Deus Misereatur

{ Sermon Audio File } --- Worship and Suffering-2 Psalm 42 and 43 { Lord Jesus, who suffered deeply on behalf of your people’s sins, and was raised for our justification so that you might bring us to the Father; help us to see that our “Image-of-God-occupation” is to be worshippers – even in the midst of suffering. Amen .} Several years back I did a conference at a church called “Worship and Suffering”. Strange title, to be sure, but I was tackling the knee-jerk reaction of our hearts that when we’re suffering we want to cut ourselves off from Worship and Church, become the “feel-sorry-woe-is-me” people who think that we are the only ones to ever suffer this or that. / This series actually began with my first sermon on Ruth – Naomi (and so, if you want the full impact, go listen to that one – it’s on sermon audio). Early on Psalm 42 and 43 appear to have been one Psalm. There are repeated statements and phrases: 42.9 and 43.2; as well as 42.5, 11 and 43.5. Though ther...

{ Sermon Audio File } ---- Naomi: From Fullness to Barrenness to Abundance; the Painful Story of Naomi Becomes the Powerful Story of God. Ruth 1 Intro: We love stories don’t we? I can sit for hours & listen to Jerry Clower or Johnny Cash weave out their funny stories, as I’m sure many of you can sit & listen to your parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles spin some good yarns. Why is that? Because the stories we hear & tell become little fantasies, where we can transpose our own selves onto them, & think through the actions & consequences & ask ‘What would I have done there, in this or that situation?’ & we can dream of those circumstances & not be forced to take the painful risks of living thru them. Here, in the book of Ruth, there are three main stories, which are woven into the bigger story. 1. She Gets Into the Powerful Story of God by her Impoverishment. 1:3-5, 21. From fullness to bareness. The road became immediately dark. Th...

(Pondering Amos 4.13). Glory and praise to you, O Lord God, for you are the one who forms the mountains like a potter and creates the wind out of nothing; you declare to man what are your thoughts; you make the morning darkness, and tread on the heights of the earth. You are the God of arrangement, revelation and righteousness— YHWH Elohey-tz e ba’oth – the LORD God of hosts is your name! Glory and praise to you, O Lord God! Father, we implore you for your church in all places – including this congregation; St. Joseph Old Cathedral; St. Luke’s UMC; St. Mark’s UMC; St Monica Catholic; St. Paul’s Episcopal Church; Salvation Station; PCA; EPC; ARP; Help us to bless those who persecute us; to bless and not curse them. To rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. To live in harmony with one another. To not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never to be wise in our own sight. To repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight o...