For Sunday,
June 2, 2019, 7th Sunday of Easter, Year C, 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 proseltyzing or performing miracles. On the way to a place of prayer, his miracle in a
particular slave for which her owners lost money landed him and Silas
in jail. Just 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. 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 word.
Now, as we end this Easter season, 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, is
prayer only a way to call out for help when I want or need something for myself
or someone else? Or, 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, prayer keeps connecting me to
God in Christ and the Holy Spirit who are already within me.
There are innumerable volumes of books
written on various forms and schools of prayer, many worth exploring. If prayer
seems difficult, intimidating, or mysterious, a simple way to begin is just to have
a conversation with God, taking comfort with and confiding in your closest
confidante ~ the Person who knows you better than you know yourself. There are
no right words, no correct procedures, just everyday words in sincerity
and faith, even if you think sometimes that your faith is
wavering or weak. A plain, quiet help me,
Lord can open your heart, and in turn your soul, to the experience of even
a mustard seed amount of faith.
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 way - aloud, silently, written,
poetic, scattered, rambling. There is always an interested
non-judgmental Listener. Prayer is the opportunity, in faith, 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 with God are all, together.
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, teach us the words to make God known in the hearts of those who lead
the nations and all the people of the Earth, to ensure justice, peace, and the
necessities of human life. We pray especially for: We pray especially for:
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 fill those who support
them with compassion. We now join our voices to pray aloud
for those in need…
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 now enter the gates of heavenly peace and life everlasting. We
pray especially for:
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…
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 those ordained to serve in Your
Church to bring us Your Word and Sacraments.
We pray especially for:
Jesus, Root of the Tree of
Life
Let our prayer
come to You
The Celebrant adds: Jesus, Alpha and Omega, as
the Word made Flesh You are in God, with God, and of God. Quench our spiritual
thirst with the flowing water of eternal life that we may see Your glory and
live forever in You as You do 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.
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