Lent
1-A
10 February AD 2008
Marks of a Disciple: Daily Prayer
In his book
Power Surge Michael Foss documents what we already seem to know;
though a vast majority of American adults self-identify as Christian,
this is not re-flected in their lives. You can document this in
America's public life; display the Ten Commandments or the Nativity
scene at Christmas in a public place and watch the craziness that
transpires. Suggest that you start an event with prayer and you'll
be arrested. So where is this vast majority? Why don't they make
an impression at the polls? Why are they not pounding on the doors
of their senators? Why are they not demanding justice in the courts?
Why are we not writing more letters to the paper? Why don't we
make our presence felt?
Foss tells
the experience of an American a mission director representing
his church body visiting China. He was surprised to find a vibrant
and active church there, though foreign missionaries were expelled
from China in 1949. This church had an initiation program, a catechization
process, for new members which took two years! If you don't participate
in the program there's no admission to the church. The American
asked if one might transfer in from the outside, if he were already
Christian. The answer was, "No." They had worked too
hard to build a solid Christian community; they would not risk
weakening it by allowing others to join without first teaching
them what their faith means-what it means to be a disciple.
That church
in China grew because they made disciples for Jesus Christ, they
were not merely looking for new members. They make every effort
to translate what they believe into positive behaviors. They actually
practice what we teach, that faith is active in love and service.
"Faith," said Luther, "is a living daring confi-dence
in God's grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake
his life on it a thousand times." (Foss p. 82) This church
has a novel approach; they expect new members to behave like Christians,
to be genuine disciples for Christ. The identifying marks of such
disciples are these: daily prayer, regular worship, Bible reading,
service, spiritual friendships and giving.
This is the
first in a series on the Marks of a Disciple. And, because it's
Lent, what better place to begin than with daily prayer? One of
the chief characteristics of Jesus' own life was prayer. His public
ministry begins with intense prayer, forty days and nights worth.
That's what the fasting is all about. Fasting is an aid to prayer.
Jesus went into the wilderness, to separate himself from all that
gets in the way of communion (conversation) with God. Jesus wasn't
just not eating. He was
denying himself in order to say "yes" to God.
Throughout his ministry Jesus sought times and places of solitude
which also help to facilitate prayer. He frequented lonely hill
tops and taught his disciples to do the same. The Garden of Gethsemane
was a favorite place in Jerusalem: somewhat isolated by a steep
walk down one hillside and up the other. I have suggested to you
many times, that if you would be a disciple you should find yourself
a quiet place, your own personal wilderness for communion with
God. Those who live alone have it easy. But when you live in a
family, or a dormitory, quiet places need to be found and defended;
sometimes just going for a walk works.
We live in
a noisy world. At home, radio, TV and even family inadvertently
in-trude on your silence. And even when you're out walking, car
radios, planes, other people, passing buses all disturb the peace.
I can tell you from experience that discovering a place where
you can be alone with God is a tremendous blessing-it's like having
your own retreat.
In the silence
you can quiet your mind and your soul and listen for the voice
of God. The Bible suggests sitting in silence and "waiting
on God."
" "Be still and know that I am God."(Ps 46:10)
" "For God alone my soul waits in silence." (Ps
62:5)
" "The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth
keep silence before him!" (Hab 2:20)
There is
a wisdom in following our Savior's example. In Mark 1:35 ff. we
read how before dawn Jesus got up and left the house to pray.
It wasn't enough that he got up early when others were still asleep,
he went off a distance, so as not to be disturbed when the household
would begin its morning routine. There are many personal and spiritual
benefits to seeking God in silence. Some people have a word or
a phrase which they use to set apart their time with God from
the world. I would be hard pressed to say there is only one right
way to commune with God. In fact those who teach prayer in retreat
settings can identify many methods.
Besides sitting
in silence before the Lord, there is prayerful and meditative
reading of scripture. There are times when you will want to pray
for your loved ones, for your personal needs, and for the needs
of Christ's church; for such prayer you use your own thoughts
and words. Some keep prayer lists and journals. In large group
settings we use a responsive prayer, as in worship. Others chant
the daily offices, our heritage from ages past.
My point,
disciples of our Lord Jesus pray. They pray at all times. In many
and
unique ways they fulfill the apostle Paul's instruction to-"pray
without ceasing," (1 Thes. 5:17). Disciples of our Lord pray
both with and without words. They pray the psalms and they utter
prayers the faithful have passed down through the generations,
the greatest of which is Jesus' own, Our Father, who art in heaven..."
A number
of years ago, when the prayer circle was active, I overheard a
complaint about a call. She didn't know the person and was frankly
tired of praying for those she didn't know. But you can say the
same for any given Sunday, when we'll pray for a hospitalized
uncle in Oregon, a soldier in Iraq, people in New Orleans whose
homes are gone. Our prayers reflect the thoughts and concerns
of our community, and at times they might be quite diverse.
The Church
is not only a communion of saints, she is a community of prayer,
a priestly people. Our personal prayers take their strength from
and are fortified by the communal gathering of the congregation.
And, our worship is fortified by our daily prayers.
This congregation
should be the gathering of Christ's disciples resolute on service
to the community by being a priestly people dedicated to prayer.
That's what our reputation among outsiders should be. There's
no reason why on any given Sun-day you are not sitting there with
a short list of those for whom you promised to pray; people and
issues for which you've prayed during the week. (Suggestions to
help you order your daily prayer life may be found on page 294
of LSB, or page 294 of LW.)
If Christian
America has any hope of revitalization it must begin with our
becom-ing a people dedicated to communion with God by means of
daily prayer. This is not in ourselves to accomplish alone. Paul
reminds believers that God is at work in you, both to will and
to work for his good pleasure. (Philip. 2:13)
What a great
gift prayer is, and too often you leave it lying idle on the table,
unused. Reconnect with the power of God today. Claim some quite
time for God, for you, for the world in which live, that Jesus'
may be glorified in our lives and in our church, if not he world.
Amen
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Hamburg, NJ 07419
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