‘…Everything is for your sake’, Paul writes to the
somewhat difficult Corinthians, ‘so that grace, as it extends to more and more
people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose
heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being
renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an
eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be
seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what
cannot be seen is eternal’ (2 Cor. 4:15-18).
Is our ‘inner nature’ being renewed day by day as
Paul suggests? And if not, what can we do to ensure that it is so renewed?
Well, in the newsletter last week and this I have carried an insert about listening
to prayer, and contemplation in prayer, referring those of you who have the
internet to www.pray-as-you-go.org. Lasting between ten and thirteen
minutes, each day’s contribution combines music, scripture and some questions
for reflection. The aim is to help you to become more aware of God’s presence
in your life; to listen to and reflect on God’s word; and to grow in your
relationship with God. It is produced by Jesuit Media Initiatives, with
material written by a number of British Jesuits and other experts in the
spirituality of St Ignatius of Loyola. The so-called ‘Ignatian method’ is a
well-respected method of meditation and though Roman Catholic in origin, there
are testimonials from non-Catholics on the website from enthusiasts who use the
site’s materials every day in their prayer life. I have found it very peaceful
and helpful. I hope that you do too. For those who have no access to the
internet, ask a friend who has access to download the materials for you to play
through I-tunes on an I-pod or the like. There are also regularly prayers, songs and readings from Taizé on another free
webcast. Meditation on Scripture, it has been said, draws us more deeply into a loving
relationship with the God whom we meet there, and a clearer knowledge of his purposes
for us.
We’ve
been thinking about prayer at the PCC recently, and concluded that we needed a
new group from the congregation to draw up our intercessions. Today is the
first occasion when we are using the offerings from a member of the group. We
pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire the thoughts, contemplations and
meditations of the members of the group as they prepare these prayers for us.
We are aiming at spiritual diversity and different styles of prayer: this
reflects the wonderful diversity of the Christian experience throughout the
world. If our prayer life is rich and deep, then so too will be our witness.
In
American parlance, a ‘breakout church’ is a
congregation that has experienced at least five years of decline followed by at
least five years of growth. Recently the common elements in 50,000 churches in
the US, which had experienced a period of decline followed by one of growth,
were analysed. In sum, the process
described is one of gaining a newly found confidence and hope, or moving from an inwardly-focused to an
outwardly-focused mind set. This story can become the story of our church. The
first steps are to strengthen our life of prayer and our meditation upon the
Word of God, in order, as Paul suggests, to renew our inner nature day by day.
Once we are ourselves renewed we can turn to enquire of others whether they wish
to join us on our journey because we can talk with a newly found confidence
about the working of the Holy Spirit within our Church. Henceforth, ‘we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot
be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.’
I was looking for an additional closing thought.
Where to look? What better place than Henri Nouwen’s Bread for the Journey. Reflections for Everyday of the Year? I
happened upon the entry for 9 June in this, Nouwen’s last book, an entry which
was called ‘empowered to pray’. Here it is:
‘Prayer is the gift of the Spirit. Often we wonder
how to pray; when to pray and what to pray. We can become very concerned about
methods and techniques of prayer. But finally it is not we who pray but the
Spirit who prays in us.
‘Paul says: “The Spirit… comes to help us in our
weakness, for, when we do not know how to pray properly, then the Spirit
personally makes our petitions for us in groans that cannot be put into words;
and he who can see into all hearts knows what the Spirit means because the
prayers that the Spirit makes for God’s holy people are always in accordance
with the mind of God” (Romans 8:26-28). These words explain why the Spirit is
called the Consoler.’
And Nouwen’s entry for 8 June, on the theme of being
‘empowered to speak’, is also relevant in our prayerful support for our new
group of intercession writers. He writes:
‘The Spirit that Jesus gives us empowers us to
speak. Often when we are expected to speak in front of people who intimidate
us, we are nervous and self-conscious. But if we live in the Spirit, we don’t
have to worry about what to say. We will find ourselves ready to speak when the
need is there. “When they take you before… [the] authorities, do not worry
about how to defend yourselves or what to say, because when the time comes, the
Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say” (Luke 12:11-12).’
‘We waste much of our time in anxious preparation’,
Nouwen warns us. ‘Let’s claim the truth that the Spirit that Jesus gave us will
speak in us and speak convincingly.’ Amen.
