October 14, 2022
Haven’t got a prayer?
In praying my morning office Tuesday morning, the lesson from the Hebrew Scriptures was from the first chapter of Jonah. In verse 5, I read, “Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god.” (NRSV) I thought it was a funny coincidence at the time of my reading. But it came back to me as tragic as I got into my car to drive home later that day. I turned the Mariners’ game on the radio before I left the parking garage—just in time to hear the sound of a game winning, three run, walk off homerun by the Astros. If I would have left the radio on after that, I just might have heard the sound of fearful Mariners crying out to their gods.
Which raises the question of what, and for whom, is prayer for? What do mariners, from either Joppa or Seattle, expect their prayers to “do”?
The biblical witness is consistent in two important ways on prayer. First it is clear that people of faith should pray regularly, fervently, and honestly. Second it is clear that there are many different types of prayer for many different purposes and reasons. As a spiritual director once told me, most people think of prayer as “asking for something” primarily. And that severely limits the depth and breadth of the possibilities of prayer in one’s life of faith.
Fortunately, we are going to have some opportunities to both broaden and deepen our experiences and understandings of prayer in the weeks ahead. In the first series of our “First and Third Sundays” of Christian formation, we will be exploring prayer in its various forms. There are many lists of types of prayer. The one we have chosen is by no means the most through or complete, but is a very good place to start. This list is from the Catechism from the Book of Common Prayer (USA), and so it reads as a series of questions and answers.
Here is that section of the Catechism:
Q: What is prayer?
A: Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words.
Q: What is Christian Prayer?
A: Christian prayer is response to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Q: What prayer did Christ teach us?
A: Our Lord gave us the example of prayer known as the Lord's Prayer. .
Q: What are the principal kinds of prayer?
A: The principal kinds of prayer are adoration, praise, thanksgiving, penitence, oblation, intercession, and petition.
Q: What is adoration?
A: Adoration is the lifting up of the heart and mind to God, asking nothing but to enjoy God's presence.
Q: Why do we praise God?
A: We praise God, not to obtain anything, but because God's Being draws praise from us.
Q: For what do we offer thanksgiving?
A: Thanksgiving is offered to God for all the blessings of this life, for our redemption, and for whatever draws us closer to God.
Q: What is penitence?
A: In penitence, we confess our sins and make restitution where possible, with the intention to amend our lives.
Q: What is prayer of oblation?
A: Oblation is an offering of ourselves, our lives and labors, in union with Christ, for the purposes of God.
Q: What are intercession and petition?
A: Intercession brings before God the needs of others; in petition, we present our own needs, that God's will may be done.
In the three sessions on prayer beginning this Sunday after worship in the Summit Building, we will gather as an intergenerational church and use visual art, poetry, and music to reflect our thoughts and feelings about prayer in general, or a type of prayer in particular.
It is worth noting is that this will be the first time since I have been your pastor that we will be gathering for lunch after our time together in our Church Fellowship Hall at Noon. For those of you, like myself, who are new—and those of you who have forgotten—we ask you to make a donation of $7.50 per lunch, but no more than $20 for a family. Both cash and credit cards are welcome. I look forward to being with you all for a return to our church’s rhythms for some, and a new rhythm for others of us. Whether new or old, it will be a great time to be together.
We will also offer an opportunity to explore prayer this coming Advent season by reading the small, classic book Praying the Psalms. Written by the fine Old Testament scholar, Walter Bruggeman, this simple book invites us to consider how the psalms can become our prayers. I recall how much we learned from each other in Lent of 2022 when many of you wrote reflections on psalms that were important to you. I hope this opportunity rekindles the energy we had last Lent as we reflect on what the psalms teach us about ourselves, our God, and our praying to God. Details will be available soon, so stay tuned.
We also have the opportunity to practice our prayers. We can do this as individuals, such as the morning prayer I referred to above; as couples, families, and small groups; as a church, as in worship or our Wednesday evening prayer meeting; or with other Christians or even with believers from other faiths. We will have a chance to participate in this last example, as St. Mark’s Cathedral is hosting an interfaith (and non-partisan) prayer event to pray for healing and unity in our country before the upcoming election. It will occur on Monday, November 7, from 7-8pm. You can attend in person at St. Mark’s, or attend virtually via livestream. Information can be found here.
With all of these prayerful opportunities, never let it be said in seriousness, that First Covenant Church hasn’t got a prayer.
Only time will tell about the Mariners.
Pastor Todd