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Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
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Fifth Sunday of Lent or Passion Sunday |
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March 25, 2007 Prayer We have been talking about Lent, and the things we do in this season of the Church Year. But I pray we have seen that Christ, not Lent, has been our focus. It was never the intention of the Church to simply add another season to the calendar and another ritual to the list of ceremonies. Our objective is to apply ourselves to godliness. That is what Lent is all about. So, in Lent, we intentionally put aside some of the things that claim our attention, and apply ourselves to seeking God. We lay aside some of the pleasures of life. They may be good and lawful pleasures, but we lay them aside, not to say “I gave them up for Lent,” but to spend the time we normally devote to those pleasures seeking God. Of course we also spend the Lenten season turning away from the ungodly things we allow into our lives. I have spent the last few weeks talking about recognizing sin, confessing sin, and turning away from sin, and this is an essential part of holiness. I sincerely pray that we have all applied ourselves to this during Lent. But Lent is also a time of embracing godliness. It is a time to apply ourselves to the positive actions and attitudes that are so much a part of holy living. One of the most important of these is prayer. Lent is a time of prayer, and prayer is so essential to following Christ in holy living that we can say with certainty that to be a Christian is to be a person of prayer. And yet, I fear, many do not understand the essence of prayer, so I want to talk about that this morning. Prayer is not simply an exercise in asking God for things. It is to our shame that most Christians see prayer only as a time to ask God for blessings, and as a way to manipulate God. Actually prayer is much deeper than this. Prayer is nothing less than intentionally living in the presence of God. It is, as The Homilies remind us, quoting St. Augustine, “a lifting up of the mind to God, … a humble and lowly pouring out of the heart to God.” The same book, quoting Isidorus, calls prayer, “an affection of the heart and not a labor of the lips.” It is, “the inward groaning and crying of the heart to God” (see The Homilies, p. 234). So, in prayer, we are not so much seeking things from God, as we are seeking God Himself. This understanding of prayer moves beyond the mechanical, I ask - God gives, view of prayer. It also answers the ancient question, “why pray?” Why pray? We might as well ask why talk to a loved one? How can we say we love someone, yet not want to converse with him? What kind of relationship is conducted without communication, without communion? Those who love God will long for Him, will enjoy pouring out their hearts to Him in prayer, will earnestly desire to acknowledge His presence. Indeed, if prayer were only asking for things, we would not know why we pray, for it would be an exercise in futility. God knows all things. He already knows our needs and wants better than we know them ourselves. He doesn’t need us to remind Him. But if prayer is anything like the descriptions above, we know why we pray. It is my belief that many people don’t know how to pray. They’ve never been taught. They don’t have a clue how to confess sin, or thank God for their blessings, or recognize His glory and grace, or pray for the souls of others and the will of God to be done on earth. So let me give you the very best advice I know on the subject of how to pray. Simply pray the Bible. As you read the Bible, and you find that God requires a certain action or attitude from you, simply ask God to develop it in you. Does the Bible say we are to be holy as Christ is holy? Pray for holiness. Does the Bible say we are to love others as Christ has loved us? Pray that God would help you love. Does the Bible invite people to come to Jesus? Pray that millions will come today. Pray for God’s glory to be known around the world. Pray that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Christ. Pray that souls will be saved and lives will be changed. Pray that transformed people living transformed lives will be as salt and light in their homes and communities. Pray that the Church of Christ may boldly proclaim His truth. Pray that its ranks would swell so that all the church buildings in all the earth cannot hold it. Pray for the clergy and the people, the young and the old. Simply pray what the Bible says. You can use the very words of Scripture. For example, pray the Lord’s Prayer, word for word. Don’t try to improve upon the words of Christ. Just pray them. Pray the Bible. One of the best ways to pray the Bible is to use the Book of Common Prayer, or, as we often call it, the “Prayer Book.” The Prayer Book is simply the Bible in devotional form. Much of it comes right from the Bible, word-for-word. Other parts of it convey the Bible’s ideas and thoughts through indirect quotations and paraphrases. Anyone who knows the Bible can see how solidly Biblical the Prayer Book is. And anyone who is new to the Bible, and or prayer, will see how thoroughly the Prayer Book expresses the deep desires of a person to know and love God. The Prayer book is a “pouring out of the heart to God.” We often love a song or poem because it expresses our hearts. Couples have, “our song,” and it is a time honored tradition to express our feelings at life’s great moments in song and verse. Take for an example the great love poems and stories. It is as though the poets and singers say what we want to say, but just can’t seem to put into words. The great hymns of the faith do the same. Think of the Prayer Book in a similar way. Let its lines and words express your love and heart to God. Do not worry that you say the same prayer many times over in daily prayer and worship. Do not lovers listen to “our song” over and over? Doesn’t the song gain, rather than loose meaning through repetition? So it is with the Prayer Book. Its words are hallowed with use, not diminished by it. Let it express your heart to God. Read it to Him as you would sing a hymn to Him. Pray it to Him. It has been said that to have a God is to worship Him. We may legitimately add that to worship God is to pray. May God help us to be a people of prayer. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. The Rev. Dr. R. Dennis Campbell, Vicar, Holy Trinity Anglican Church,
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