Yesterday, Pastor Jon continued in week two of our Prayer series. By way of reminder, he emphasized that our focus on the practices of following Jesus in community is not legalistic or compulsory. As a church, we will make recommendations to you, and you get to make decisions. This is invitational, not required. At the same time, Pastor Jon wanted to be clear as to why we desire for you to implement these practices:

 

If you had the opportunity to be with us, you’ll know that this sermon was a different than last week. Pastor Jon communicated at the beginning that much of the sermon would be us joining together with him in public prayer as he worked through the Lord’s prayer on behalf of one of his closest friends. 

 

While Pastor Jon prayed and taught, there were a few lines that felt particularly impactful. As we prayed through and reflected on our own current struggles with sin, we quoted Paul’s writing to the church in Rome to remember that it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Christ didn’t wait for us to be perfect or to perform a certain regiment of X, Y, and Z before he deemed us worthy of his sacrifice and redeeming love. It was while we were still sinning that Christ pursued us and still does. We are wholly pursued by a loving and relational God. 

 

Pastor Jon confessed before the church that there are times he has failed to pray for his friend. I can deeply identify with this. How often do I offer condolences and affirmation that I will be in prayer for someone, only to let it slip down the priority list and be crowded out by life’s many distractions? If you also identify with this, you are not alone in your desire to grow in this area. 

 

Pastor Jon also shared openly about times he can be confused by prayer - how it can be difficult to wrestle with unanswered prayer when Luke 11:9-13 appears to make prayer seem so simple. To this, Jon shared a resource with us that has been helpful to him - a book by author Pete Greig called God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer. This book walks us through a number of possible reasons why prayers go unanswered. Please let Jon know if you would like more information about the book. 

 

Lastly, Pastor Jon emphasized to us just how difficult it can be to prioritize prayer in our digital moment. When our attention is literally monetized, we face a particularly challenging resistance to the margin necessary in our lives to pray and seek God. As we progress through the prayer practice in the next couple weeks, we will address this more specifically. 

 

Please plan to join us next week for week 3 of the Prayer series!