For Sunday, May
29, 2022, Readings: Acts
16:16-34, Psalm 97, Revelation 22:12-14; 16-17, 20-21;
John 17:20-26
...With Paul and Silas...we
were going to a place of prayer...[Then the jailer] said, "Sirs, what must
I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you
will be saved, you and your household."...He and his entire household
rejoiced that he had become a believer in God. [Acts
16:16, 30-31, 34b]
Light
has sprung up for the righteous, and joyful gladness for those who are
truehearted. [Psalm
97:11]
It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this
testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the
bright morning star." [Revelation
22:16]
Jesus...looked
up to heaven and said... "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on
behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be
one...so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in
them. [John 17: 1a, 20-21a, 26b]
This recounting of
Paul’s imprisonment is intriguing as it isn’t the typical story of being
imprisoned for proselytizing or performing miracles. On the way to a
place of prayer, it was his miracle in a particular slave, for which
her owners lost money, that landed him and Silas in jail. As those
imprisoned with them heard Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns to God, an
earthquake loosed the chains that bound them all and yet the prisoners stayed
inside despite the opened doors. On this discovery, the jailer and his family were instantly
converted to faith in Jesus and baptized.
Faith is the primary element of any religious practice and for Christianity and other theological traditions, prayer is the backbone of faith. Sometimes, however, prayer comes ahead of belief through the longing to have the kind of faith observed in others, as with Paul’s jailer. It has been said that the mere desire to have faith is, in itself, an expression of faith. Tentative exploration of prayer may also occur in the search for the meaning of grief at an age when the onset of mortality becomes one’s reality.
Without faith, “christian” becomes a mere empty label. Yet without sincere and frequent prayer, faith itself is unfulfilled; it has limited direction and action. The whole of John 17 is Jesus' prayer before he leaves the disciples to carry on without him, but it isn't just about himself or the disciples at hand. It is also about us. Jesus speaks of those who will believe in me through their [and our] word.
Now, as this Easter season is ending, it is an excellent time for me to examine the state of my faith and, particularly, how I pray. Do I simply repeat familiar syllables in the liturgical rituals and memorized formal prayers, is prayer only when I want something? How do I thoughtfully, and intentionally make time to truly and sincerely pray in faith to build my relationship with God? Even during desert times when God feels absent, I must remember that prayer can keep me connected to God in Christ and the Holy Spirit who are already and always within me.
There are innumerable volumes of books written on various forms and schools of prayer and many are worth exploring. If prayer seems difficult at times, a simple way to begin is just to have an everyday kind of conversation with God as one might take comfort with and confide in a close confidante. God is the Person who knows us better than we know ourselves. There are no right or special words, no correct procedures, just ordinary words in sincerity and faith, even if we think sometimes that our faith is wavering or weak. A plain, quiet help me, Lord can open our hearts and our souls, to the experience of faith even smaller than a mustard seed and we will be heard.
Faith is the primary element of any religious practice and for Christianity and other theological traditions, prayer is the backbone of faith. Sometimes, however, prayer comes ahead of belief through the longing to have the kind of faith observed in others, as with Paul’s jailer. It has been said that the mere desire to have faith is, in itself, an expression of faith. Tentative exploration of prayer may also occur in the search for the meaning of grief at an age when the onset of mortality becomes one’s reality.
Without faith, “christian” becomes a mere empty label. Yet without sincere and frequent prayer, faith itself is unfulfilled; it has limited direction and action. The whole of John 17 is Jesus' prayer before he leaves the disciples to carry on without him, but it isn't just about himself or the disciples at hand. It is also about us. Jesus speaks of those who will believe in me through their [and our] word.
Now, as this Easter season is ending, it is an excellent time for me to examine the state of my faith and, particularly, how I pray. Do I simply repeat familiar syllables in the liturgical rituals and memorized formal prayers, is prayer only when I want something? How do I thoughtfully, and intentionally make time to truly and sincerely pray in faith to build my relationship with God? Even during desert times when God feels absent, I must remember that prayer can keep me connected to God in Christ and the Holy Spirit who are already and always within me.
There are innumerable volumes of books written on various forms and schools of prayer and many are worth exploring. If prayer seems difficult at times, a simple way to begin is just to have an everyday kind of conversation with God as one might take comfort with and confide in a close confidante. God is the Person who knows us better than we know ourselves. There are no right or special words, no correct procedures, just ordinary words in sincerity and faith, even if we think sometimes that our faith is wavering or weak. A plain, quiet help me, Lord can open our hearts and our souls, to the experience of faith even smaller than a mustard seed and we will be heard.
Jesus shows us the way of prayer ~ it strengthens faith, draws us together in
community, and gives us blessings and hope. Prayer is, quite simply,
the most perfect conversation we can ever have. Any time, any place, any form ~ aloud, silently, written, poetic, scattered, rambling, angry, fearful,
happy, thankful, and so on. Jesus is always the most interested
non-judgmental Listener. Prayer is the opportunity to place cares,
woes, hopes, dreams, thanksgivings, contrition, into the Heart of
God. Let us pray without ceasing [1 Thessalonians 5:17] to
our bright morning star, drinking deeply from the water of life. In
prayer we are complete, we are known, we are with and in God Who is with and in
us. Together, We are One.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O Savior Christ, You are the bright morning star of Creation, loved from before the world was founded. Draw us into the prayer of faith that binds us to You and to each other, to all be as one, complete in the eternal love of God.
Jesus,
Root of the Tree of Life
RESPONSE:
Let
our prayer come to You
~ O Savior Christ, strengthen us to use the words You have given us to fill the hearts of those who lead this and all nations, for all the people of this Earth, to ensure justice, peace, and the basic necessities of human life. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Jesus, Root
of the Tree of Life
Let our prayer come to You
~ O Savior Christ, hear the prayers
and heal the bodies and minds of all who suffer through illness, anxiety, or
hopelessness, and grant compassion to all give support. We now join our hearts
together to pray for those in need…add your own petitions
Jesus, Root of the Tree of Life
Let our prayer come to You
~ O Savior Christ, shine the light
of Your Presence on all grieving hearts, as those we have sent ahead enter the
gates of heavenly peace and life everlasting. We pray especially for: add
your own petitions
Jesus, Root of the Tree of Life
Let
our prayer come to You
~ O Savior Christ, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or
silently…add your own petitions
Jesus,
Root of the Tree of Life
Let
our prayer come to You
~ O Savior Christ, as you prayed for
the disciples of Your own time, pray without ceasing for us, the disciples of
this time, especially for those ordained to serve in Your Church to bring us
Your Word and Sacraments. We pray especially for: add your own
petitions
Jesus, Root of
the Tree of Life
Let
our prayer come to You
The Celebrant adds: Jesus, the Alpha
and Omega, as the Word made Flesh You are in God, with God, and of
God. Quench our spiritual thirst with the water of eternal life that we may see
Your glory, and live forever in You as You live within us. We ask through the
Holy Spirit, the Mother of Wisdom; and the Almighty Creator who together with
You are One God, now and through eternity. Amen.
