Almighty and
everlasting God, who dost govern all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully
hear the supplications of thy people, and in our time grant us thy peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
This week's Collect goes back to basics,
but they are the very basics that we must go back to again, and again, and
again, because we mostly don't understand it - or believe it. I realize I
shouldn't use such a broad generalization however twenty seven years of
ministry and almost forty years as a Christian have taught me that, while we
will often state that we believe that God really is in charge and "governs
all things in heaven and earth," we don't really live in a way that
demonstrates that understanding and belief.
Equally, we too often don't live in a way that demonstrates a belief
that God really does hear and answer all of our prayers.
What would our lives look like if we really
lived with the sure and certain hope of God's being in charge? Well for one
thing, we'd be a lot less anxious wouldn't we? Jesus said that we should not be
anxious about our lives - what we will eat or what we will wear - that God
provides for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. (Luke 12:22-34)
Jesus says that we should not be anxious about our lives, because our Father in
heaven has already taken care of things. St. Paul makes a similar statement in
his letter to the Philippians: "do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
(Philippians 4:6)
I know that the anxieties I feel in my own life are often
associated with really wondering if God can take care of things. Worries about
providing for my family creep in sometimes, and yet time and time again my life
experience teaches me that God always provides one way or another. Sometimes
I'm anxious because I want both to honor God, and not to look foolish or
embarrass the Diocese of San Joaquin or the Anglican Church in North America.
That was true this past weekend when I gave the opening invocation at the Walk
for Life West Coast. Speaking before 60,000 people was new for me and, if I'm
honest, I was anxious - that anxiety was, in part, my not giving things over to
Jesus and trusting that he's in charge. Needless to say, he came through and I
did not trip and fall on my face - physically or metaphorically.
This is not to say that this kind of faith
is simply fatalistic. Far from it! Because we are believers in Jesus Christ, we
know that he's given us ministries and responsibilities to represent him in a
fallen and broken world. That means that we need to pick ourselves up and, in
faith and the power of the Holy Spirit, head out to do what we are called to
do. That's what I did this weekend - put one step before the other and trusted
that God would cover it. And you know what? He did!
The second half of the Collect calls us to
trust that God really does hear and answer our prayers - every one of them.
Great sadness has come over me throughout the years when I've spoken to people
in difficult times and they've responded, "Oh I haven't prayed about
this...I couldn't bother God with such trivia,” or “I save my prayers for the
big things,” or “God really doesn't answer individual prayer, he answers
collective prayers.” What sad statements these are, because they go contrary to
the teaching of Jesus: "And I tell
you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it
will be opened to you. For everyone who
asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will
be opened." (Luke 11:9-10)
Some years ago I heard a pastor explain it
this way: God hears and answers every prayer we offer. The answer is always one
of three: "Yes," "No," or “Not yet." That really
resonates with me, because I do see the result of prayer daily. That which has
been broken down is risen up; that which is old has been made new; the sick are
healed - the list can go on and on. The problem doesn't come when God answers
our prayers with “Yes.” The problem is when he answers our prayers with “No” or
“Not yet.”
My 13 year old son, when he asks for
something and we say “No,” has a habit of immediately responding: "Why
not?" Expected, perhaps, of a 13 year old, but how often do we all do that
with God? We pray for something, we don't see immediate results, and we say,
"Why not, God...you must not really exist, or you don’t care about me if
you do." In fact, the contrary is true: God, like my wife and I when we
say “No” to our son, has our best interests in mind when he says “No” or “Not
yet” to us.
This Collect calls upon us to have faith,
hope, and trust in God, with the understanding that he really is in charge and
really does want to give us the very best. As Jesus said: "What father among you, if his son asks for
a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg,
will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13) And to that I say...AMEN!
Note: The "Notes to the church" articles are written by Bishop Menees for the Diocese of San Joaquin. I have posted them on Soundings with his permission for a wider audience. This is also the case for his "Why I am an Anglican" series. Dale+
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