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RTS and the Current State of Theological Education

Some of you may have seen this important article over at The Gospel Coalition about the decline and relocation of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) by Collin Hansen, who is a graduate of the school. Reformed Theological Seminary has been friends with TEDS for many years. Over the years, a number of our faculty have done their studies there before coming to RTS, and a number of our graduates have gone on to do doctoral work there. We wish TEDS all the best in this new stage of their institutional life. The last twenty years have been tough for accredited graduate theological education…

Did Not Our Hearts Burn within Us?

The Lord's Day Morning January 15, 2012 “Did Not Our Hearts Burn within Us?” Luke 24:13-35 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to the gospel of Luke, the twenty-fourth chapter. We have been in the gospel of Luke together since 2009, which is a good argument for coming to Sunday evening worship so you can hear something other than Luke, but you've almost made it to the end! And we are in one of the great passages in all of the Scripture. I never read this passage without being moved by some part of it. We read part of it last week. We really cut off in the middle of the story, and when we were looking at it last week we emphasized Jesus saying to these two disconsolate disciples who were walking to the little village…

Looking Until He is Gracious

If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Psalm 123 as we continue through the fifth book of the Psalms together. And specifically right now, since we came to Psalm 120, we are in those Psalms of Ascent which were used by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for festival. As we look at Psalm 123, I want you to notice two or three things and then bear in mind one more. First of all, notice in verses 1 and 2 how the psalmist begins in the singular, “I lift up my eyes,” and he ends up in the plural. Look at the end of verse 2. “So our eyes look to the LORD our God, till He has mercy upon us.” So this is clearly a psalm, and it will become exclusively plural when you get to verses 3 and 4, this is clearly a psalm for the community. The community is collectively…

Seven Miles with Jesus

The Lord's Day Morning “Seven Miles with Jesus” Luke 24:13-27 January 8, 2012 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 24. We’ll begin today in the thirteenth verse. The story of the disciples walking to their homes in Emmaus is one of the great resurrection stories. Of the eleven resurrection stories, none is greater than this one. Luke alone recounts this story. We learn it from the good doctor as he tells us about these disciples who were almost inconsolable in their grief after the crucifixion and death and burial of Jesus Christ. And as they’re walking slowly on their way to the hometown of Emmaus, they are met by the risen Savior on that first Lord's Day. And what infuses is one of the great…

Praying for the Peace of Jerusalem

Turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 122. This psalm is well-known to us because I think all, or at least most of us, love it when Bill Wymond and Connie Wadsworth and the choir sing that beautiful excerpt from C. Hubert Parry's, “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD!’” as the choral introit on Sunday mornings here at First Presbyterian Church. It's my favorite introit of all time. I could listen to it multiple times every day and never get…

Perplexed, Frightened, Incredulous Marveling!

The Lord's Day Morning January 1, 2012 “Perplexed. Frightened. Incredulous…Marveling!” Luke 24:1-12 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to the gospel of Luke, the twenty-fourth chapter. Today, on the first Lord's Day of the new year, we come to the last chapter of the gospel of Luke. We've been in Luke for a couple of years now and now for a few more weeks we’ll be in this gospel. And it's so…

John – On Christmas

The Lord's Day Morning December 25, 2011 “John — On Christmas” John 1:1-14 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to the gospel of John. We’ll be looking at John 1 verses 1 to 14 this morning. John does not begin his gospel with an account of the nativity of Christ. You’ll find accounts of Jesus’ birth and the events surrounding that birth in Matthew and in Luke but not in John. John does not begin his gospel with a…

Called to Serving and Shepherding

The Lord's Day Evening December 4, 2011 “Called to Serving and Shepherding” Acts 6:1-6; 1 Peter 5:1-4 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III As the children make their way to their classes, let me invite you to take your Bibles in hand and I'd like you to keep your bulletin close by as well and have it open to the section which is marked, “Guide to the Evening Service,” because during our mediation tonight I want to direct your attention to two things in that evening guide, one…

The Best Gift of Christmas

The Lord's Day Morning December 4, 2011 “The Best Gift of Christmas” Matthew 1:18-23 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to the gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter 1. We’re going to be looking together at verses 18 to 23 today. For the last number of years we have focused on themes during December relating to the incarnation and nativity of Christ and we're going to do that again this year looking at what we're calling,…

Where Do We Look For Help?

Take your Bibles in hand and turn with me to Psalm 121. We continue our way through the songs of ascent. We said the last time, in describing the meaning of that term, that is probably refers to the pilgrims on their way from various parts of Israel ascending to Jerusalem, which is on a mountain, coming up from the valleys and the byways and the highways on their way to Jerusalem for worship at the great festival. And so these songs are pilgrim songs sung by those who are on their way to…