Deus Misereatur

[The sermon can be heard here:  http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?m=t&s=1226121020243 ] There is just something about Christmas time. The tinsel, the pine trees, ornaments, lights, smells, the sounds of families laughing and being together again, along with the songs that conjure up memories of Christmases past. And yet there are the “other” Christmases that don’t warm the heart. Those two shoppers you saw fighting over the last toy on the shelf at the store. Scenes of harried and hassled people in the shopping malls, fretting over the quantity of gifts or the mounting debt they were accruing. The family meltdown last Christmas when Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary exploded with stabbing words and ghastly stares that poisoned everyone’s heart, as well as the advertisements that glorify and exalt selfishness, greed, lust, and envy. These are the sad scenarios of Christmas, which make it a repugnant and dreadful season for some. But underneath the sounds and smells there is...

“Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.” Contemplating this passage, I am probably going to say things that are not too surprising, and I might say a thing or two that are. And again, just in case I get lost along the way...

O GOD Most High, you are great and abundant in power, your understanding is beyond measure (Psalm 147.5); we cry out to you in the midst of this cataclysmic event because we are distraught. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants (Psalm 90.13)! O dear God, the loss of life, the undeserved violence foisted on the children, the death brought to those who did no wrong, the robbing of safety, security and well-being! How long, O Lord? Will you look on (Psalm 35.17)? How long, O LORD? will you hide yourself forever (Psalm 89.46)? O Lord, have mercy! But you, O Lord, know what it is to have injustice and vicious brutality poured out on someone you love! Your own Son faced torture, and bore the bloody slaughter of the cross for us and our salvation! He too asked, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27.46) as evil clouded his perception. You know! And not only do you know, but through his resurrection on the third day, you have inaugurated the new...

Isaiah 35.1-10: “1-The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2-it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. 3-Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4-Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you." 5-Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6-then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7-the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8-And a highway shall be there, and i...

This prayer has been on my mind and heart for a long while. I thought it time to post it with a few very short reflections: O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. It appears this prayer has roots that go as far back as 1714. It is found in the 1928 and 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Give us grace to lay to heart : It is the Spirit of God who gifts his church with unity (Ephes...

“For anyone united to Christ,  there is a new creation:  the old order has gone;  a new order has already begun”   (2 Cor. 5.17 REB). “At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you,  which is true in him and in you,  because the darkness is passing away  and the true light is already shining ”  (1 John 2.8) . Spirit of Christ : “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD” (11.1-3a). The promise is of the one who will come as a 2 nd David (v.1). This special one, this long-awaited one will have the Spirit of the LORD resting on Him. The 7-fold Spirit [see Rev. 1.4; 3.1; 4.5; 5.6] will enable this 2 nd David in his calling...

LORD God, the Almighty, whose eyes run to-and-fro throughout the whole earth to show yourself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to you (2 Chron. 16.9); whose eyes are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good (Prov. 15.3); and whose eyes are toward the righteous and whose ears toward their cry (Psalm 34.15). Please hear our voiced and silent prayers. We pray that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2.14); that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, and that your people may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith (2 Thess. 3.1-2). To that end, we ask that Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews, as well as friends, family, neighbors we know …[Silently mention names]..., would be stirred up to place their utter confidence on your Son, Jesus Christ while renouncing their iniquity. Lord, hear our prayer. O Lord our healer, turn your face upon these who f...