Deus Misereatur

Sunday Morning: We thank you for your constant care for us personally and as a congregation, loving Father; we thank you for how you have been pleased to bring many people into this congregation’s life over the years; and we thank you for bringing us to a new year. O God, renew our spirits by your Holy Spirit, and draw our hearts unto yourself; so that our work may not be a burden but a delight; and give us such a mighty love for you as may sweeten all of our obedience. Let us not serve you with the spirit of bondage as slaves, but with cheerfulness and gladness as children, delighting ourselves in you and rejoicing in your will (adapted from “Spend and Be Spent,” 12). Look upon your Church throughout the world, to include these: The Ethiopian and Coptic Catholic Churches; The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (the only Communist sanctioned churches in China); The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church; The United Church of Zambi...

The Thin Line Many years ago I was a cop in the U.S. Air Force. We were charged with guarding a “Priority A” facility, a site that was high-up in the chain of national security, and also way off the beaten path. You either got there because you were terribly lost, or you were there with intention (good intention, or otherwise). On every fence, and at the three entrances, were signs stating that it was a military installation and deadly force could be employed. One dark evening, at around 11 PM, the shift Sergeant called me for back up. We were in one of the main entry points and just outside the building was the dimly lit parking lot. We could make out someone lurking around the parked cars and looking suspicious. We went out to meet the individual, I with my Combat .38 caliber revolver (no safety, and no “locking and loading”), and the Sergeant with his M-16 rifle. I walked around the back of the cars to come up behind the person, while the Sergeant met him face to face. Thing...

“The Gospel of St. John: A Newly Discovered Commentary” The Lightfoot Legacy Series, Volume 2 J.B. Lightfoot Editors, Ben Witherington II and Todd D. Still IVP Academic (InterVarsity Press) PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515 ISBN: 978-0-8308-2945-3; $40.00; November 2015 Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur Long forgotten, lingering on the dust coated back shelves of the Durham Cathedral Library in the Monk’s Dormitory, there appears to be a treasure trove of works, files, and folders, along with blue boxes that contain unpublished material from the classic 19 th Century New Testament scholar and Bishop of Durham, J.B. Lightfoot. The blue-box material is lecture notes on Acts, the Gospel according to St. John, 1 Peter and 2 Corinthians.  They are now being published by IVP Academic as “The Lightfoot Legacy Set” in three volumes and edited by Ben Witherington III and Todd D. Still. The newest work is the 371 page hardback, “The Gospel ...

Sunday morning: 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. We pray for the wrecked and the poised nations of this world; safeguard your Church in every land by granting each country a wholesome tranquility and a proper affluence. Almighty God, hear our spoken and unspoken discomforts, worries and fears about the fiscal, political and governmental future of our country, and bestow what is best for the good of the populace of this nation and the health of your Church. We ask for you to watch over all our U.S. Military personnel, specifically the deployed. Preserve them that they may return to their families in one piece both emotionally and physically. O our God, we remember these who are in need….restore them body and soul, give them peace of mind and joy in the Holy Spirit. We...

Modern Orthodox Thinkers: From the Philokalia to the Present Andrew Louth IVP Academic (InterVarsity Press) PO Box 1400 Downers Grove, IL 60515 ISBN: 978-0-8308-5121-8; $35.00; September 2015 Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur Insightful; 5 Stars out of 5 For one who hardly knows the difference between an archimandrite and an apolytikion , or a hatjis and a heretismoi , it’s a bit of a stretch to pick up and stay with the 416 page paperback “Modern Orthodox Thinkers: From the Philokalia to the Present”. Yet Andrew Louth, who serves as a priest in the Russian Orthodox parish in Durham and is professor emeritus of patristic and Byzantine studies at Durham University, England, as well as a visiting professor of Eastern Orthodox theology at the Amsterdam Centre of Eastern Orthodox Theology in the Faculty of Theology, the Free University, Amsterdam, has made what at first appears insurmountable into something obtainable.  This scholarl...

[If you find this homily useful and would like to use it at your Christmas Eve Service, you have my permission. Mike] For Us and For Our Salvation Luke 2.1-20 (Here's the audio file ) One of the disheartening trends of our day is that everything – every action, every literary work, every religious expression, every relationship, etc. – Is being viewed as some kind of power struggle. Even in the Da Vinci Code , Dan Brown brings out this charge against Christianity: “It was all about power.” Maybe this will surprise you, but Brown’s right – It was all about power. And we Christians have believed this from the very beginning – God’s power poured out For Us and For Our Salvation! --- The Contrast : Caesar – Stepping up to rule from above. 2.1-3 – power to move whole people-groups. Augustus was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. Became the lone ruler of the Empire after a bloody civil war in which he defeated Mark Antony. He turned what was once a republic into an E...

Sunday morning: O Child who was born, Son who was given, Wonderful Counselor , who has done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure (Isaiah 25.1); may your hand be on those who need your wisdom: especially parents of young kids, teenagers, and adult children, that they may counsel with your wisdom and lead with your insight. We pray as well for your prudent discernment to be bestowed on those making tough decisions with regard to work, family issues, relationships, and future direction. / And we pray for those afflicted … may your wisdom settle and strengthen their hearts as they place themselves in your hands. O Wonderful Counselor , hear our prayer. You who are on the throne of David and over his kingdom, Mighty God ; We pray: “ O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free / thine own from Satan’s tyranny; from depths of hell thy people save, & give them victory o’er the grave .” Govern the nations of the earth to seek out and pursue what is fair and equitable for t...