Deus Misereatur

God Sings! by Douglas Bond My rating: 4 of 5 stars Most Protestants no longer realize that one of the major rallying points of the Reformation was the return of worship, especially congregational singing, to the parishioners. For centuries only the professionals (priests, monks and cantors) sang and chanted the divine service, up front, close to the altar. The congregants rarely knew the music or the songs, and thus, seldom sang. Then came the Reformation with the Reformers reading not only sacred Scripture, but also the early church pastors and theologians. To their surprise they found it was standard fair for the congregants to sing and engage in the liturgy. And so, the Reformation included congregational singing and involvement in worship. But slowly, especially over the last several decades, the descendants of the Reformation are returning to the up-in-front professionalization in worship. Therefore, I was interested to receive the 270-page paperback “God Sings! (And Ways We T...

O our Lord and our God, who has reconciled us to yourself, and to one another, by the death of your Son, having taken away the dividing wall of hostility thru his cross (Ephesians 2.14-16), we pray for your World and your Church, and we pray in the name of Jesus who is our peace. We pray for the wrecked and the robust nations of this world, have mercy. We pray you to safeguard your Church in every land by granting each country a wholesome tranquility, healthful affluence, and honest government. Almighty God, hear our spoken and unspoken discomforts, worries and fears about the fiscal, political and governmental future of our country. To have a President being impeached is not a trite and trivial affair, but a weighty and worrisome situation. Have mercy on our country, our President, the House and Senate, and bestow and bring about what is best for the good of the populace of this nation and the health of your Church. Compassionate Father, we remember these who are in n...