“ADVENT MIDWEEK THREE 2024”
Saint Matthew 26: 41
Midweek 3: December 19 Anno Domini 2024
Fr Jay Watson, SSP
You must pray. Praying is not just talking to God, although it is that. Praying is saying back to God what He first says to you. It is certainly praise and thanksgiving. It is confessing clearly The Faith in the very words of God contained in His word to you—The Holy Scriptures. Of course, prayer can also be intercessory wherein you ask The Lord for help in your needs and necessities.
So yes, you talk to God, and it should be aurally and orally, i.e., “out loud” so that your ears hear as well, what is spoken in your mind and heart; your ears need to receive the words as well.
But do not chat with The Creator, and do not ramble and chitter with The Alpha and Omega as you would with any pal or chum. The Omnipotent and Merciful One is not your pal. That is demeaning The Savior and His precious Blood. Yes, Jesus is your friend, and He bids you along with the “12” to know Him as friend, but casualness and sloven dialoging is not something one does with The King. A creature does not speak with The Creator as equals, or even as close associates. Another thing that can go wrong, and usually does, when you are just free-wheeling with your verbiage to The Lord, is, that you tend to quickly turn Him into a permissive Genii who you think should grant you your requests. And, your petitions may in fact be worthy, but God will remain in His Word. He will do His Word. Thank God that His Word is your forgiveness and your salvation and your life.
Another thing you should never do, speaking of intercessory prayers; never tell someone when they ask for your prayers on their behalf that you will pray for them if you do not actually mean that you will do so—a formal “prayer” prayer. None of this “I will just shoot some good thoughts and positive vibes to the “big man” on your behalf.” Prayer is serious and should be treated so.
If you truly love, or loved, your earthly Father, or your protective, caring, and loving big-brother, you would indeed talk with them…a lot. The fact that you do not pray daily the way you should is your trespass.
What and how should you pray? Again, pray The Word of God, and pray those prayers that are taken from The Lord’s Person and Work; and His will for you and His Church.
Prayer and praying are mentioned ubiquitously in Scripture. There is no getting away from it. The Patriarchs prayed, so did the Kings and seers, and Prophets. It is simply what a Christian does. So instead of telling you again how you sin by not praying, let us return to the what and how.
The “what” as mentioned—is God’s Word. So please pray, better yet, sing/chant, your own personal prayer-book—The Psalter. Pray the Psalms every day. Take your copy of The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH) and pray some of the collects every day; pray the designated collect for the week (as we did when I prayed the collect from Sunday; Gaudete). These are all in the front of your hymnals. Those private and individual concerns that you have—health, job, family crises, wishes for the conversion of loved ones, etc., include them into the shape and umbrella of a Psalm or collect.
Take your Small Catechism off the shelf and pray it as well. As you speak it aloud and turn each section into a prayer, you will re-learn it and re-memorize it. This is how Dr. Luther wanted it to be employed.
If you do not think you are good at praying, do it anyway. It is supposed to be not only an Advent discipline but a life discipline. You get better at stretching, or running, or lifting weights, or even cooking, by DOING it. Make prayer a daily habit.
Saint Stephen prayed for his murderers, echoing our Lord’s own prayers on Calvary. Paul prayed; Peter prayed; they all did. Saint John the Baptist’s disciples prayed, and thus in Saint Luke’s 11th chapter we hear: “And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And He said unto them, when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” [Lk. 11. 1-4].
The sermon could perfectly stop here. This is the perfect prayer for you; given to you by The God/Man Himself, because you are not just praying for yourself, but for The Church, God’s flock. The Second Petition has you praying “Thy Kingdom come.” And with Luther you acknowledge “The Kingdom of God comes indeed, without our prayer, of itself; but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us also.” Prayer does not change God, prayer changes you. The Holy Spirit places you into the mind of Christ so that every God-pleasing prayer is indeed “Thy will be done,” or as it concludes: “For Thine is the Kingdom and The Power and The Glory forever and ever.”
And even if you are so devastated you cannot speak, or a stroke has taken your voice: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” [Rom. 8. 26].
Jesus’ Father’s house is called a “house of prayer” [Mt. 21. 13]. You, in your flesh with your body, are that house: “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you”
[1 Cor. 16. 19]. And Peter Gospels: “ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” [1 Pet. 2. 5].
The Apostle tells the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing” [1 Thess. 5. 17], and he tells you likewise.
And when you do not pray, take heart. Jesus continues to pray for you: “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession [prayers] for them” [Heb. 7. 25]. “Father forgive them.” And He does!
In The Name of The Father and of + The Son and of The Holy Ghost
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