People of Prayer - Rector's Rambling for April 29, 2018

As we finish April, we look forward to wonderful opportunities coming up in the month of May.

On Saturday, May 5, at 4:00 PM, we welcome Karen Abercrombie, Miss Clara, from the hit movie War Room.  By now I hope that you have seen the movie or have learned enough about it that you are looking forward to being here to hear Ms. Abercrombie speak.

In this wonderful movie, Miss Clara demonstrates the importance of prayer, and the power that it has to effect change.  The title of the event at St. John’s is The Power of Prayer because it is just that – powerful!  Tickets are only $5.00 and I hope that you are planning on coming and bringing a friend or two.  You can pay at the door, or pay ahead on-line through our parish Web site or Facebook page.

Then the following week, we begin our Thy Kingdom Come prayer services at the St. John’s Prayer Wall.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, has asked that the Church spend the time between the Feast of the Ascension (May 10 this year) and Whitsunday (May 20) praying with special intention for the coming of the Kingdom of God.  And this year we are praying with special intention for the conversion of our friends and family to faith in Jesus Christ.  Please take advantage of this by beginning to make a list of all those you would like to pray for, to come into a relationship with Jesus, or perhaps back into a relationship with Him.

As Christians we might take for granted “prayer”.  After all, we pray here at St. John’s when we worship, and I hope that we are saying our prayers between Sundays.  It is our responsibility, our duty, to be people of prayer.  But more importantly we need to embrace that it is our privilege and joy to be able to pray.

We pray because we know that God hears us, that He loves us, and desires the best for us.  And we pray because we love Him, want to hear Him, and we want to live as he would have us live.  Prayer puts us into His presence so that we can live all these reasons!  This prayer can be formal, like the Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer, corporate like the Holy Communion service, and personal like those times of private prayer and devotion.

We do all three types, as well as prayerful study of scripture, and quiet time of listening, so that we can come to know Him more and become more like Him.