Dear People of St. David’s,
These four little verses from Luke’s Gospel pack a lot of meaning. It seems that Jesus had “a certain place” to pray. Perhaps, like many practiced pray-ers, he had a routine for his time of communication with God. There was something attractive about Jesus’ activity of prayer; the disciples wanted to copy it. Come to that, they wanted to pray even before they met Jesus, because they learned prayer practice from John the Baptist, too.
This is one of two places in the Gospels (see also Matthew 6:9-13) where Jesus gives us what we have come to call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Because Luke and Matthew give us slightly different words—and because I personally use yet another form, I have learned that Jesus wasn’t giving us an incantation, but rather a formula. God’s love is like that of a parent, God wants health and wholeness for us. We want to be forgiven, so we better learn how to forgive. God is with us in hard times.
Two millennia later, people still yearn to pray—and lots of us worry that we don’t really know how. My take is that prayer can take many forms: the words of Jesus, certainly, but also enjoying God’s creation while walking, sitting in silence, singing a hymn, or reading holy Scripture. A special blessing of The Episcopal Church is our Book of Common Prayer, a rich resource not only for our corporate worship in church, but for our personal prayer as well. Find two forms of the Lord’s Prayer on page 132, and two more on 364.
When I am sad or worried is when I want to pray most. I am feeling especially prayerful as I consider the state of our national discourse and political life, as we hurtle towards the next national election. The following Thanksgiving for National Life: For the Nation gives voice to my love of country, my desires for our common life, and my reliance on God’s providence. You will find it beginning on p. 838. (To get your own Book of Common Prayer, visit St. David’s Gift Shop.)
Almighty God, giver of all good things: We thank you for the natural majesty and beauty of this land. They restore us, though we often destroy them. Heal us.
We thank you for the great resources of this nation. They make us rich, though we often exploit them. Forgive us.
We thank you for the men and women who have made this country strong. They are models for us, though we often fall short of them. Inspire us.
We thank you for the torch of liberty which has been lit in this land. It has drawn people from every nation, though we have often hidden from its light. Enlighten us.
We thank you for the faith we have inherited in all its rich variety. It sustains our life, though we have been faithless again and again. Renew us.
Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun. Strengthen our efforts to blot out ignorance and prejudice, and to abolish poverty and crime. And hasten the day when all our people, with many voices in one united chorus, will glorify your holy Name. Amen.
Faithfully,
Nancy+
The Rev. Nancy Webb Stroud
Priest Associate
Published July 11, 2024