6/21/23
I’ve been writing about prayer for the last several weeks, and if prayer isn’t a part of your daily life, I hope my Pastor’s Notes have you thinking about this important spiritual practice (and not just thinking, but actually praying!).
And I hope prayer is not just a “practice.” A practice is a habit or custom. Spiritual disciplines form us into the image of Christ, and they’re often called “practices,” but “practice” is kind of a cold, clinical (maybe even “lame”) way of describing the lives of people who love God and love others. I hope you don’t describe your feelings for your family in those terms! (I’m reminded of Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady singing, “I’ve grown accustomed to her face” – as close to a declaration of love as his self-centered heart could make).
If you love someone, spending time with them, talking to them, etc., is not just “practice” nor is it something we do only when we need or want something from them. Billy Graham said of prayer, "True prayer is a way of life, not just for use in cases of emergency. Make it a habit, and when the need arises you will be in practice." Corrie Ten Boom, whose prayers helped her survive a Nazi concentration camp, asked, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”
One reason why traditional, liturgical worship is important is in the way it ingrains the essentials of worship into our lives. One father said, after being called by the police to pick up his inebriated teenaged son from the police station, told me, “I wanted to kill him, but all I could think about on the ride to the police station is that every Sunday I pray, ‘and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive. . .’”
Worship changes us. Prayer changes us. Nineteenth century theologian Soren Kierkegaard wrote, "Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays," and C.S. Lewis echoed the same thought when he wrote, “I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God. It changes me.”
I suggested last week that we might shape our prayers around the outline of the short prayers (collects) we hear on Sunday week after week. Another possibility is using the “Prayers of the People.” Regardless of the particular words we pray each week, every time we pray it, we use the same basic outline. Here’s the one we've been praying since Pentecost:
We begin by praying for the church, its unity and its work throughout the world:
For the holy Church of God, that it may be filled with truth and love, and be found without fault at the day of your coming, we pray to you, O Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For all the holy people of God – both clergy and lay-people, we pray to you, O Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For all who fear God and believe in you, Lord Christ, that our divisions may cease, and that all may be one as you and the Father are one, we pray to you, O Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For the mission of the Church, that in faithful witness it may preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, we pray to you, O Lord. Lord, have mercy.
Next, we pray for the world and its leaders (I always look forward to this one . . . when we pray for our national leaders, I always hear a very fervent, “Lord, have mercy!”):
For the peace of the world, that a spirit of respect and forbearance may grow among nations and peoples, we pray to you, O Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For those in positions of public trust that they may serve justice, and promote the dignity and freedom of every person, we pray to you, O Lord. Lord, have mercy.
Next we pray for all those who suffer (refugees, prisoners, all who are in danger – I mean, honestly, would you normally think to pray for them?):
For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners, and all who are in danger; that they may be relieved and protected, we pray to you, O Lord. Lord, have mercy.
Finally, we pray for our congregation:
For this congregation [for those who are present, and for those who are absent], that we may love you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and might, and show forth your glory in all that we do, we pray to you, O Lord. Lord, have mercy.
We move from the world, to the nation, to the needs of those who suffer, and finally to us. It’s a good outline for your own prayers, moving us out of concern for “me and mine.”
In keeping with our prayer theme this summer, we’re offering two prayer opportunities. First, on July 2, we’ll be making available to you a Guide for Daily Prayer. This will coincide with the start of our next Bible reading. I’ll write more about that next week.
Second, on August 6, our morning service will be a “Symphony of Prayer.” We’ll experience prayer together through the spoken word, scripture, song and silence. I hope you will put August 6 on your calendar and make every effort to join us as we pray.
Blessings,
Pastor Terry