Deus Misereatur

  (This was my weekly letter to my congregation on Wednesday, 21 February 2024) This morning in my devotional reading, I was working through 1 Corinthians 8. Though I’ve read these words a huge number of times over the years, today one verse caused me to stop and take stock.  Paul wrote, “ Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ ” (1 Corinthians 8:12). What struck me is a couple of things. First, in God’s saving work, we are – by grace alone – united (hitched, bonded, ingrafted) to Christ so much so, that what happens to us happens to him, and what is his becomes ours (think of Galatians 2:20, for example). As Sinclair Ferguson put it, “through union with Christ all that is his by incarnation becomes ours through faith” (“The Christian Life,” 110). Let that percolate in your heart for a while. Your fear, anxiety, tears, and so forth, he feels. And his “ Peace, be still ” is yours. Second, the way we treat one an...

  O Lord Jesus Christ, our great God and Savior, your mercies and loving-kindnesses have been from everlasting. You became man and stooped to endure crucifixion and death for the salvation of all your people. You rose from the dead for our justification, ascended into heaven, and sit at the right hand of the Father, from whence you shall come to judge the living and the dead; and as our great High Priest you regard the humble prayers of all who call upon you with their whole heart. Incline your ear and hear. O Lord mercifully look upon your Holy Universal Church, which you have purchased with your precious blood, this congregation, and these churches in the greater OKC area, Bridgeway, Calvary Chapel, Christ’s Covenant Fellowship, and City Church; and also look upon your servants who are under persecution for your sake and for the sake of your holy gospel. Preserve your Church unconquerable by the gates of hell forever. Heal the factions, quench the fuming of the God-haters, speed...

  Drawn from the Heidelberg Catechism on the Lord’s Prayer   Our Father Who art in heaven : we come to you trusting and rejoicing that you are our Father through Jesus Christ, and that you will answer us, as promised, with as much readiness as, and more readiness than, our earthly parents. And we trust that we may expect from your almighty power all things necessary for body and soul. Hear us, Father, as we pray.  Hallowed be thy name : Enable us rightly to know, reverence, magnify, and praise you in all your works through which shine forth your power, wisdom, goodness, justice, mercy, and truth; and likewise to so order our whole life, in thought, word, and work, that your name may never be blasphemed but honored and praised on our account.  Thy kingdom come : Preserve and increase your Church, to include this congregation and these churches in the greater OKC area, Trinity UMC, Village, Wesley, and Del City First Church of the Nazarene. So govern us by your Wo...

  Many years back I was working with teenagers from all over a west Texas city. After giving a Gospel presentation, talking about the Father’s love for his people, and so forth, I dismissed the kids. But there was one teenage girl left in the room, and she was weeping. I asked an older couple to stay in the room at the back while I talked to her. When I sat down to see why she was crying and maybe how I could help, her situation unfolded before me. My talk about a Father’s love left her cold and crushed. Her father left her as a child, and several of the adult males in her family (stepfather, uncle, etc.) had abused her, both physically and sexually. I was face-to-face with the outworkings of evil, the lasting damage it causes, and the way it keeps hearts away from God and his love. With that experience in the back of my mind I was delighted, and keenly interested, when I received “Sensitive Preaching for the Sexually Hurting,” a 208-page softback published in 2016. The book is pen...

  Long ago I stumbled on the New England Primer of 1690. As it goes through the alphabet for young minds, it has a specific letter and then a short ditty. For example, under “A” it has, “In Adam’s fall, we sinned all.” Very catchy for both teaching letters and Protestant theology. In a similar way, Jonathan Gibson, minister in the International Presbyterian Church (UK), Associate Professor of Old Testament, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, and author, has compiled a snazzy kid’s book, “My First ABC Book of Bible Verses: Big Truths for Little Minds”. It is brightly illustrated by Mike Mullan. As the title indicates, the book follows the twenty-six letters of the alphabet, one letter per page. But instead of using cute ditties the letters are attended by a Bible verse at the top of the page. It’s all very simple. For example, the radiantly displayed letter “A” has Isaiah 53:6 attending it, “ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way ...

  LORD God, to whom even the darkness is not dark; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. Who formed our inward parts; knitted us together in our mother's wombs. We praise you, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; our soul knows it very well (Psalm 139:12-14). We remember those of our children and grandchildren who are still being formed by your skillful hands in their mother’s wombs (…). Smile on their gestation and may they each come forth always trusting in you and your goodness. But we also remember before you those who never saw the light of day, as well as those who quickly passed away (…). Thank you for the little moment their mamas and daddies had with them. Thank you for the brief kick or movement in their mother’s womb. We believe your Son when he said the kingdom of heaven is heavily populated with brephas , with pre-born and newborn children. Give soothing stillness and healthful wholeness to their mothers and ...

  You declared through Isaiah that you are the LORD, and there is no other, besides you there is no God; you equip people, even those who do not know you, so that folks may know from one horizon to the other that you are the LORD. You form light and create darkness; you make well-being and create calamity; you are the LORD, who does all these things (Isaiah 45:5-7). It’s to you we pray: Back when we were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures (Titus 3:3) you saved us according to your own mercy. In like manner, please save those who trust in their own strength, those who walk in their own darkness, those who are hostile and alienated from others and hostile and alienated from you (…). As you have been our healer and helper in days past; therefore, please restore and raise up those dealing with depression, dementia, disease, debilitation, and distress (…). You have taken care of our needs and provided for us in ordinary and extraordinary ways; ple...