Remember Liturgical Confession

How the Psalm begins:

“Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the LORD,
Or can show forth all His praise?
How blessed are those who keep justice,
Who practice righteousness at all times!

Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor toward Your people;
Visit me with Your salvation,
That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may glory with Your inheritance” (Psalm 106:1-5).

How the Psalm ends:

“Save us, O LORD our God,
And gather us from among the nations,
To give thanks to Your holy name
And glory in Your praise.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.
And let all the people say, ‘Amen.’
Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 106:47-48).

Everything in between is a liturgical confession of the sin of covenant people through the long ages of God’s dealing with them (106:6-46). Remembering that we, though His people, are sinful, is an important part of worship. They don’t just talk about their hardships, their sorrows, the difficulties they’re going through, or their brokenness. Sometimes modern worship gives the impression that God only exists to save us from our personal difficulties. There is even a subtle hint that our worldly suffering actually earns us some sort of special attention from God. Psalm 106 reminds us that the focus isn’t always to be on the God Who helps in hard times, but praise needs to be made to the God Who saves unworthy sinners in His mercy and grace (Luke 18:13-14). The worshipful appeal to God, in other words, is not based upon the people’s merit or worth. It is based on His goodness and lovingkindness. Its goal is thanksgiving and glory to God. This element of worship exalts the Gospel rather than the self.

Let all the people say, “Amen.”

“Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine,
And bathed in its own blood,
While all exposed to wrath divine,
The glorious Sufferer stood!

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away
’Tis all that I can do” (Isaac Watts, 1709).

In 1885, Ralph Hudson added this refrain to Watts’ verses:

“At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!”

There are probably many more recent examples, but one that comes to mind is Robin Mark’s “Lord, Have Mercy” (2000):
“Jesus, I've forgotten the words that You have spoken;
Promises that burned within my heart have now grown dim.
With a doubting heart I follow the paths of earthly wisdom.
Forgive me for my unbelief,
Renew the fire again.

Lord, have mercy,
Christ, have mercy;
Lord, have mercy on me.

I have built an altar where I worship things of men;
I have taken journeys that have drawn me far from You.
Now I am returning to Your mercies ever flowing.
Pardon my transgressions,
Help me love You again.

I have longed to know You and Your tender mercies;
Like a river of forgiveness ever flowing without end.
I bow my heart before You in the goodness of Your presence,
Your grace forever shining,
Like a beacon in the night.”

It's Just a Cup of Coffee

Thank you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Creator-God of all there is.

“…there is but one God, the Father, from Whom are all things and we exist for Him” (1 Corinthians 8:6).

“…by Him [the Father’s “beloved Son,” 1:13] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16,17).

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving” (Genesis 1:1,2).

One God, three Persons: “…which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on Him” (1689 Baptist Confession, 3.2). Maker of time and space. Lord of this morning and my tiny corner of it. It is good because You are good. It is more than I could ever enjoy and appreciate fully, and yet it is only a momentary reflection of Your eternal glory (Romans 1:20).

Yet, in all its goodness, I feel the Fall of my first parents (and all of us) in these moments, sensing the consequences of a body not in its best health because of lack of discipline. The slowness to feel ready for the day because another day has been crossed off the calendar.

What is it they say? The only thing that doesn’t get easier with practice is waking up.

This body, this mind, part of the groaning creation – made so good, and so broken by us – as much as I love these early-morning moments, I am reminded of a hope beyond imagining. A hope of newness. Of morning without fading into lesser color.

Lord, thank you for those who toil against the thorns of the Fall to earn their bread (and provide coffee beans) by the sweat of their brow. Thank you for the grace of their temporary victory, and the reminder that it is temporary...we need more.

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19).

We were made to have dominion through the growing of coffee beans (Genesis 1:26-31), but, because of our rebellion against You, God, You have ordained a futility (Romans 8:20), and twistedness (Ecclesiastes 1:15; 7:13) to creation so that we will never find perfection in it apart from You. Because we try. Give the growers, the cultivators, the same longing You gave a man who named his son Noah because he longed for promised relief from the curse (Genesis 5:28-31). Let them hear the Good News of the true Noah, the true Comforter. Bring them messengers who will tell them the curse has been carried in Christ on His cross (Galatians 3:13,14).

Bless them amidst the uncertainty of weather, plant disease, insects, and who knows what pressures fellow human beings bring in this fallen κόσμος.

Thank you for these echoes of You in the crafting and drawing from the earth. May the echoes become full and perfect soon.

Those who roasted this by their art, O Lord, the aesthetic of applying energy to the beans…thank You for the creativity and ingenuity You work by Your grace through humanity. Such beautiful diversity. It seems endless the ways in which we work this creation to produce wonder, joy, beauty, and a nice dark roast.

There is in the brewing an imbuing of energy, heating water in a momentary rebellion against entropy. We fight the fading because You’ve set eternity in our hearts, along with the futility of our struggle apart from You alone (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Ah, the mug. They bear names and images of places I’ve been able to travel, places that are important to me because my family was there with me and we enjoyed time together. We marveled at some new (to us) beauty of creation together. This mug connects me in memory to such grace, Father. You have given grace in letting us see so much together. I am grateful, for I love what You have made. I have always tried to appreciate Your creation wherever I am. Help me to rejoice in the goodness of what You have made even more than I do.

Again reminded of the hope of newness…holding the mug against my eyes…the warmth easing the wake-up of more than just the mind.

On to my second cup now. Which one do I appreciate more? The one that I sip operating more on unreflective instinct, or the one that I drink in a state of greater awareness. I don’t know. But I am thankful to You, my Father, for both (and for the third cup which will be part of an increasing busyness of a whole household beginning its day).

Coffee has accompanied my morning reading of the Psalms for so long they are associated in my life liturgy. Today, Psalm 29 (You are worthy of worship, Your voice is mighty, You are unchanging King over all), Psalm 59 (God as stronghold in difficulty), Psalm 89 (song of God’s promised King), Psalm 149 (praising God and making His will be done on earth). Prayer and praise to You, almighty God. It looks like I’ll have opportunity to teach a class on discipleship to some older grade school children in this next semester…they’re learn about regular Psalm reading…maybe not the coffee drinking that goes with it in my life. Help me to assist them in following Jesus, and may I learn more in the teaching.

Being part of creation, I do not worship You, my God, apart from using Your creation. Help me make that usage more holy.

This I offer to You, God my Joy, with these simple, inelegant, and unrefined words…You are infinitely worthy of better, but it is morning. My first thoughts are produced in a brain still awakening, still awaiting the sharpness coming with this cup of coffee. With this I offer the day to You…

“Our Father, Who is in heaven,

Make Your name holy.

Your Kingdom come, Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day…” (Matthew 6:9-11).

Christ's Suffering, Our Growth, and the Ordinances

“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship [κοινωνιαν] of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:8-11).

I love the ordinances commanded to the Church by its only Lord and High Priest, Jesus Christ. I am passionate about them, and am convinced that by minimizing them for more flashy and entertaining pursuits, we have robbed ourselves of a blessing the Head of the Church Himself has given us for our spiritual benefit.

Today’s Southern Baptists identify the ordinances as one of the marks of a true Church:

• “A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers...observing the two ordinances of Christ” (Baptist Faith & Message 2000, VI).
• “Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour [sic], the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming” (BF&M 2000, VII).

While we typically read passages like Philippians 3:10 (“the fellowship of His sufferings”) as a reference to persecution (see also Matthew 20:23; Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 1:5; Colossians 1:24; 2 Timothy 2:11; 1 Peter 4:13), I believe the ordinances to be a regular and consistent liturgical means by which the Lord brings His Church into conformity with His own “sufferings.” I don’t deny that for the apostle Paul (and countless believers in the past and today) these passages speak of a literal experience of Christian suffering, but given what else Paul says on the subject, I would suggest that we shouldn’t limit his language to these persecutions. Instead, there is a way in which biblical Christian liturgy makes these realities a regular experience of the gathered Church for our spiritual growth and sanctification. Let’s consider the language the apostle Paul uses in other places concerning the ordinances.

Concerning baptism: “...do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:3-13). Baptism is “an act of obedience symbolizing” union with Christ’s suffering, but Paul certainly takes it beyond just symbolic act in his teaching on this ordinance. “...we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death...our old self was crucified with Him...we have died with Christ...” This is strong language connected with the ordinance, and we would do well to take it seriously! So when Paul speaks of “the fellowship of His sufferings” and conformity “to His death” to the Philippian church, it is not necessarily limited to persecution and martyrdom. Paul’s own language to the Romans shows us that the ordinance of baptism brings us into this experience which should produce profound ethical/moral fruit in our lives. Let’s look at the Philippians passage again: Paul counts all things (both his sin and his own personal righteousness) as loss, so that he may have a righteousness “which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (3:9,10). Justification (being proclaimed righteous) by faith in Jesus Christ is followed by a union with Christ which includes “the fellowship of His sufferings” and conformity “to His death” as experienced in the ordinances.

In addition to baptism, Paul speaks of the Lord’s Supper as an ordinance which brings us into this “fellowship” and “conformity.”

“Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing [κοινωνια] in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing [κοινωνια] in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:16,17). Just as the doctrine of baptism should have spiritual fruit in a believer’s life, so too does the Lord’s Supper have powerful implications for unity in the Church and dedication solely to Christ (read the rest of chapter 10 through the end of chapter 11...and truth be told, probably through the end of chapter 14!).

We need to continually remember Paul’s confession “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). We must remember it so that we “do not nullify the grace of God” (2:21) – a continual temptation for every believer. The ordinances are an instrument of this grace and sanctifying work in our lives.

Early in ministry, a wise deacon (now in Glory) once told me that humans never stay in the middle of a position/opinion/doctrine, but are continually swinging back and forth to extremes. My dear Baptists, I fear that in this day we have gone so far on the ordinances that they are barely there in the life of the Church. May we consider the testimony of the Scriptures and carefully, thoughtfully, and purposefully begin moving the pendulum back to a more faithful view of the ordinances which grants them the central place in Christian liturgy that the Scripture itself gives them. The promised fruit of Scripture concerning the ordinances and what they represent is freedom from sin, service to God’s righteousness, unity, and faithfulness to Christ. Sound like something needed in the Church today? All these things come from union with Christ in His death and resurrection – the very reality the ordinances lead us to walk in together.

For by them we regularly “may know...the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that [we] may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”