https://youtu.be/cY6k2QhdCn0 How a firm foundation.
Andrew won't thank me for this, but prayer is a bit like training for a marathon, or half-marathon as in this image from the Richmond Run Fest last weekend. Prayer requires dogged, unrelenting, persistent, endless, continual and incessant training... and that's just the support team! I jest as training for any runner or athlete is essential. Just as prayer is for us who endeavour to be faithful.
This weekend is full, indeed this week has been full prayerfully too as Cohort 9 and the rest of the Cohorts who were licensed at the brink of Covid in 2020 gather tomorrow at Peterborough Cathedral to be relicensed and appointed Lay Ministers, Chaplains, Readers and Ministerial Workers. It is exciting, and special and I promise I won't carry out my threat of cartwheeling back down the Nave as I wanted to when licensed for the first time in 2019! The joy that I felt then has stayed with me, who knew ministry could be so joy filled and blessed. My heart felt thank you goes out to all who have been on this journey, laughter, tears, grief, happiness, pure joy and even more laughter are just some of the words that have been companions on the way along with hope and praise as the icing on the cake! Thank you, two words that say much.
On Sunday I am preaching at Benefield ...
Benefield Sermon - 16th October ‘22
18th Sunday after Trinity year C
Collect
God, our judge and saviour,
teach us to be open to your truth
and to trust in your love,
that we may live each day
with confidence in the salvation which is given
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains –
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip –
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you –
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm –
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and for evermore.
Luke 18: 1-8
The parable of the persistent widow
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”4 ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’6 And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’
Persistant Prayer - tenacious, persistant, perseverance
Synonyms and Compare Synonyms
constant
continual
endless
enduring
incessant
insistent
perpetual
relentless
repeated
resolute
steadfast
steady
stubborn
tenacious
unrelenting
unremitting
assiduous
bound
bound and determined
bulldogged
dogged
firm
fixed
immovable
in for long haul
indefatigable
interminable
like bad penny
never-ending
obdurate
obstinate
perseverant
persevering
persisting
pertinacious
sticky
tireless
unflagging
unshakable
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, my Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen
Collectively there are about 38 synonyms and compare synonyms that give us a feel for the word persistent. The parable of the Persistent Widow is one of those parables which addresses both ends of society the great and the good and the poor and the humble in ways we do not expect. It’s got a sting at the end, which pulls us up short as there is a line that could get lost…
“However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Jesus our Master and great teacher always seems to get at our soft underbelly and nudge us to really address difficult issues which leads us to finally getting the message and saying inwardly “Ah now I think I’ve got what I need to do” “OK Lord, open my mind, my heart my soul to really listening to you.” This prod from God then - are we really faithful people of prayer? That is quite an awkward question. We try but it takes effort, relentless, unflagging, continuous effort, and that is hard. It takes training, and for many it is a lifelong lesson of learning.
To teach is to be persistent, steadfast and to be able to repeat the message in many different ways until the task set is accomplished and understood. Not all students ‘get’ what they need to do straight away and it is up to the person charged with enabling learning to find a way around so the learner finds a way they gives them the lightbulb moment and recognition of ‘Oh I get it now’! That moment is of course not the end of the story, it is the progression of learning and how the learner puts into practice the knowledge they have just gained - the journey of learning if you like - that is the success story of education. Theory is great, the practice of that theory is even better and this is what Jesus is directing us to in this parable.
We know we should pray, we know God will listen to us if we are persistent but, do you know what, do we actually do it? Do we put into practice all the lessons we have had on prayer, do we pray for others on a daily basis, for the world, for our leaders, for the sick, for the weak for those in need and for ourselves? Do we say thank you? Hopefully yes we do on a Sunday, and here I have a fair bet that most of you do everyday or have the intention so to do. But it is hard, because we are sinners, we have things that divert us off track and that is what we need to be wary of, being diverted. We don’t always do what we should do, but Jesus the Good Shepherd and Teacher is reminding us to keep praying and waking us up to realising that persistent prayer works. In other words to be faithful. Our side of the Covenant that God loves us, unconditionally. Are we faithful in our response? Through prayer we endeavour to do that, and with grace from God and His love and understanding for us we have hope in that promise. However we need to put our work into our side of the Covenant, through persistent, dogged and unrelenting prayer of praise and supplication.
Continual prayer practice is essential. Getting into a rhythm of prayer is grounding to your everyday. I use a couple of prayer apps Lectio 365 and Pray as You Go. I get the first half of my daily exercise in as well when I go for my walk, as for me in my life and my personal growth, fresh air and a moment to have clarity is when I find myself drawing closer to my Lord and Teacher, Jesus. I plug myself into my ear buds and I get real focus on whatever the daily scripture is and what prayers are for that day. The act of walking for me helps me think clearly of who and what I need to pray for. This practice may not be for you, you may be the type that likes to sit quietly, or garden and pray or follow Morning and Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. God has made us as we are and we will all have preferences on how to best spend our productive and listening time with God. It is finding the way that works for one best that is vital, and actually making time to do it and to get into the rhythm of doing it, that’s the key focus!
But what to say in prayer? Now that’s another thing! In Matthew 6: 9-13 Jesus response to how should we pray:
“…As Jesus said
‘This, then, is how you should pray:
‘“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.[b]…”
We have the Lord’s Prayer as our wonderful gift and prayer of praise, steadfastness, forgiveness, reminder and hope. When you haven’t got anything to say to God - this prayer is always the starting point. It is the go to prayer when you are in crisis, or even to say thank you, this prayer says it all!
We for sometime here at Benefield have been using The Archbishop of York's open fist prayers, developed from Henri Nouwen’s fist prayer.
What is so wonderful about these prayers is the reminder that you have five things to pray for:
Thumb - the fattest digit for - Thanksgiving
Index finger the pointy one for - Direction
Middle finger - the one that is central to how we live with one another government - The King, and those in power
Ring finger - is actually quite weak and we need support from Friends and Family and we remember those who are weak, sick or in need
Little finger - Ourselves
Then both hands lifted up in supplication - in more thanksgiving, ready for giving and receiving.
If perhaps like some of us you have a short-term memory issue and can’t remember what each finger does, just touching each digit on the hand is enough of an intention to give you the point that you need to pray into. We are all different and when we need to, we find a way to help us pray effectively and sincerely. The hardest thing for a marathon runner is stepping out of the door on a cold wet morning, prayer too can be hard, but do it because hard work and persistence as Jesus said pays off....
’6 And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.
Luke 18: 6-8
Prayer is lifelong, it is tenacious, it is enduring, it is stubborn, it is bound, bound to God in thankfulness for all that has been done and given to us, the apex of that gift being Jesus, Crucified for us to forgive us for our sins. Time given in precious, persistent prayer is the least we can do for all that has been done for us. I am of a contrite heart when I realise how little time I truly give to this vital continual and unrelenting practice. Like an old school report - “Caroline needs focus on one thing at a time…” I am mindful that I could be more faithful and focused in my prayers. Prayer is the thread that weaves throughout our lives and binds us to God in hope and love.
https://youtu.be/Optrm7lF16s Be Thou My Vision - Audrey Assad
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