July 29, 2007

17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Preparation for Worship

Question: What is prayer?  

Answer:  Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.

Westminster Shorter Catechism, 1647 in England

Like the spiritual life itself, prayer is initiated by God. No matter what we think about the origins of our prayers, they are all a response to the hidden workings of the Spirit within.

Soul Feast, Marjorie J. Thompson

The great thing is prayer. Prayer itself. If you want a life of prayer, the way to get it is by praying.

Thomas Merton

Today is the seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the longest portion of the church year. There is nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time as the term comes from the word “ordinal” which means to tell the rank (First, Second, Third, etc.) During the summer season we have switched the sanctuary around with the pulpit in the middle of the chancel area and the Lord’s Table in front of the pulpit. This change allows us to realize the centrality of the Word read and proclaimed in our worship. The Baptismal font, Lord’s Table, Pulpit, and Cross in the sanctuary all align in the middle of our sanctuary.

     The central text for today comes from the Gospel of Luke.  Jesus’ disciples ask him to teach them a prayer.  He responds with what we call The Lord’s Prayer; although it is a shorter version than the one found in Matthew 6.  Jesus then tells a parable to show a contrast.  If an unwilling householder can be persuaded by a the shameless persistence of a neighbor to give him what he needs, how much more will a loving God supply all of our needs! This can easily lead into a discussion of what prayer really is.

     The hymns, responses, prelude and postlude reflect different aspects of prayer. Discover what these say about prayer; among them—to whom, where and how we pray.  Today we will sing the Lord’s Prayer, #589 in the Presbyterian Hymnal.  It has a West Indies tempo.  Feel it and be moved by the music and words. The hymn, “Come Away with Me,” is an invitation to prayer.  Joe Chrisman knows Mary Nelson Keithahn who wrote the words; and Marian Bauer knows John Horman who wrote the music!