiritual power of the preached Word, of baptism, and of the Lord’s Supper. Today’s readers find reminders of our Lord’s nourishment despite spiritual famine. We find encouragement through Christ’s compassion to persevere by defying of Satan and dispelling of anxious thoughts. These evergreen truths compel us to a salvation that “did not reach us by accident” (76). Geneva needed to hear these truths, and so do our churches. Each generation in the pew needs to hear again the spiritual power of the preached Word, of baptism, and of the Lord’s Supper. Calvin scholars will appreciate In the Power of the Spirit because it presents new material for study in English. Pastors will benefit from this collection as they see Calvin take the Reformation’s inheritance and apply it to the local church. His challenge remains: “Supposing we have understood the whole of Scripture, what good will it be to us if we merely read it but cannot apply it for our use or instruction?” (126). Much is still to be gleaned at the feet of this famous reformer as he draws our attention once again to the beauty of the gospel. This sermon collection will strengthen and stir the hearts of those who love church history and delight in the good news of Christ.