Deus Misereatur

In my personal devotional prayers, I regularly follow the Book of Common Prayer. It's something I've done for years. It has helped keep me stay glued into the larger struggles of the Church throughout the centuries. This coming Sunday will be the 2nd Sunday in Lent. The prayer (known as a Collect) for this Sunday goes as follows: ALMIGHTY God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. To help us reflect on the content of this prayer, it would be good to read excepts from C. Frederick Barbee and Paul F. M. Zahl:  “The progression of the thought here is, like so many of the Collects, both devastating to the human being on his own terms, and at the same time hopeful. First, we admit to God the plain fact that “we ha...

Most Christian worship gatherings begin with a "Call to Worship". What exactly is this part of the service, and what does it mean?  A "Call to Worship" is just that: God calling us out of the world {thus making us an  ekklesia }; summoning us out of the ordinary and mundane into the extraordinary and mysterious privilege of worshiping him. This favor is only by grace – God’s full-blooded love for us in spite of what we deserve. This honor is solely by God’s invitation through Jesus Christ (“No one can come to the Father but by me”). This God-imparted kindness is singularly by the plentiful empowering of the Holy Spirit (“For through {Christ} we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”). In other words, worshiping God is utterly of grace.  This means (1) that we must lay aside any sense of self-assumed entitlement or me-generated prerogative with regard to worship. (2) To ignore that call is dangerous and deadening, for it is snubbing the graciousness of...

{Feel free to use this in your own congregation, community, family or individual prayers-MWP} O Lord our God, whose right hand and holy arm have gained you the victory; we pray for the Church of our Lord throughout the world, New St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Redeemer Theological Seminary, Paul Hamelryck, his family and their missions work in Zambia; and these churches in our area: 1 st Free Will Baptist Church; Southern Hills Christian Church; 1 st Church of the Nazarene; New Covenant UMC; St. John the Baptist Catholic Church; Christ Community Church; Lighthouse Lutheran Church . Grant us to flee covetousness, the love of money, and the delusion that godliness is a means of gain; and to pursue righteousness, godliness with contentment, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness, as we fight the good fight of the Faith, and take hold of eternal life to which we have been called (1 Tim. 6). Lord, hear our prayer . We ask your richest care, healing touch, and sust...