Connected in Prayer

As a child of the church I was taught about prayer and how to pray very early in life. I’m fairly certain my introduction to prayer would have been around the dinner table as we said grace before eating. For my own children I know that is their first encounter with prayer. When we sit down to dinner each night my 3 year old leads us in a simple prayer and our 1 year old chimes in with an enthusiastic “Ah-me” at the end.

As I have grown in my prayer life I have come to understand that prayer is more like having a conversation with God and a sharing of my life, my thoughts, my very self with God. But today I was reminded of another important aspect of prayer. I’m reading the book Turn My Mourning into Dancing by Henri Nouwen. In the chapter I was reading today Henri says this about prayer,

““As you enter into intimate communion with God, you enter into intimate communion with the people of God. Prayer is communion with God in the privacy of our own places. It is also communion with the people of God around the world and through the centuries. Such love allows us to let go of our little fears. This may seem difficult, but such love, as it works in us, ultimately offers us a way out of self-righteousness and oppression. It rescues us from the illusion that makes the rich think they know what is best for the poor, men think they know what is best for women, or whites think they know what is best for blacks.””

— Henri Nouwen

Yes, prayer is a personal and private conversation with God. In prayer we are able to come before God in our raw, unfiltered moments of grief, shame, anger, and doubt. And yet prayer is also something that connects us to the people of God in every time and place. In prayer we not only lift up what is on our hearts but we also pray on behalf of others, of our communities, of places in our world we have never visited, for struggles and situations in which we are not directly affected. We do this because we believe in that power of prayer. We believe in the community action and support that is found in a rich life of prayer. We believe in God who hears our prayers and responds in love and that God does the same for those we would consider other. 

In our current reality you many find that you have a long list of people, places, and situations that you are lifting up to the Lord in prayer. While you are taking those moments in solitude to pray I hope you remember that in your prayer you are connected to so many believers - those who attend your church, live in your community, your nation, the world, in every time that has been. When we recognize this deep connection we can more easily set aside those fears that hold us, those assumptions that limit us, and those boundaries that divide us. 

The Light Behind the Darkness

I was driving home one day recently when a summer thunderstorm was moving through our area. As I drove down the highway if I looked to the left there was nothing but dark ominous clouds and I could see sheets of rain off in the distance. If I looked to the right there was bright sun, blue sky, and fluffy white clouds. Have you every experienced something like that? Maybe you were in the middle of a storm but for just a moment the clouds parted and the brilliant sun’s light broke through the darkness for just a moment. 

We all have stormy moments in our lives. Unfortunately right now it seems like another immediately follows one storm.  These storms take the shape of illness, grief, uncertainty, anxiety, loss, unrest, anger…the list goes on.  When the storm clouds hover overhead too long we can almost forget the sun and we believe that all there will ever be is clouds.  But the truth is the sun is always there even when we can’t see it.  

The same is true of God. When we are in the midst of stormy seasons in our lives it can feel like God is not with us, but that cannot be further from the truth. We read in the Psalms, 

“Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.”

— Psalm 139:7-12

Friends, like the sun that continues to warm the Earth even from behind the storm clouds, our God continues to sustain us even when the storms of life are raging around us. God does not promise that you will never experience storms, but when the storms come God will not abandon you and more than that God will continue to provide, sustain, and strengthen you. 

Broken People in a Broken World

“We are broken people living in a broken world.”

This is a biblical truth that I have heard since I was little.  As a Christian leader it’s a message that I have preached from the pulpit, taught in classes, and prayed about over and over again. In 1 John 1 we read, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us…If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” We are broken people indeed. 

This phrase has been ringing in my ears with everything that has happened in the last days, weeks, months.  It has consumed me in the past few days as we bore witness to the needless death of George Floyd. I have cried, I have been angry, but mostly, I have felt helplessly overwhelmed by the reality set before me. 

Maybe you have felt this way too. Maybe you also recognize that we are broken people living in a broken world. Maybe this truth has seeped into you and caused your heart to turn cold. Maybe you’ve thrown your hands up in the air because you feel like there is no hope. I understand. That nihilistic little voice inside me is whispering that nothing will ever change – humans are broken – how can we possibly hope to heal. 

While it is true that we are broken people living in a broken world, that phrase is only half of the truth. If we dwell on the reality of our sin without also recognizing the powerful truth, hope, and grace found in Jesus Christ we will be consumed by darkness and frozen in despair.  The quote above from 1 John 1 only tells half the story – here is the full quote, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Friends, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world, is for us.  When we feel hopeless and helpless Christ is there. When we feel that the darkness surrounds us Christ provides light. When we are sinking down beneath the crashing waves Christ extends his hand to raise us up. And we who follow Christ are called to do the same for others. We are called to stand with those who are oppressed, persecuted, and outcast. We are called to be the light of the world. We are called to extend our hand to our sisters and brothers to help raise them up and support them when they fall. 

Sometimes the injustice of this world can feel so insurmountable that we don’t know where to begin. Might I recommend you begin with prayer and reflection?  Prayer is a powerful thing, but it is also an active thing. We need to pray with our feet. We need to take steps toward healing, peace, and justice. We need to use our time, talent, and treasure to be a witness to God’s love and justice.

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You can do this right now - tonight. There is a peaceful prayer vigil happening tonight in Lower Makefield. You can join with our neighbors as we pray together for a peaceful and more just tomorrow.

Count Your Blessings

The other night my 3-year-old daughter had a nightmare and so I found myself lying next to her at 2:30am trying to sooth her back to sleep. This has been happening more frequently now, probably because of her age and active imagination.  One of the things that I do is hum to her as a way to get her to calm down and go back to sleep. The other night a song from the movie White Christmaspopped into my head and so I began humming the tune to Count Your Blessings.  White Christmashas always been a favorite movie of mine, but if you haven’t seen it in a while you can watch the clip on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb5My4Vfsdo) 

Here is how the song begins, 

“When I'm worried and I can't sleep 

I count my blessings instead of sheep

And I fall asleep counting my blessings 

When my bankroll is getting small 

I think of when I had none at all 

And I fall asleep counting my blessings”

Humming this tune to Annalise as she tried to settle her mind after a nightmare made me stop to think about the many, many blessings in my own life - my kids being two big ones! I’ve found that in these recent days the bad, stressful, upsetting, dark moments in my day can sometimes outnumber the kind, joy-filled, hopeful moments.  And when that happens it can become easy, far too easy, to lose sight of our blessings.  Remembering your blessings, big and small, and giving thanks to God for them can help to ground you when the world is shifting all around you.  And so I encourage you each day before you go to bed to think about your many blessings as you fall asleep and give thanks to God for the continued goodness that God has bestowed upon you that day and everyday. 

A Beautiful Mosaic

Well friends, it’s been a long time since we've been able to see each other. And yet, I’m so grateful for the many ways this family of faith has found to connect, unite, and care for each other during this time. 

There are two images that I want to share with you that have brought me hope and act as a visual reminder to me and hopefully to you, that while we are physically apart from each other we remain connected by the Spirit. 

The first image is of a beautiful mosaic butterfly that was created by the children and youth of our Sunday School. Each student received one piece of the larger poster to color. Once they were done they sent the completed work back to me and I put them all together to create this beautiful butterfly poster. I pray every day for the children, youth, and their parents. This is a hard time to be a kid and a hard time to be a parent especially as all our routines and the activities that we enjoy have been canceled. As we come closer to the end of the school year I invite you to say an extra prayer for those who were set to graduate, to attend proms, play in tournaments, perform shows, and so much more. And pray for parents, many of whom are trying to figure out working from home while helping homeschool their children.

The other image that has reminded me about just how connected we continue to be is a screenshot I took during Sunday's Communion Service on Zoom. During that service I emphasized how each time we celebrate the Lord's Supper we are just one table participating in a larger feast that stretches around the world in millions of churches and that reaches all the way back to that very first supper when Jesus took bread and wine and shared it with his disciples. It also is a foretaste of the feast that is promised in the kingdom of God. So, each time we gather, be it in the church building, or at our own tables with others on Zoom, we are one piece of the broader community of faith celebrating the Lord's Supper together.  

Both of these images are like a mosaic - each of us bringing a piece of the puzzle with us, each of us bringing our experience, our love, our joy, and sharing it with others. And then when we are all put together we make a beautiful work of art and a vibrant family of faith.

If you are feeling alone or lonely at this time or if you are feeling disconnected - I hope these images can be for you a visual reminder that we are all connected now and always, one to another, through the Spirit. Praise be to God!