Saturday, February 28

ALPHA and OMEGA

The symbolism of these words becomes more real as

 the needle on your “alpha – omega meter” moves ever 

closer to the right.

If we hearken to St. Paul’s words in 1 Thess. 5: 16-­18 (NIV)

We are to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all 

circumstances;; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Thus, everything between Alpha and Omega is to be, hopefully, 

one long prayer. Much easier said than done! 

However, 

When we deliberately pray the words found in Luke 11: 2-­4 

S   L   O   W   L   Y 

They become as fresh and as new and as timeless 

as they were ever meant to be. 

Even now, come Lord Jesus! 

Amen.

Joe Beckett

Friday, February 27

I began to think and pray about what to write for the Lenten meditation shortly after I was given the topic. John and I discussed a direction that we thought the writing could take and agreed on an in-­depth reflection of a favorite prayer. The next night, I opened my daily devotional, Encouraging Words for Mothers. The entry for January 6th started with Psalm 17:6 – “I call on you my God, for you will answer me, turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.” The devotion was about a mom who was in an emergency situation and her child reminded her to pray. Her daughter taught her that prayer should be instinctive, that God should be the first one on your speed dial. It was followed by a short prayer, “Lord, help me to pray without ceasing – especially where my children are concerned. Amen.” WOW! This spoke to me in so many ways. I don’t think I really knew how to pray until I became a mother. Since my first pregnancy, prayer was the only way that I could tackle the most important, uncharted territory of my life. Prayer continues to help me through the ups and downs of motherhood and life in general.

Two nights later, I sat down to read to Simon from his book, One Year Devotions for Preschoolers and the title for Jan. 8th was “God Will Listen.” The passage simply explained that God is always ready to listen to your prayers. The bible verse was: “Pray to me, and I will answer you.” (Jeremiah 33:3). Reading this, made me think about the Lenten meditation and how simplistic a message about prayer can be. Maybe taking the Lenten meditation down to the level of a child is what we need sometimes.

A few nights later, Penny’s Five Minute Bible Devotions for Children was titled “God’s Good Care.” It told the story from Exodus 16: 4-­18 and 17: 1-­7 of Moses leading God’s People. It ended by telling that God is always there to help you because he loves and cares for you. The ending prayer was, “Thank you, God, for loving and caring for me. Please help me remember to always talk to you when I am worried or afraid. Amen.” Again....I was led to focus on the simplistic message for children about prayer.

These books cover a wide variety of topics and I found the message of prayer in all three the week after given the Lenten meditation assignment. Maybe the in-­depth reflection of a favorite prayer was not the route to take, but to focus on the basic ideas that God is always there to listen and that we should always talk to Him. It is important to teach our children this from a young age, so that prayer becomes instinctive in their lives.

Jessica Lenhart

Thursday, February 26

The practice of prayer is primary for the pilgrim on the path. For prayer is soul energy turning to its life source for growth and power and communion. It is a gentle, spiritual movement that brings about a face-­to-­faceness of human soul with Divine Spirit. Prayer is soul energy yearning to express its great gratitude to God for being and yearning to declare its dependence on God. Prayer is soul energy burning — it is selfhood aflame — and seeking to unite with the Eternal Fire of Love.

Prayer is one-­ing with God, a concrete expression of one's particular participation in the cosmic continuum. Prayer is a honing of awareness of our lost-­ness. It is a homing which cancels our aimlessness and homelessness and removes us from ravages of restless refugeeism. Prayer is a true expression of who we are. We make ourselves what we are by the way we address God. Prayer thus becomes not only a remembering of what we have been, but also an awareness of what we now are and what we can be. It is a simultaneous integrating and re-­structuring activity of the soul. Prayer is asking oneself to give an account of self in order to face life and confess who one really is.

Richard Batzler

Wednesday, February 25

I have come to believe that to pray, I must first LISTEN. I must listen to the One who hears everything! I believe I am in prayer when I listen to others. I try to be as focused and present as possible. This is not easy because my life is chuck full of information, people and “stuff.” The daily “chit-­chat” of life is likely to throw me off balance (and I am an extrovert, so I can only imagine how difficult it must be for an introvert to find the quiet time necessary to be present). I think listening is a prayer stance. God already knows what I want, but God, also, knows what I need to become the person I was created to be. So, I have to find the time and the quiet space to be in prayer with God. Often, I find the time and space when I am walking my dog. When I walk, I listen to the ocean, the wind, the trees, the rain, the birds, the deer, whatever entity happens to be “talking” on a given day. I see people walking with ear phones and telephones attached to their ears and I think, how sad, they are missing all the real conversation in the universe. Did you know that the sun sends out music? What would it be like to hear the music of the universe? I'll never know, if I don't listen for it.

So, for me, prayer is being present to the Holy Presence.

Pat Wilson

Tuesday, February 24

The best place for me to pray is walking the beach in the winter: the ocean and the sand change every day. It is always magical to see how the sun reflects, and to look out and realize that this ocean can take me anywhere in the world! There is a connectedness with other cultures, and an awareness of the many areas of the world that are in turmoil and hurting. It is so easy to open up to God and to share my innermost thoughts, my prayers for others and myself and to ask for guidance. In the winter very often the only footprints in the sand are mine, heading to Sanderling or the pier and back, and I can easily imagine God walking beside me, ear cocked and listening! I sing many times. Sometimes, in the summer, if I see someone who looks lost or forlorn, I pray a “flash prayer” for that person to feel surrounded by God’s love and to experience something special. On rare occasions, my eyes will connect with him or her, and I’ll see a quizzical or surprised expression, and I smile. This beach feels like a “thin” place to me, closer to God than other places in the world, and it is so spiritual and so special. It is “home.”

Sandy Fricker

Monday, February 23

                      “I have fixed my eyes on your hills, 

                       Jerusalem, my Destiny: 

                       Though I cannot see the end for me, 

                       I cannot turn away.”

After many years of turning away from my Quaker faith, I began to search for something soul-­filling; yet each church I attended left me still empty. On the first Sunday of Lent in 1989, I attended St. Mary's Catholic Church with a friend. Their gathering hymn was “Jerusalem, You Are My Destiny.” It spoke to me so personally and resonated so deeply. Now years later, during every Lenten season, its message reenergizes my faith once more. Here's my poem to explain:

A breath of Holy Spirit for decades lay in lea, 

It nudged a seed long dormant, biding time to coax it free. 

A whisper of forgotten wind, a promised, gentle whoosh 

Began a saving journey with persistent, holy push.

That fragile seed of faith struggled strong to grow anew, 

And with the help of friends and family, it even stronger grew. 

Drinking deep the Holy Waters, it gripped life with lusty force, 

A seed fertilized with fervor; the hand of God, its source.

Years later, during Lenten time, the promise duplicates, 

Remembering that call to God, its strength rejuvenates. 

Jerusalem is beckoning, both Him and me it seems, 

Reminding me through daily prayer, through passing thoughts and dreams.

Thanks be to God for patience, for his latent plan for me. 

For the showing and the sharing of my needed destiny. 

My thirsty faith renews itself each year at Easter time, 

As I fix my eyes on Holy Hills, my journey's end sublime.

Glen Baldwin

Sunday, February 22 - First Sunday in Lent

Today during communion, two members of our Healing Prayer Ministry will approach the altar before other members of the congregation. One will take the blessed oil that has been sitting on a corner, and both, after receiving the elements, will retire to the alcove near the Apostles. Often Father Tom will have announced that a Healing Team is available to pray with you.

Who are these members of All Saints? What is this all about? Should you expect something? What?

The Gospels tell of two sendings forth. According to Matthew: Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness... Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. And Luke tells, The Lord now chose seventy-­two other disciples and sent them on ahead in pairs to all the towns and villages he planned to visit...to heal the sick... ”As you heal them, say, 'The Kingdom of God is near you now.’” When the seventy-­two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, ”Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”

In studying the healings of Christ, you find a coming or a bringing, a statement of need, a touching or laying on of hands, a prayer (silent or spoken), an instruction, and healing. Later St. James in his letter to churches wrote, Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well;; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

Healing Ministry pairs similarly offer themselves to you.

We invite you to come, to ask, to speak to God your need, the need of a friend or a family member, the need of anyone you know who hurts. We will pray with you for that need and for healing in Jesus name, as He commanded. And then we anoint you in the name of our Creator, His Son our Lord, and Holy Spirit.

Come to pray for any trouble - illness, sorrow, loss, fear, depression or anxiety; or come to thank Him for blessings you or another has received. Nothing is too small or too large to bring before God. You need not speak if you can’t. But the blessing promised by Christ through His disciples so long ago is waiting, now. Come. Ask. Receive. He awaits; do not fear.

Perry White

Saturday, February 21

                          What Does Prayer Mean to Me?

Why is that simple question so complex and difficult to answer? Webster says that prayer is a humble entreaty made to God. The Thesaurus says synonyms for prayers are petition, solicitation, request, appeal, plea, implore. Wikipedia says the word prayer comes from the Latin word “precari,” which means to ask earnestly or to beg. The Apostle Paul modeled the importance of a deliberate and consistent commitment to go to God in prayer and that prayer must involve both the “spirit and the mind.” (1 Cor: 14) Jesus taught us to pray “The Lord’s Prayer.”

There is no simple answer to understanding prayer. Prayer is more about a journey with God, rather than a simple definition or action. This quote from Thomas Carlyle expresses its complexity: “Prayer is and remains always a native and deepest impulse of the soul of man.”

Prayer for me is about opening up myself to listen to God. Yes, I am good at talking and asking and imploring, but only if I am quiet and open to listening can I know what my Heavenly Father expects from me. I must get out of His way and let Him communicate to me. I especially realized this truth a number of years ago when I was facing a very difficult situation. I was in church and praying hard just prior to Communion. I literally felt that I was in a deep pit and my anxiety was pushing me down, down, down. Then all of sudden, I literally felt that I was being pulled up, up, up by God’s Strength and Love and Grace. And I knew if I did what God expected of me that it would be ok. I realized then that prayer is about God’s Will. And the reason for seeking God’s will is that our Father knows what is best for us.

Sylvia Wadsworth

Friday, February 20

                How Do I Prepare? 

                 A Poem for Lent

How do I go deeper? How do I prepare? 

What do I deny myself to find what’s really there?

If dust is where I’m from, and returning to for sure, 

What good is striving after wind, pretending that there’s more?

Around me friends are passing, and all my eyes can see, 

Is not where they have gone, only where they’ll no more be.

Jesus died for all our sins, but what if that’s just wrong? 

What if all that happened was a great man died too young?

And what if God is not in us as Jesus did intone, 

What if He is nowhere, and we are all alone?

Then what purpose would this life be? What purpose was His cross? 

Why not just seek my pleasure now, no matter what the cost?

Sometimes these questions come with disturbing frequency, 

But then I look into her eyes, and suddenly I see.

I see my wife, my closest friend, redemption too, I see. 

Not just do I see God in her, but she sees Him in me.

And then I have the answer to the way I should prepare, 

To understand why Jesus died, to find what’s really there.

By looking out to see within, by giving not receiving. 

And then, at last, I will have found a purpose in His leaving.

By helping others, not myself, for that is where He lies, 

Find Him in them, and then in me He will at last arise.

Jeff Edwards

Thursday, February 19

PRAYER Living in the Element of God

Prayer is an element of our human condition.

With our humanity comes the awareness of the dynamic being beyond and greater than ourselves and our being reaches out to communicate. Most elemental for us is the extreme crisis when, “God help me, God help us!” springs unbidden from the depths of our being. We reach out instinctively for power and help from another level and God is present before we cry out.

Prayer is our response to the beauty of creation. Walking on the beach, kayaking in the marshes, biking through the woods, we become still and our souls open to the power and peace of creation. We pray in adoration and our spirits soar beyond words.

Praying as a Christian. “Through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Prayer goes beyond the physical creation. The life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus - the Incarnation - has become part of our DNA.

Our reflection on the person of Jesus, hearing and responding to the Gospel and receiving the sacraments time after time has imprinted that ‘event’ in our spirit. God’s incarnation through Jesus brought God close to us in compassion and grace. For the Jews, the Tabernacle and the Temple was the location where prayer was offered. The most significant prayer was offered by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies where God was present. The meaning of the Incarnation is that GOD IS WITH US. The presence of the divine close to us, within us, in our contingent, temporal locale does not mean that God’s holiness is less or diminished, rather we recognize the ordinary, down to earth, transformed as “holy space.”

Recognizing “The Holy” first increases our sense of being unworthy. The prophet Isaiah experiencing the power and holiness of God’s presence cried, “I am a man of unclean lips‘‘ (Full story Isaiah 6: 1-­6) Now, as we grasp the grace and compassion of God shown in Jesus life, we are free and empowered to talk to God as family, “Abba, Father.“ So, the glory of prayer through Christ is that as individuals and as a community, we can pray confidently and powerfully, as Jesus did. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. (Hebrews 10: 22) Prayer is our spoken and unspoken walk with God. We do not always consciously verbalize prayer. As our conscious and unconscious spirit tries to make God, our Christ DNA, present in the world, we are praying always.

Lilias Morrison

Wednesday, February 18 - Ash Wednesday

Prayer:

Lent is a time for prayer. This year the Lenten booklet is focused on Prayer as our fellow parishioners of All Saints share what prayer means to them. I have said I cannot ask people to share what I have not already shared, so Kaye White asked me to write the first reflection for Ash Wednesday.

When I was a child I was taught to memorize prayers as a way of setting aside moments to pay attention to God. The first prayer I learned was “Now I lay me down to sleep . . .”, which was a dedication of my trips into the nightly unconscious dream world. The next prayer was the blessing at dinner; “God is Great, God is good. . .” and that was later replaced with “Bless O Lord this food to our use.. ” As I grew in Church I learned the Lord's prayer, the General Thanksgiving, the Confession and more stuff from the Book of Common Prayer. Prayers came in rote form - words to be said.

As I grew in faith, I started to understand it was not about the words that I said but the conversation between my heart and the heart of God and sometimes those conversations had no words but were filled with Holy Silence. I pray to set aside moments in a busy day to remind myself that I am not alone, that each moment is filled with the presence of God who is the ground of my being. God is here when I get anxious. God is here when I find life out of control. God is here when in my arrogance I think I don't need God and I can handle the world all by myself. God is here when I see such beauty that I am in awe and wonder. God is here when I witness such horror in human behavior that I ask God for help in how I might help to redeem it and to give me the strength and will to try. God is here when I fail and when I succeed.

I remember one time when I was driving home from a trip in a winter storm and the old car was on its last legs and I had sixty more miles to go. I decided to give an exclamation of prayer, “Thank you God” for each time the odometer registered a mile closer. I don't think that God fixed the motor, but all I knew was that God was here with me, if the car broke down or not.

Prayer is the discipline to listen to God even in those empty days when I have a glimpse of a feeling that God is a delusion. But the reality of God as the ground of my being is not dependent on any transient feelings. In those moments I remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:20 “Remember I am with you every day through to the end of all eternity.” (my translation)

Tom Wilson