Friday 1 March 2013

Friday -

Friday March 1 – World Day of Prayer
Prayer:  Great God,  take us out of our comfortable pew and provide us with a new perspective.   Be with those who worship You today through the World Day of Prayer.  May all our prayers rise up to You with great love.   May all our prayers rise up to You with our great joy.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Read St. Luke 9: 28 – 32

After Peter’s confession of Christ,  Jesus takes Peter and John and James up a mountain to pray.    Why did they go up a mountain?   Could the men not have stayed where they were and prayed together?

Some times one has to leave the comfortableness of one’s life and go to a new place in order to gain a perspective or a new perspective.   As Jesus is on the mountain praying,  Moses and Elijah come to support Jesus. 

As Jesus continues to pray and seek guidance,  his face and garments become bright.  Jesus is in the presence of God.

The three apostles had started to drift off to sleep.  This isn’t the sleep of boredom or late afternoon sugar lows but sleep of being overwhelmed.  They are overwhelmed with Jesus’ words in Luke 9: 23 - 27.  They are gaining a fuller understanding of the Messiahship of Jesus.  Interesting when we go through a life changing event,  sleep either comes easily or too difficultly.    For the apostles,  they needed the sleep.

The apostles wake up out of their sleepiness and discover Jesus is glowing.  By Jesus is Moses and Elijah.    Moses brought the law and Elijah brought the repentance to return to God.   As the apostles wake up out of their slumber,  the Messiahship of Jesus is confirmed yet again  for there stands Moses and Elijah.     

How does this story relate to us?   First we are given the example by Jesus to pray.  Pray when you are happy,  pray when you are sad,  pray when you are making a decision,  pray for others.  But in all things, pray.   When we pray,  we need to remember that we aren’t praying a request list.   If you have ever been involved in a prayer chain or online prayer request sites,  most of the prayer requests are for God to give the person something.    We need to remember that first and foremost we come into God’s presence in Adoration,  Confession our Sins,  with Thanksgiving,   and only then with prayer requests (also called Intercessions),  AND THEN  the words “May Your will be done”.   

The second example that Jesus gave to us is we never do ministry alone.   Life in God means sharing ministry with others. Jesus did not go up the mountain all by himself but took with him, Peter and James and John.   And then while on the mountain,  these four men were not alone either.   For with them came Moses and Elijah (and the glorious presence of God!).     By sharing the life and work of God with others,  we are sharing the love of Christ.   What could be better than that!    So today,  if you hear Ministers or Elders or Sunday School teachers or Choir Directors or Janitors saying they are so busy and they have so much work to do  remind them that they are not doing the Work of God all alone and to communicate what work needs to be completed in the Church with the congregation.  

Prayer:  God of life and love,  thank You that You are always with us as we minister to others.   God of love and peace,  thank You that we are never alone doing Your work.  God of peace and justice,  remind us that together we create Your Church so that all can come and learn of You.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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