Spending Time in Prayer

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you find your every thought centered on something and you can’t shake it? I don’t mean the kind when a song gets stuck in your head for a few hours, but when there is a situation that seems to take all of your energy and you are focused on it almost constantly—a loss of a loved one, a friend in dire need of help, a sibling with a life threatening illness, a grandchild deployed to Iraq. This focus, this single minded attention seems to best fit our response to Paul’s challenge to the Thessalonians… pray without ceasing (1 Th 5:17).

When I was young in my faith, to pray without ceasing seemed an unusual thing. How can one possibly do that? How do you take care of kids, work a day job, as well as the other myriad of things a person needs to do and pray at the same time? Yet as life continued to unfold before me, I found myself being able to understand that prayer is not done only on one’s knees with hands folded and head bowed. Prayer can be in images, in thoughts while scrubbing the floor, painting, or driving to work. To pray without ceasing is more than our words. A big part of prayer includes listening to God, whether it is formal prayer, or readings you happen upon, songs that play a chord in your heart, or affirmations of a friend or spouse.

Did you know that the word “pray” is found 155 times in the bible? “Prayer” is an additional 147 times. There are so many… then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart (Luke 18:1)… now during those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12).

Ultimately we find, however, that there are times when we have trouble praying—have trouble putting into words the yearnings of our hearts. Romans 8:26 reminds us that when we can’t seem to find the words to articulate our yearnings in prayer, the Spirit intercedes for us.

The Spirit helps us in our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

At times when our heart is heavy and our mind seems to be singly focused on a particular situation, we will find comfort in prayer that does not cease. The Holy Spirit abides with us in our thoughts and observations, leading us to a sense of comfort and peace. The Holy Spirit touches our very soul and reminds us that as followers of Jesus Christ we are never alone, never forgotten. We are beloved children of God! So in the midst of life’s difficulties, let us rejoice in the love and grace of God, our Heavenly Father, our Creator.

Yours in Christ,

The Call of the Spirit

David M. Greenhaw, President of Eden Theological Seminary points out in the forward of Sarah Drummond’s book, Holy Clarity, that “change is not something a leader brings to a congregation; it is already there. The question, of course, is not whether one changes but how one changes and toward what end.”

At our June 6th gathering, change was a word frequently used; what do we change, how do we change, why do we change. It was a good day to see so many congregational leaders engaged in this process—and yes, if you were there, consider yourself a congregational leader! I thank you for engaging in the conversation with your time and insights.

“How one changes and toward what end” is what we as a faith community are called to discern in each new time and new situation. By attuning our ear to the call of the Holy Spirit for our work and ministry (like we did that day), we are opening ourselves up to Holy Guidance. Absorbing the entire impact of the things shared that day may take a year or more to fully comprehend and Session and I are already in that process.
One of the many interesting observations noted was that ‘we like who we are, but we know we need to change.’ Change is often a dirty word in many circles; in fact we Presbyterians even make jokes about change. I’m sure you’ve heard this one: “How many Presbyterians does it take to change a light bulb? What? Change?” I know, bad joke. And even worse because we Presbyterians are grounded in a tradition of change. Huh? Yes, that is right. We are a people of change, or more accurately, of reforming. In the second chapter of our Book of Order (G-2.0200) we Presbyterians profess that,

…the church, in obedience to Jesus Christ, is open to the reform of its standards of doctrine as well as of governance. The church affirms “Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda,” that is, “The church reformed, always reforming,” according to the Word of God and the call of the Spirit.

This process of discerning who God is calling us to be today and how the gifts we have are to be used in ministry in this place is how our “reforming” tradition takes on flesh in the life of our faith community. Discernment is not something we can do on or own or without God. Did you notice that each person of the Trinity is named in this Book of Order quote? Our tradition of reforming is intrinsic to our relationship with the Triune God. This tradition is done “in obedience to Jesus Christ” and “according to the Word of God and the call of the Spirit.” It is not change just for the sake of change. It is thoughtful re-forming as we seek to understand God’s will in a new time.

God is guiding BPC and in that we trust! Will we struggle? Yes. Do we have to come up with answers by ourselves? No. Scripture shows us that struggling to be faithful to this mysterious and yet awesome God is an ancient tradition that begins with prayer. And since prayer is open communication with God, we are assured that we are not alone. So let us continue our journey and pray for God’s guidance so that ‘how’ we change demonstrates that the ‘end’ toward which we strive is to praise and honor God in humble service

Dear God, You are our refuge and strength. As we listen for the call of your Spirit, give us strength to be more Christ-like in our words and actions. Open our ears to the things we need to hear so we may understand your will for us at this time. We deeply desire to serve and worship you in ways that bring honor to your holy name. Be our refuge when we get stuck and our strength when we must journey forward heeding your call. Re-form us, Holy God, into the people you created us to be. “[Our] prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer [us].” Amen. (Psalm 69:13)

Yours in Christ,

The Prayer that Never Fails

In one of the Women’s’ Study Group sessions this past month, we came across a chapter that reminded me of something I’d read in the fictional Mitford Series books. Father Tim is the main character. He an Episcopal priest and the series is about his life in Mitford. The part that I was reminded about was Father Tim’s ‘prayer that never fails.’ The book never tells us exactly what the prayer is… and I had to ponder that one for a while. Well, okay, it really didn’t take that long to figure it out; but it has stuck with me because of the impact of truly embracing ‘the prayer that never fails.’ Do you know what the prayer is?

So often in life we all desire desperately to have our prayers answers. Maybe it’s about a job or school or kids or relationships. Maybe it’s an upcoming surgery, or pain that is never ending. Regardless of what it is, we want assurances that things will be okay… in the way that we want them to be okay. So we pray and we pray. We may even read books on prayer to find just the right combination that will convince God to fulfill our prayer. Let’s face it, we want God to give us what we want, which most of the time are good solid prayers concerns like the ones already mentioned.

Yet we are not God and we cannot understand the mysteries of God. The Psalmist recognized this reality.

O LORD, you have searched me and known me. ² You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away… ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. (Psalm 139:1-2, 6)

Scripture tells us that despite the times when things go wrong, we know that God is with us, guiding and strengthening us for the journey, even if such knowledge is … so high that [we] cannot attain it. The problem is that we do want to attain it. We want all the knowledge so that we can direct and control our future. And therein lies the problem that makes ‘the prayer that never fails’ so difficult. You see, ‘the prayer that never fails’ requires that we relinquish control over the situation… and the outcome. It requires that we trust God above all else to do what is God’s will, which is always more than we can comprehend. Bible scholar, William J. Carl III, says “To pray [this prayer] means above all else that you believe at the very core of your being that God is going to surprise you in ways you never imagined.”

Have you figured it out yet? The prayer is familiar. We say it often without even thinking, which then raises the question of whether we really even mean it (and God knows the difference). A simple prayer that trusts God, taught to us by Jesus … thy will be done. Our Lord’s Prayer reminds us that when God’s will is what we ask for, it is a prayer that will never fail.

Yours in Christ,

Christ has Risen… He has Risen indeed!

In just a few days these words will ring through our sanctuary and our hearts… and truly “the Lord has risen indeed.” (Luke 24:34)

In his book, In Dying We Are Born: the challenge and the hope for congregations, Peter Bush offers a powerful challenge to our Western belief that there is a solution to every problem.  He argues “that for new life, energy, and passion to arise in congregations, they must die—die to one way of being the church in order that a new way may rise.”

As we celebrate this Easter season, I ask you to consider this premise—that we must die to one way of being in order for a new way to arise.  I’m not saying that we must literally cease to exist. (Nor am I saying that we are dying—because we are not!)  But I am asking during this Resurrection Season for us to look anew at ourselves and our ministries to see if they live up to God’s expectations of us in this time and this place.  How does the image of what ‘we think we should be’ differ from what ‘God’s image of us’ needs to be?

Here’s a small example of how to look at things with new eyes.  At one of the many Presbytery meetings I’ve attended over the years, a presenter once shared the story of a group who visited Brazil.  They had been asked to bring pictures of their churches.  So when the Brazilians laughed as they gazed at pictures of buildings, the group was confused.  One of the Brazilian leaders pointed out that these were simply buildings—they wanted pictures of the church—the people… the activities… the life they live—in service to Christ.

When we think of the ‘pictures’ of BPC, are we thinking of old dreams fulfilled long ago or are we thinking of the new dreams God calls to?  Do our ‘pictures’ include (as Peter Bush states) “the surprising, uncontrollable, completely free action of the Spirit of God?” or is it limited to what our minds can comprehend?

The writer of the Gospel of John reminds us that the Spirit is continually in motion, surprising us at every corner, when he says:   The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)

The writer also reminds us that It is the spirit that gives life… (6:63). This Easter Season let us begin to dream again; let us welcome the Holy Spirit as it moves within us, giving us new life.  Let us embrace new discussions about what God is asking of us today.  Let us live as Easter People—a resurrected people pointing to our risen Lord.

Yours in Christ,

Thoughts for Lent 2010

Unpacking…

With this big move close upon Jeff and me, it is obvious that over the Lenten season we will be living in varying stages of unpacking. As I ponder through the actual process of unpacking, I find that there are easily two connections that come quickly to my mind.

First is that in the activity of unpacking we often find treasures that we forgot we even had (or maybe that we lost and couldn’t find). These treasures bring us joy and hope and a sense of connection to a person who gifted it to us… or to a place where we first acquired it. Having now found this treasure, we are reminded of something valuable to us. And that sensation of hope and joy gives a lift to our step, a song to our heart, a brighter outlook on the day.

The second connection is what happens when we find something and say to ourselves, “I cannot believe I kept this stuff.” Often times we hang on to stuff just for sake of hanging on. Yet in reality, it is no longer used, it is no longer functional, it no longer has any purpose or place in our lives. So, we recognize that it’s time to pitch it and move on.

I will be unpacking and experiencing these things with my own ‘stuff’, but in my newness to Brookfield there is also the sense of our experiencing together a bit of unpacking. There will be treasures that you cannot wait to share with me and they will brim over in conversations as we work together. The junk will somehow seem to appear out of nowhere and I’ll be curious (as I always am) about its function and purpose and place. I will honestly ask… not because I want to point out the ‘junk,’ but because at some time in BPCs history it had value and purpose and place. My asking is to honor that value and purpose and place. Then, together, we’ll talk about its current value and purpose and place. Some of it, we will creatively integrate into our lives again. Other things… well, we’ll pitch them and move on.

There is actually a third connection that comes to my mind as I type. That is the reality that often times our spiritual lives get packed into nice neat boxes and we forget to ponder and peruse through the treasures that our soul holds for us. We can also pack away some tidbits of bumper sticker theology that we think sounds good, but when we evaluate it, it may be something we are ready to let go of. Matthew 6:21 tells us “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Over these weeks of Lent, I hope that we can unpack our ‘stuff’ … and together discover the treasures God has in store for us.

Yours in Christ,