Wednesday Wonder – February 21, 2024

The first week of Lent is complete. How are you feeling? How are you doing with any intentions you made? Are you finding it easy to keep them, or are they a challenge?

Those intentions we set for Lent, whether taking something up, giving something up or just being more mindful and intentional in our lives, should be at least a bit challenging. What we do during this time of year is to help us better connect with God, others and ourselves. If it is too easy, maybe you need to choose something else. Working a little harder isn’t a bad thing.

I set intentional prayer time as one of my intentions this year. Not that I don’t usually pray, but it often happens at random times when I have a few minutes. During Lent, it is at a more set time (and place, as life would have it). It was easy for the first few days. But the weekend got a little more difficult. I don’t have the same routine on the weekends. Reminding myself that it was time to pray even though I wasn’t in my usual spot, took some reminding. Thank goodness we can set reminder alarms on our phones these days!

And, of course, there is that little loophole about Lent that I love to exploit. Maybe you have never heard of it. Lent is actually 46 days long, not 40 as we usually think. Those extra six days are Sundays. And Sundays, are supposed to be ‘little Easters’. We don’t have to observe our ‘fasting’ on Sundays. In the past, I have leaned into that idea with gusto. I mean really, who can actually go a full 46 days without chocolate! The Bible says Jesus was only in the desert for 40 days after all. But it all sort of defeats the purpose of keeping the intention I set. So, this year, I am keeping my intention even on Sundays. And I hope, now that I have revealed the loophole you won’t all take advantage of it either.

My original plan for Lent this year was to offer a study on prayer. Six sessions on different kinds of prayer. So often I hear that people feel they don’t know how to pray. I know there was a time I felt the same. And the idea of praying ‘off the cuff’ in front of people scared me to death. I got over that with some work. You all pray more than you realize, each and every day.

That “Thank you!” that you sent up after the near miss at the stop light; that was a prayer. It is called an arrow prayer. It goes straight to God and straight to the point. We often do it without thinking. Gratitude sometimes can’t be held back.

Prayer is nothing more than a dialogue with God. We speak, then we give God a chance to speak. Our speaking part is probably easiest for us. Listening for God to speak can be a challenge. God doesn’t respond quite like the person sitting next to us. We have to listen a little more carefully. And God doesn’t always answer right away. We may say “Amen” and finish our prayer, but God may take up the conversation again anytime, anywhere. So, in some ways, we are always praying. Maybe that is what the apostle Paul was thinking when he wrote: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18a) We can be, and should be, in constant conversation with God. The quiet moments are often when God speaks most clearly. But God also speaks through the voices and actions of others. Keep the prayer lines open so you don’t miss the response. One caution. “No,” is also an answer. As is, “Not yet,” or “My way, not the way you expected.” God can surprise us with things we never thought possible.

Keep praying. It works. I am hearing stories from within our congregation about the power of prayer, of how people are seeing it work. And I am hoping that this afternoon, my radiation oncologist will agree with me. It is working for me too.

Peace,
Rev. Mary-Jane