Does prayer work?

What does it mean to pray? Why do we pray? Do you pray the same way today as you did as a child? What form of prayer invites you to listen instead of talking?

I have people in my life who are ill. I have people in my life who are grieving a death. I have people in my life who are happy. I have people in my life that haven't got a clue. So where does prayer come in?

Is it saying one does not trust God if one realizes that God really doesn't answer prayer?You ask here whether people mean prayers? When people pray, I believe they mean prayer as they are able to or in the capacity to which they see God. They pray with a wish list and if it isn't fulfilled then they look at it that someone "deserved" it. This archaic way of looking at God stops people from really feeling the depth and the breath of God. Like a child on December 1st making the Santa wish list. All through the month they are told, "be good or Santa won't bring you what you want."

In the book I am reading, Praying in the Messiness of Life by Linda Douty, where I found the prayer by Garnass-Holmes, {previous post}, Douty says, "Maybe to say prayer works really means that we trust God to be with us in a profound and sustaining way, regardless of how things turn out..... prayer is more about [the] relationship than results." But that is Douty... most people will say they pray looking for God to do something. But when they do not trust God's presence in their life and do not see the authentic presence of God these prayers can sound empty.

Here I am preaching this and not following God's presence myself ... showing my humanness of anger, frustration and arrogance in order to hide my hurt and fear. But I take great comfort in the fact that I come around. Most people don't ... they live this fairy tale existence, trying to believe something that is impossible to understand and believe, instead of getting to the ultimate truth; as opposed to teenage truth as per Marcus Borg, truth as that wich is factual.

It is scary for people when they face down that the God they are praying to really has little control over the future ... that life is what it is. That is not cynicism, it is great faith in its essence and a true understanding of God's plan. I was chatting with someone who made the comment I am usually in the right place at the right time.... I corrected her and said no, that I simply trust that there is an ultimate plan and when we choose not to fight and manipulate our lives but let life happen then it works. I told her not that I think there is someone in "up there" playing chess and we are the pawns but that there is a pattern and cosmic life's journey that we have to trust.

Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!!

Where is God?

This is usually the question of a child as they ponder the greater picture. So where is it that we grow into a point to which we think we really know where God is? At what point in our lives can we finally say, "I have it all together..." I think never. Truthfully, those who think they have it all together are in for a great shock. Most recently I have been introduced via the community events page of the local paper to a man by the name of John Bevere through a video series being offered at a local church called "Driven by Eternity". So I did some research and checked him out. He scares me, really he does. He scares me that there are people who actually follow his lead and attempt to learn from his teachings. Is this God? Does John Bevere have it figured out? I hope not, but in absolute truth, I really can't dispute if he does or doesn't because I do not have the answers about eternity and I don't know anyone else who does either.

I have a friend who is struggling with some health issues. I think of him and his family every single day. That is their reality. Are they concerned with eternity? I don't know but I think they just want to get through today, here on earth. I also have lots of questions ... things that I ponder about this afternoon, tomorrow, next week, the fall. I tend to think about life on earth and how God is present in my life here and now. Eternity seems so far away and when I don't know what is beyond I think I will leave it up to God. To quote my good friend Gord, "Our message {as pastors} should be focused on this world, what happens after that we leave in better hands than ours." By focussing on this world in a healthy and prayerful way God will be present and we need not worry for our eternity.

Let me share some affirming words:

As you sit in prayer
and try to remain mindful of God,
failing because your thoughts wander,
remember this:
that God is perfectly mindful of you always,
attentive to your being and your doing,
never straying from your heart,
not missing a single breath,
or forgetting a single heartbeat.
God is never distracted, never forgets.
Without neglecting anything else in Creation,
for all of Creation is present in God,
God is fully present to you,
seeing not from afar but from within
your journeys, thoughts and feelings,
holding tenderly your sins and wounds,
delighting in your gifts and beauties,
fully aware of what you yourself
only dimly suspect deep within you.
God is in all that you see, and in your seeing,
in what you hear, and in your hearing,
in your wondering, in your sorrow, in your awe,
God is grateful for you, and delights in you.
God longs in you, grieves in you, exults in you.
God gives full, peaceful, loving attention to you
all your day and all through the night,
not controlling or manipulating,
just beholding, blessing, loving
and breathing life into you,
powerful, joyful, beautiful, infinite life,
granting you mindfulness
and mindful always of you.
........written by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Have a wonderful day and may you find peace and hope in your prayer life.

Climb that mountain...

Today is a big day. It is the 173rd Anniversary service at church and we have been planning it for a few months. There will be a Gospel Trio to provide music, strawberries, shortcake and ice cream and it will all take place on the church lawn under two large tents. What a great opportunity to share in God's creation and enjoy the summer weather.

Funny that the signature piece that brought my attention to the Trio is called, "I'll meet you on the mountain" so I chose to make that the theme of the worship. This past week I went to the lectionary and the scripture is Genesis 22:1-14 the story of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. Not a pretty piece of scripture for an anniversary service, or is it? What more glory and passion can we take from a father who trusts in God so deeply that he will do the unthinkable. Sacrifice his own son. Is your faith that deep? I likely could honestly say no, but then again I have the witness of the sacrifice of my own son. It was a few years ago when my boy was on the street, struggling with life out west. I had given all could give. I had no money left and he was still in the gutter. In the golden land of plenty, oil country, where if you trip over a rock you have a job. Where you could change jobs as often as you changed your underwear, he was claiming he could not find work. Was he on drugs? I suspected so. After trying an intervention and flying out to "save" him I returned realizing he was his own worst enemy. It was then that I gave my son over to God. I tried to sacrifice him on that mountain I took him up and layed him on the alter and gave him over to God. My heart was breaking and I was in the depths of despair, but God said, "Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me" (v.12) God saved my boy. God brought him back to life, on the mountain that day. But I had to trust enough to take him there. It was my trust in God that saved the boys life.

I pulled a book off my shelf this week and tossed it on the table thinking I would get around to reading it. I had pulled it from a rack at the thrift store just because it spoke to me. It is called "Into Thin Air". So this morning I looked at it a little closer to begin reading it and it is "a personal account of the Mt. Everest Disaster". How fitting on this mountain top Sunday. How fitting that God has put this in my hands on the day I am taking the people to the mountaintop to face their own fear of God and asking themselves, "how much do I trust?" How fitting that I am experiencing my own mountaintop experience.

Do I trust God? You bet I do. I have had enough mountaintop experiences to know that God will always save us, but it is only in the moment of fully trusting do we see God's face and hear God's voice. As long as we hold on at all God may remain silent and let us kill our only son.

Trust, my friends, fully trust in God!

Jesus is always ahead of us waiting...

Matthew 28:7 from Eugene Peterson's The Message: "Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galiee. You will see him there' That's the message."

I love how Eugene Peterson captures the gospel in such a way that it is present and alive. "That's the message." Jesus is always slightly ahead of us and waiting for us to arrive, but in our faith we have to trust that. Most recently I was facing challenges and decisions that were difficult. I was scared and I was confused and I really wanted to stay where it was safe and, although I was not happy, I was safe in my despair, so that despair was my comfort. I was not ready to face the unknown. However, I prayerfully considered everything took the leap and trusted God to carry me through. When I arrived, Jesus was already there. The risen Christ, smiling reminding me that in order to live sometimes something must die!

Resurrection. Transitions and neutral zones are difficult but it is through these times that a person grows and finds the strength of God within. Often early church teachings lead us to understand that God is "somewhere out there" like over the rainbow. The early Christians had no understanding beyond the sky above their heads. They were steeped in Hebrew Scripture with Genesis' account of creation and, knowing no better, it was within their scope to believe God lived above the firmament or the dome, beyond the stars. But how does that work for our scientific mind today? We are witness to space travel and pictures of earth from beyond.

The mystery of God is all around us. As we gather this mystery close to our heart and listen quietly we hear the voice of God within guiding us and caring for our very soul. I have heard it said, and I cannot find the quote to credit it, but I have heard it said that there was a man who said:

"I have searched the universe over and I am witness to say there is no God." A wise response came back, "I agree, like this violin, I have tore it apart and can attest there is no music."

Come and be witness to the mystery. Do not ask questions, just simply be, trust and share in the beauty and wonder of God, as Jesus saw it and as Jesus died for it ... You to can be resurrected from a painful life, if you simply take the first step!

Spring offers up new life and sprouts of hope

Are you watching as all the trees, grass, flowers and critters are exploding with spring? It is wonderful to see Mother Nature come to life and feel energized again. In being away over the long weekend at a wonderful women's conference it was a chance for me to regroup and really search my heart. Being in community with 600 women speaks to me. The presence of God was alive and well in each and every moment of the weekend.

Dynamic speakers, healthy plenary sessions, one on one chatting over a glass of wine and sharing in a meal. Reconnecting with women who have been lost to us and sharing with young and old. All good stuff.

I am at a cross roads of my life. Many changes are on the horizon, some I have control over and some I do not. What I do know is that God is in charge of my life because I choose to listen to my heart; I listen to the love of God guiding me. As I watch the revelation of God before me and put one foot in front of the other, I listen to the voice of God in people I work with, visit with and share in Sunday morning worship. I hear God in music, the heart beat of my cat and the cry of my grandson.

Where does it all lead? I really don't know yet, I am waiting and watching. So come on a journey with me as we watch and wait together.

Spring brings us such hope for the future....

Picture from: http://www.theseedofhope.com/


Luke 24:13-35 On the Road to Emmaus was the featured scripture yesterday and I believe I have shared how much I love this passage. However, like always as I was reading it yet again to preach it I found a verse I had never realized before.

Verse 27 "Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures." After asking questions and getting to know what these two were all about and allowing them to tell their story, Jesus taught.

How often do we never allow those we are trying to teach to tell their story. Shania Twain has just released her book and is telling her story. She said today on Canada AM that right now today she cannot sing. She is in physio to help correct this. It is an emotional block that she needs to deal with. She needs to tell her story. Do we not all need to tell our own story in order to empty the cup, open the void so that Jesus can then teach us anew?

On Monday's I often feel a little lost or in the midst of turmoil, wondering is this all God has planned for me. Preach and empty myself on Sunday, share with those in the pews and then find little to fill myself up with. What can I fill the void with? God is showing me.

This morning I went for a two hour bike ride. I enjoyed the spring sunshine, rode hard on rough terrain and was blessed with God's voice in my ears. "I love you", "you are wonderful", "keep up the good work" ............. "begin with Moses and all the prophets and interprete for them the things about Jesus they need to know........." "Love my children and share me with them." God is in charge of my journey I know this to be true.

Each day is a new beginning. A new day with another opportunity to be a beacon of God's love. Like on the road to Emmaus I can be Jesus in disguise, if I listen and teach then those I touch will suddenly see the presence of our Lord in their own lives.

Where is Jesus in your life? Is he there and you haven't noticed? Listen to God's voice in your life and you will start each day with a renewed sense of hope. Hope in this life and beyond this life.

Blessings.

Good Friday

Today for many Christians they acknowledge the death of Jesus on the cross but fail to see the saving grace that the cross offers to each of us. The revelation of God through this death, the brutal crucifixion, is our reminder that through an unbelievable level of pain comes an opportunity for us to really see God.

By suffering with Jesus and seeing our own pain we rise again to a better life with God. Bearing the pain is the ultimate truth of our relationship with God. Jesus died for us on the cross but he died on many levels and we can find God through this death in many ways. That is the beauty of the scriptures and the various gospels we have to ponder. Each writer shares with us a different way to be present with the eyewitnesses of that day.

The re-discovering of the events of Good Friday and pondering this death on this day is a perennial event (N.T. Wright: The Challenge of Easter). With each layer unveiled one can see more clearly that Jesus is God and faithfully celebrate the empty tomb.

Bring yourself to the foot of the cross and see it in all your pain. Bring your ego and your stresses to the foot of the cross and let Jesus bear it for you. In this, the finding of your personal relationship with Jesus, you will celebrate the empty tomb and the resurrection of God in your life. This is a blessed day.

Later on Good Friday....

I just returned from the morning service where we shared in the loss and death of Jesus on the cross. As we bear our burdens and bring them to the cross it is there we find Jesus in his fullest. As he suffers for us on our behalf, we are reminded why he died on the cross for us. We can better understand through the Good Friday experience what it means that he "died for our sins". We can witness and leave our burdens there as we wait on Saturday for the Risen Lord to return to us in his divinity and bringing to us God's love.

It is through my study of scripture, theologically thinking it through, sharing it with others through means like this blog and my own sharing of God's love that I better understand God and the presence of God in my life. Today many others brought themselves to the cross and as we meet on Sunday morning to celebrate we will do so with glad hearts and a lighter load!