Deus Misereatur

“Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told” (Psalm 40.4-5) . We lift our hearts to you, mighty God, merciful God, majestic God, because you have cared for us in spiritual and bodily needs, and with our hearts and hands and voices we resound with your praises!!!! Father, giver of all good gifts: we pray for the poor and hungry…., the homeless and mentally ill…, the unemployed and heavily employed…, the sad and scared…, the sick and lonely…, that help unlooked for may arrive at just the right time; that you would draw them up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set their feet upon a rock, making their steps secure. That you would put a new song in their mouth, a song of praise to our God, so that many will see ...

A Communion Meditation Taken from Matthew 9.22 Early on in Matthew, the story is recounted where Jesus was walking through a crowd, and a woman who had some kind of hemorrhaging for 12 years – a woman who would have been considered and treated as impure and unfit to enter God’s worship, who would have been cut off from much of the fellowship and festal feasting of God’s people; a woman who would have felt like she dwelt “ in a dry and weary land where there is no water"  (Psalm 63.1) – alone, cut off, kicked out. She saw Jesus and secretly came up behind Jesus thinking, “ If I only touch his garment, I will be made well ” (Matthew 9.21). She touched his robe in faith, and immediately “ Jesus turned, and seeing her he said," ...He didn't say, "get away from me until you're clean enough!" Nor did he say, "Don't touch me until you have made yourself pure enough!" Instead,   “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly...

“Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 12.4-6). We have sung your praises, we have declared your great deeds, and now we give you thanks for your great favor poured out on us: for food, friends, family, health, homes, hope, vocations, voices and vitality. For we acknowledge that it is you who upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing (Psalm 145.14-16). Supreme Sovereign who sits enthroned over all, we call upon you to move the nations of the world in such ways that peace may prevail, war be averted, the Gospel unhindered, and the Church un...

Freedom for Ministry by Richard John Neuhaus My rating: 5 of 5 stars There's a deep refreshment in revisiting books read years before, specifically books that have claimed space in, and scribbled concepts on, one's heart. And so it has been a pleasure to revisit, after 10 year, the 271 page paperback, "Freedom for Ministry" authored by Richard John Neuhaus, who was at the time of the original edition a Lutheran pastor and later became a Roman Catholic priest, who was also founder and editor of the journal "First Things" and founder of the Institute of Religion and Democracy. First published in 1979, it was reproduced for print with only a new "Preface". The dog-eared, etched, annotated pages became familiar again, to remind and add renewed clarity. It is a book that was written for ministers across the Christian family, but holds a high regard for word, sacrament and ecclesiology. The primary theme throughout the volume is that for ministers, pa...

You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit James K. A. Smith Brazos Press Baker Publishing Group 6030 East Fulton Road Ada, MI 49301 http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/brazospress ISBN: 9781587433801; $19.99; March 2016 Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber for Deus Misereatur The ancient essayist astutely quipped, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4.23). That truism surfaces in story form and didactic instruction throughout Scripture, and is substantiated when raising our children, supervising employees or shepherding parishioners: what has your heart rules your life. This is the central emphasis in the newly published 224 hardback, “You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit” by James K. A. Smith, professor of philosophy at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, accomplished author and editor. This short work appears to be a compression and reworking of his larger “Desiring the Kingdom” to mak...

Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides by Scott Sauls My rating: 5 of 5 stars Sometimes we Christians come across as a snooty, snobby sort. Usually it happens when we forget what we were saved out of and where we came from. At other times it’s because we have lived inside a particular church’s walls for so long that we can’t imagine anyone calling themselves “Christian” and thinking differently than us and our particular sacred fraternity. So it’s good to be reminded what we’re supposed to be about, and given suggestive ways to get there. And that’s where writings like “Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides” can be a helpful refresher. Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, penned this 210 page paperback in 2015 to give fellow believers a gentle nudge in the right direction. But it is also written for the investigative, adventurous unbeliever who might – on a w...

Science, Politics, and Gnosticism by Eric Voegelin My rating: 5 of 5 stars Ten years ago I picked up this teeny book as part of my background reading for my doctoral thesis. It was a stretch to read then, but I sensed Voegelin was on to something. Now, ten years later, in the midst of a hot presidential campaign season, with loads of climactic social changes erupting in the country, and racial tensions flaring, I picked it up again and read it with a better appreciation for what the author was communicating. This 102 page paperback is a densely argued, heady work that revolves around two major essays penned by the author in 1959. "Science, Politics, and Gnosticism" is a work that delves into modern political theory with the author standing in a specific position: one that is open to the divine other while scanning the horizon of modern mass ideological movements. Voegelin is convinced, and seeks to convince the reader, that these modern mass movements are, at the end of th...