Last Monday was Michaelmas on the Catholic calendar, the feast of St. Michael and all angels. Consider Hebrews’ argument for why the Son, not any angel, is the one worthy of our worship.

Are you governed by the spirit of the world or the Spirit of God? Consider James’s blunt binary choices, wise or foolish, righteous or unrighteous, and his warning against friendship with the world as enmity with God.

Who is Jesus? Competing answers abound: a prophet to Islam, the archangel Michael to Jehovah’s Witnesses, an enlightened teacher to the New Age movement. Consider Hebrews’ own answer, the exact imprint of God’s nature, sustaining the universe by his word.

How do you act when you’re positive you’re right, whether about parenting, finances, or politics? Consider James’s contrast between wisdom from above and the earthly, selfish wisdom that just wants to win the argument.

Every book of the Bible is a joy to preach, but some are especially daunting and rewarding at once, and Hebrews is one of them. This opens a new series in Hebrews by tracing how God has spoken finally and fully through his Son.

Think of all the good the tongue can do: worship God, speak truth, share the gospel, encourage the young. Consider James’s warning that the same tongue capable of all that good can also set a whole life on fire.

A good sermon’s conclusion draws everything together into short, memorable statements, and Paul’s own parting words to the Corinthians work the same way. This closes out 1 Corinthians by walking through Paul’s final exhortations and farewells.

How do you know if someone’s claim is actually true? Picture a wannabe cook boasting about a dish he’s never actually made. Consider James’s teaching that faith without works is exactly that kind of empty boast.

We call someone driven and focused a man on a mission, and Paul is the quintessential example, except his mission is God’s. Consider Paul’s travel plans as he closes 1 Corinthians, a small window into what single-minded gospel ministry actually looks like.

There are two kinds of religion: one that saves and one that doesn’t, one with all the right external markers and one marked by a real inward work of grace. Consider James’s warning against a faith that talks mercy but practices partiality.