Office of the General Assembly
Neal D. Presa
Moderator of the 220th General Assembly (2012)
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
___________________________________
127 Q. What does the sixth petition mean?
- “And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one” means:By ourselves we are too weak
to hold our own even for a moment.And our sworn enemies—
the devil, the world, and our own flesh—
never stop attacking us.And so, Lord,
uphold us and make us strong
with the strength of your Holy Spirit,
so that we may not go down to defeat
in this spiritual struggle,
but may firmly resist our enemies
until we finally win the complete victory. (Heidelberg Catechism)
In life and in death, we belong to God.
Guilt. Grace. Gratitude.
These Tweet-able summaries of the robust and wholesome theology expressed in the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) are portable assurances of our sure and certain hope grounded in the triune God.
We gather in national council as the 221st General Assembly (2014), June 14–21, in Detroit, Mich., under the theme, “Abounding in Hope” based on Romans 15:13. As with every one of the previous 220 gatherings of our common life, this will be a meeting where our deep theological differences will be on full display, where such differences will be amplified in passionate speeches, parliamentary gymnastics, and numerous advocacy groups vying for a hearing.
When the assembly adjourns on June 21, we will have ended with the same assurance as when we started on June 14; and that same assurance—in life and in death, we belong to God, we are guilty of sin before the holy God, God’s grace in Jesus Christ redeems us, we respond as the Spirit enables us to live lives of gratitude—is what propels us into continued ministry on June 21 and onwards. It’s on that basis that we have been summoned by the Holy Spirit to be followers of Jesus Christ in community called the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The Heidelberg Catechism is a beloved resource of the Reformed tradition because every one of the 129 sections is anchored on Q/A 1’s affirmation that “in life and in death, we belong to God.” Each subsequent section goes at length to describe how that confession of faith expresses itself in:
- God taking upon God’s self to make a whole and free a broken and wounded world shackled to sin, evil, death, and violence;
- The life, death, resurrection, ascension, eternal priestly intercession, and promised return in glory of the Lord Jesus Christ;
- Transformed lives of women, men, and children devoted to God out of sheer gratitude for what Jesus Christ has done and is doing
- The ongoing work of the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of Christ
In the final Lord’s Day section, Q/A 127 reflecting upon the final petition of the Lord’s Prayer, provides a prayer request embedded within the comment:
“And so, Lord,
uphold us and make us strong
with the strength of your Holy Spirit,
so that we may not go down to defeat
in this spiritual struggle,
but may firmly resist our enemies
until we finally win the complete victory.”
Such a prayer request is not wishful thinking or theoretical dreaming. The people of God are not left bereft. Not at all. On the contrary. The living God who neither slumbers nor sleeps is unfailing and unending in His pursuit of us, with a radical love that will never let us go. The proof of this: the self-giving and self-revelation of God as Jesus Christ. The assurance of this: the work of the Holy Spirit and the testimony of Holy Scripture.
In the last two years as Moderator of the 220th General Assembly (2012), having traveled well over 300,000 miles by land and air, I held close to my heart that prayer that my youngest son offered upon my installation at the 220th General Assembly (2012) in Pittsburgh:
Heavenly Father, we all trust you are the Lord and Savior of all of us. Bless the 220th General Assembly and may the Holy Spirit guide everyone in their work. Lord, please choose what’s right for my dad. Watch over him while he travels. Give him wisdom and strength for the work that he’ll do and with the people that he will meet. Please protect my daddy. Holy Spirit, give peace to Christians and churches around the world. Please let us help the people who are hungry, forgotten and who live in places with violence. Please help the Church with all the changes that are happening. Help us pray when we are scared, mad or confused. Help us to love one another, even though sometimes it’s really hard. We all need prayer, but please help the people in Colorado and all the people fighting the fires. Thank you for loving us. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
The words and heart of a son, being cascaded into the arms and ears of His heavenly Father, of our heavenly Father.
As it is, whenever we pray, we are joined to the prayer of our Lord Christ, who, in his eternal priesthood, prays with us and for us. And even in the many times that deep struggle, spiritual battle, anxiety, or just plain fatigue overtakes us, Romans 8:26–39 reassures the beloved ones of God: the Holy Spirit has your back, even when you slumber, “because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (v. 27), the Spirit who is united to the Lord Christ, united to the heavenly Father, united to us, and who connects us to all of God’s people in all times and in every place.
The anchoring of our common life together is on the basis of the sure and certain work of God as Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. May we live and act wisely with what has been entrusted to us, as stewards of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I close with the words of the Scripture theme text for the 221st General Assembly (2014):
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13, NRSV)