Deepen Faith and Witness: Prayer

In Lent I will be writing about faith practices, as a way to address our Synod Benchmark, Deepen Faith and Witness.  Dorothy Bass, editor of the now classic book, Practicing our Faith, defines faith practices this way:

  “Practices are those shared activities that address fundamental needs of humanity and the rest of creation and that, woven together, form a way of life.” 

She goes on:  “Reflecting on practices as they have been shaped in the context of Christian faith leads us to encounter the possibility of a faithful way of life, one that is both attuned to present-day needs and taught by ancient wisdom.”

Prayer is foundational to the life of faith.  It is a way that we engage in our ongoing relationship with God.  Prayer can be as simple as a spontaneous, “God, help me!” to an elaborate liturgical prayer in a service of worship.  Christians pray.  So do others of different faiths.  Prayer is an intentional placing of oneself into communion with God.  Communion with God?  That’s a pretty audacious assertion, isn’t it?  But then think back to Sunday morning when many a pastor introduces the Lord’s Prayer with “we are bold to say….” 

Jesus’ disciples knew that part of a life of faith was prayer.  They saw Jesus frequently at prayer.  And they weren’t sure they had the knack of it.  So they asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray.”  And he did.  What we call “the Lord’s Prayer.” I love being in a congregation watching a 3-year- old squirm and wiggle and sigh with great boredom, and then recite the Lord’s Prayer perfectly.

 Martin Luther stressed the importance of the Lord’s Prayer, exhorting families to make sure that every member knew it.  In the Large Catechism he wrote:

 “ That we may know what and how to pray, however, our Lord Christ himself has taught us both the way and the words.” 

He goes on: “In the second place, what ought to impel and arouse us to pray all the more is the fact that God has made and affirmed a promise:  that what we pray is a certain and sure thing.”

From the outside, you may not be able to tell the difference between people of faith and others.  We may work at the same jobs, give to the same charities, play on the same teams, work together for justice.  The difference is internal.  We serve others because of our gratitude to God.  And we stay connected to God, to our roots through prayer.

Does God always answer our prayers the way we would want?  No.  We all know that.  But prayer is not a “to do” list that we email to God and expect immediate results.  Prayer is entering into deep relationship—a relationship that involves listening as well as speaking (or thinking the words silently.)
 
As we enter Lent, consider deepening your prayer life, as a way to become even more closer connected with the source of your being, Jesus Christ.

Jessica Crist, Bishop