Welcome to Pastor Jack Buckley's weekly blog and podcast.
You have three ways to hear his weekly message:
- Read Pastor Jack's GODblog.
- Listen now to an audio of the scripture reading and Pastor Jack's sermon.
- Listen anytime. You choose the time and place. Download Pastor Jack's GODcast to your MP3 player.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Some Notes On Prayer
This coming Sunday I'll begin a sermon series on The Lord's Prayer, just a few simple lines that Jesus gave us, that just happen to span the whole wide world of human experience. More on that next week.
For now, I want to share with you a few of the ways I prayed last weekend while over 60 members of our church family and I were on retreat in the redwood forest of Sonoma County.
First I breathed a sigh of thanks to God for the natural beauty all around us at St. Dorothy's Rest, the Episcopal conference center we've retreated to for 12 years now. There's a palpable serenity in the air, under the canopy of giant trees, even though you pass scores of private cabins as you drive up the winding hillside road to get there.
Then I told God "thank you" for safe journeys all around -- even if a bit delayed here and there by busy Friday traffic on highway 101. And for each person/family who'd chosen to drop out of life's usual busy-ness, just to see what God might do in our time-out away. What a delightful mixed group we were: ages 3 1/2 to 80-something; longtime members and newbies; a lot of Presbyterians and a few good Methodists. (Plus the hospitable team of Episcopalians who outdid biblical Martha in attending to our every need -- even a bit o' plumbing repair and flea extermination.)
In every teaching session I prayed for God to open my heart and mind to receive what Rev. Kelley O'Connor had to say about being the church in a new and challenging century. Kelley's one of the Methodists I mentioned, pastoring in Forestville for 7 years now. She's been our music leader in the past, and this time we received both the church's music and God's words translated through her gracious personality. She and God conspired nicely to answer my prayers for new insight.
I also prayed for God to smile on the person for whom I was a Secret Pal. Over the weekend, I struck anonymously to bless my person with a note card, a chocolate bar, and a little piece of handmade pottery. Nothing fancy. But grace notes of care. Multiply that by the number of retreaters and you've got the makings of a mini-revival.
Saturday evening I got to pray like crazy for help and protection, when my wife Joanne got woozy and worried in our meeting. My first thought was blood sugar weirdness, since she's diabetic. When she couldn't even remember what she'd done about insulin before dinner, I got scared. We called 911. Two staff members, just happening to be an EMT and an RN, ministered to her. Then off she went in an ambulance to the hospital half an hour away. With me and a volunteer companion following right behind.
The good news is she had nothing serious wrong and was discharged from the ER in time for us to fall into bed by 2:15 a.m. It boiled down to a sinus infection playing tricks on her inner ear, causing vertigo and nausea. In God's funny way, Kelley had distributed airline barf bags as a teaching point (don't ask) in the very meeting where Joanne fell sick.
Sunday morning my bit o' honey was embarrassed by all the concerned attention. But she was grateful for the love that lay behind it. And during our Communion celebration she said so, among scads of testimonials we all shared about the blessings of our weekend together. Then we prayed in sentences, phrases, even single words, to tell God and each other what was in our hearts.
Prayer, in all its varied forms, is the Christian's life-breath. We exhale our wants and needs to God, who knows us better and cares about us more than we could ever do for ourselves. And we inhale God's presence and wisdom and power to do more than we could imagine, let alone hope for.
So breathe deep. Relax. Rejoice.
Then, repeat.
posted by Jack Buckley at
12:11 PM
<< Home
|
|
 |
|
|
