October 10, 2021 “What Good Must We Do?” - Pastor Jacqueline Hines

 

October 10, 2021

“What Good Must We Do?” - Pastor Jacqueline Hines

A certain young man came to the great Rabbi Jesus. He fell to his knees as was a common gesture of respect and humility in the Middle East. Not everyone gets that type of honor. Even today, a man will often propose marriage to a woman on bended knee, but not everyone gets the honor of having that type of respect and adoration.

It was all over town that Jesus was freely and kindly offering a way to have the best life, a good life, eternal life, a life deep enough in the Spirit that pain and sorrow were less significant.

This young man wanted to learn what he needed to do to have the good life that Jesus was teaching and preaching about. He was wise enough to seek good things for himself, even if he could not yet completely comprehend God’s ideas about life, he believed in God and he was willing to take a chance that the life God had to offer was worth further exploration and investment, so he knelt before Jesus to learn from him.

Have you ever come to Jesus asking about life? Would you ever want to talk to Jesus about your life, the good life, a deeper spiritual life?

Verse 21 says that Jesus looked at this man on his knees and he loved him. Most of us don’t know what to think of a rich man, especially a young rich man, and especially a young rich man who was large and in charge. We think all kinds of things about people. We’re suspicious of wealth sometime. We lack confidence in youth sometime. He was a ruler and he probably ruled over a few slaves in his day. Hopefully, he was kind and not cruel. He had a lot to give. God had blessed him richly. And we all know that the more God gives us, the more God is entrusting us to be a blessing wherever and whenever God guides us to be a blessing.  God is constantly pouring love and everything good into our lives, and we dare not hold it too tight, lest it become like sand. The tighter we hold it, the more it spills. We do better to pour into the lives of others, as God assigns us. It is better to give and give and give rather than be greedy, greedy, greedy. Greed is despicable, disagreeable, distasteful…Greed reveals my heart not totally trusting in God, a heart afraid that if I am left with nothing but God, God will not be enough. Greed, perhaps, reveals a lack of appreciation for the blessings I have and a lack of hope that God will provide what I need, even if it is not always what I want. Greed reveals my longing for some other love – the love of stuff and status – even though I have pledged my allegiance to an all-loving God. There’s nothing wrong with stuff and status in its proper place. There’s nothing wrong with stuff and status, until we choose it first, rather than put God first. Putting God first is a day to day decision.

The young man was smart enough or perhaps impressed enough to compliment Jesus. He called him good teacher, but Jesus pointed him to God. Perhaps Jesus was like those football players who make an amazing play and while everyone is excited and tells them how good they did, the player points toward Heaven, letting the crowd know that it is not about their being good, it’s about God who is good.

  “You know the commandments, Jesus told him.” Every serious student appreciates knowing that the teacher notices what they know, proving that they are smart. In fact, students remember what teachers and those in authority say about them. “You know the commandments,” Jesus said to him. Knowing the commandments is not something that Jesus could say about every student.

At the same time that Jesus was giving him kudos for knowing the Ten Commandments, Jesus had some lessons for this student to learn. Jesus started talking about the Ten Commandments, but he left out the first four of the Ten Commandments. The first four focus on God: have no other Gods, worship no hand-made images – no statues or monuments, don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, take God seriously; and honoring the Sabbath rest to celebrate and give thanks rather than working ourselves to death to get more stuff.

Jesus leaving out the first four was like telling the rich young ruler not to think about a pink elephant. When you say don’t think about a pink elephant what do we do? We only think about a pink elephant. Jesus did not mention the first four commandments that refer to our right relationship with God. Instead, Jesus named out loud those commandments that he knew the young man understood and was good at. Honor your mother and father, do not murder, no infidelity, no stealing, no lying, and no fraud (which is coveting to the point of cheating).

Verse 20 says “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” It was as if the young man were saying, “I understand all those things. I know it all. Give me a challenge.”

Jesus looked at him with the eyes of love and said²¹  “One thing you lack,…Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Now that’s a challenge. Most of us would be glad Jesus did not tell us to sell all we have and follow him. There are a few who have done just that, who have taken a vow of poverty, who have made up their mind, or perhaps have heard Jesus calling them to walk away from stuff and concentrate on the spiritual side of life. Mother Theresa  is  one who made a vow to serve the poor and not just the poor, the poorest of the poor.  St. Frances of Assisi of the 12^th century is another. He was born wealthy and heard God’s call to give to repair the church which was in ruins, so he gave all his money to the church which made his father very angry. Francis left his father’s home and took on a vow of poverty.

When I worked at Cokesbury, our United Methodist bookstore named after the first two United Methodist bishops –  Thomas Coke (9 September 1747 – 2 May 1814) and Francis Asbury ( 20 August 1745 – 31 March 1816), a nun came to purchase a gift. She had made a vow of poverty and she only had so much money to spend on this gift. If was very hard to watch her agonizing spending the very small amount of money that she was designated to spend.

At the very least, Jesus seems to be calling this young, rich, ruler to let go and let God. That is always a good thing. It is good every day in every way to let go and let God.

Verse 22 says the man’s face fell and he went away sad because he had great wealth. Most of us are challenged, not necessarily to sell all we have, but to at least keep our stuff in perspective as we keep the faith. Most of us have great wealth. Think about it – clean water, nice clothes, safe homes, inside plumbing, parks and beaches, well maintained highways and bridges, internet, cell phones, secure banks, working government, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, computers, beautiful building, hotels, resorts…we have great wealth. We are abundantly blessed.

The man who came to Jesus was blessed. Most people are happy after spending time with Jesus. This man went away sad. In the Greek, the word for his mood when he walked away is “stugnasas” usually translated as “shocked,” “surprised,” or “in sorrow”.  

Though most may not be asked to give up all we have for the sake of the poor, there is, no doubt, something that we have given. We have practiced our faith, we have delighted in serving, and we have loved our God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul.  Every now and then, there may be something that we are less willing to give that causes us to struggle in our giving. We are all different and we all have different values and perspectives. God knows. You may have heard the story of three people looking at a tree; one may see the tree as so many boards and feet of valuable lumber worth so much money. The second sees the tree as so much firewood to be burned, to keep a family warm in the winter. A third may see the tree as a masterpiece of God’s creative art, given as an expression of God’s love and enduring strength, with a value far beyond its worth in money or firewood. It’s all good and it all works out if we keep our eyes on God. We all see a vision of what God has for us and if we are willing, we can be the church united, with one purpose, one goal, one vision, to be and do whatever the father, son, and Holy Spirit stirs us to do. For, without a vision, without hearing and responding to God’s voice, God’s people cannot be the church, passing the baton on to our neighbors, our family, our friends, or our children.

I heard one of the men of God of Bethel say  – “The world is in such chaos, but I am not concerned about myself. I am concerned about my grandchild.” That Bethel father’s heart is like the heart of God, and if we all are just as concerned about the next generation, we will be willing to ask God to guide us to not only to see the chaos that surrounds us but to see God’s will and to be willing to follow where God leads us, to surrender our all and put our all in the hands of an almighty God – putting our loved ones, our dreams, our comfort, our gifts, our talents and our money.

The disciples were amazed when they heard Jesus telling the man to give everything away, but in verse 29 Jesus tells us that he has better stuff than we could ever accumulate. Jesus has 100 times more than we could ever have along with some tough times. The only way to find out about all the good stuff Jesus has for us is to follow him.

May it be so today!

 

 

 

 

October 3, 2021 “Our World is in Trouble” - Pastor Jacqueline Hines

 

Job was a blameless man from the land of Uz. The scholars’ best guess is that Uz is in a land called Edom. Edom was not, however, blameless. When the Israelites came to the border of Edom, the Edomites refused to let them in, even though they were not planning to stay – just passing through to safety, even though they said they would pay their way, Edom would not have mercy on them and let them in. Edom was not blameless. Our World’s in the same trouble today. The world is not blameless.

Our scripture reading begins with a mystical experience around a blameless man from a world in trouble. It is good to note that even in this world of trouble, heavenly beings appear in this story. They come to God. Satan also comes to God in this mystical moment. Nothing more is said about the heavenly beings. All seems good with God and the heavenly beings. There is, however, a conversation with God and Satan, whom we also know as the devil, the evil one, the destroyer, the liar, the father of lies, the murderer, the thief, tempter, fallen star, ruler of darkness.

Satan presents himself to God and God asks, “Where have you come from?” This is an important question for us to ask of evil. Where do you come from? Inquiring minds want to know. Where does this wickedness come from? How far will you go to hurt someone? What are your values? Your culture? Where do you live? Who are your friends and allies? What are you made of? Where have you traveled? How tough are you? How weak are you? What can you do for me? Knowing enough about evil can help us make good decisions in our journey of faith. When we know where a toxic person is coming from, when we can identify the root of an ugly situation that is in us or around us, we can take it into consideration and know what to pray for and what decisions to make.

This week we heard from a counselor from Safe Communities in Lancaster who was a victim of abuse. She did a workshop for our Conference this week. She told us that there has been a dramatic rise in abuse and use and trafficking of children in this country and around the world. The abuse of children has skyrocketed during the pandemic. Children have been calling 911 for help. There is big money in abusing people, especially children, big money. There has been an increase in violent abusive sites on the internet. One of the shocking points the Safe Communities counselor Linda Crockett made was that the rush of abuse from certain images on the brain is addictive. So people who abuse look for more and more – violence and harm to get a thrill. Our world is in trouble. The church is in trouble. There was a survey of 3,000 adult Christians who were asked if a pastor should be fired for using the internet in an evil way. Forty percent said “yes.” When the pastors were asked the same question, a mere 8 percent said they should be terminated. The church does well to consider the source of our behavior, whether it be from God or Satan.

I had a friend who would often say when someone said something evil, “Remember, they don’t love you.” It is good to consider the source. In considering Job it is quite clear that he could be considered the best human being ever. God asks Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?” Of course, we quickly see that Satan considers Job to an opportunity to do what Satan does -  to steal, kill, and destroy wherever there is an opportunity. No matter who you are – Satan is somewhere far or near in your life, looking as I Peter chapter 5 verse 8 says, Satan is like a roaring lion, looking for whoever he can devour. I particularly like the Message version which says -

^8-11 Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. 

When we have an attitude or an action in our lives that belongs to Satan, Satan will come after us to claim what is his. Still, no matter how bad a person is, no matter how many mistakes and wrongs a person has committed, no matter how many skeletons one has in one’s closet or the number of secret handshakes or dirty deals one makes – no one is all bad. There is some good in each and every one of us. God still loves us. We are precious in God’s sight. God can’t take God’s eyes off of us – each and every one of us. God who put the good in us can make it grow and grow and grow to the glory of God.

 Bishop Schol tells the story of a man he met on a Baltimore train. Bishop was looking for a quiet place to work on his sermon, but he wound up in a conversation with this passenger who used profanity with every other word. At one point the man asked the Bishop what he did for a living. When he found out he was a preacher, he still continued to cuss up a storm. Bishop reminded us in his testimony that if he had condemned the man for using profanity, if he had rejected him, he would have missed God’s opportunity to minister to a child of God.

In our passage from Job, it is clear that Satan is the source of suffering. Verse 7 says he caused Job to suffer terrible physical pain. God does not cause suffering. Some scriptural passages show us how we cause our own suffering when we stray from God. Some scripture tells us that God is greater than our biggest burden. If you believe a certain scripture means that God is causing your suffering, pause and put a pin in it. Think about it. Does the God you love and serve cause you suffering? Think about it. Perhaps there is something lost in your translation. Perhaps the passage calls for us to put it into the historical or poetic context. Besides, dedicated translators and scholars have their own political and theological perspectives and opinions. I lean in the direction that says, if church tradition or translations say God chooses to hurt me, I don’t believe it. God does not cause suffering and when God allows suffering, God remains omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. God is always with us –carrying us when necessary.

The Apostle Paul was a Christian who suffered like an Olympic champion. Through it all, he was convinced that no trouble or hardship could separate him from God in Romans 8 - neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He understood “If God brings you to it, God will bring you through it. ”We might raise our fist at God and say – “Take charge and stop all this suffering. Stop it, Stop it, Stop it.” Or we can humble ourselves all the more confident of God’s love and care and renew our commitment to our great and awesome God with John Wesley’s words: I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, exalted for you, or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing: I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

I know we come here for the good news. Here it is. We are a Resurrection People in a messed up world. Jesus suffered, Jesus wept, and Jesus died on a cross.  Jesus rose from the dead. We are a resurrection people. We bow below God and not above God. We rise above our afflictions. Our troubles don’t tear us down, God uses our troubles to build us up. God works miracles with our messes. Our stumbling stones become stepping stones. We may, like Jesus, cry out “Why have you forsaken me?” We may decide to take the advice of Job’s wife. “Just go ahead and curse God and die.”  We can curse God, dismiss God, and ignore God. It does no good.

We live in a troubled world that curses God, dismisses God and ignores God. Someone asked, “What is the future of the church in this troubled world?” I hear an answer in two things Jesus said. First, “Let the dead, bury the dead.” Inasmuch as the church has no life in Christ, it is ready to be buried. Second, ‘This is a time of grief, but I want you to have peace…’ “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Today we set the table of the Lord for this annual worldwide communion Sunday. We imagine we are seated and taking communion among people from all walks of life and all countries. We know Jesus welcomes them all. All are invited. With Thanksgiving coming up in a few weeks, we will be sitting at another important table. Who will be sitting beside you for Thanksgiving dinner? Who will be welcomed the most? Who at the table brings you joy and to whom do you bring joy? Who might be bringing some troubling news? The tastiest dish? The sweetest dessert? Is there a seat for the savior of the world? Is there a safe place for the sinners and the sorrowful at the table?

You are here at this table, God’s table, a very important table, among all the important people even in this troubled world. There is an unforgettable story of a group of people who were starving. They could be seen in a banquet hall loaded with an abundance of delicious food. Everyone had a spoon. The spoon was two feet long. They could reach the plate and fill the spoon, but they could not get the food to their mouth so they were starving. Down the road in another banquet hall, you could see the same scenario. Tables filled with wonderful food and spoons that were two feet long, but these people were not starving. They were feeding one another. In this troubled world God has prepared a banquet for all of us. We will never leave hungry. Amen.

 

September 26, 2021 “Your Brain on Prayer” - James 5.13-20 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

 

September 26, 2021

“Your Brain on Prayer” - James 5.13-20

Pastor Jacqueline Hines

This is the final Sunday of our September Season of Spiritual Renewal. We were reminded by Rev. Carolyn Cavaness to “Be Open” to God. Minister Ari Hauben called us to “Draw Near” to God. Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm declared to us that “Where Revival Begins” is with each and every one of us. Today, you will hear from the book of James that prayer makes the difference. Prayer changes things and it changes us for the better.

James is the 20^th book of the 27 books in the New Testament. We sometimes call James a book, but it is actually a letter. James, the brother of Jesus, is said by some, to be the author of this letter. It was circulated by hand to as many churches as possible and the churches that read it wanted the encouragement and the reminders that God cared.

The church has not changed. We still need to encourage each other. That’s why Bethel has a monthly News Letter. United Methodist District Superintendents and Bishops also write letters to pastors and churches to encourage us and remind us that God is able, especially when there are political and spiritual issues on our hearts. United Methodist Bishops from Africa to Argentina and other denominations too, I am sure, write many letters of encouragement all through the year. Every time there is some type of disturbance or call for justice and mercy, faithful leaders send letters via email and share their perspectives, their beliefs and their direction for how God’s people can respond with integrity.

James’ letter was handwritten. James’ letter was not only written by hand, the paper it was written on was handmade either from the papyrus plant or parchment of animals.  The ink also was handmade from the dye of plants and possibly animals. Humanity has evolved so much, haven’t we? Now we have so much paper, we are recycling tons of it, and in our homes we probably have dozens of ink pens and pencils to write with. Great God almighty!

With much care and consideration, James writes to the Church, even to us in the church today he writes with these sensitive words that remind us of a path that leads to peace and righteousness: In his letter James asks the question -

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? What a loaded question. Is anyone among you in trouble????

The 116, 000 persons evacuated from Afghanistan and the families of the 13 heroes whose lives were sacrificed know about trouble. Don’t they? Friends and family suffering from addictions or generational curses of poverty and promiscuity know about trouble, don’t we? Those impacted by earthquakes in Haiti and Hurricane Ida in New Orleans, the worst Hurricane in US history, 16 years to the day of Katrina, billions of dollars of damage and countless homeless and unspeakably heart wrenching situations –  know about trouble. God knows. One trouble may not be as urgent as another’s. Whether big troubles or little troubles, all of us have had trouble. It’s part of being human. The good news is - God is with us every time trouble comes. God is with us to make us stronger or to remind us who is in charge. God is with us. How wonderful is that!

There is a gospel songs that helps us in times of trouble. It says. “…trouble in my way…got to cry sometime. Jesus will fix it, after a while. “The line - You got to cry sometime” stands out. There was an article from Crystal Caviness of United Methodist Communications entitled “Jesus Wept, So Should We.”*

She mentions that the human body produces three types of tears: basal, reflex and emotional [or as I learned once, tears can come from the eyes, the chest or from the depths of the stomach.] Basal tears keep our eyes lubricated, reflex tears are a reaction to irritants, such as onion chopping or smoke, and emotional tears are associated with emotions ranging from extreme happiness to stress, anger, pain and sadness. She says emotional tears can be held back and stopped, but that’s not true of basal tears that keep our eyes moist and reflex tears that may come with allergies.

It's the emotional tears that also release endorphins, those good chemicals that help ease both physical and emotional pain. When we try to keep ourselves from crying in an effort to be strong and when we wipe away our tears in shame, there may be a part of us that is hindering our healing and grieving process. There may be a part of us that is not wanting to be held in the arms of God. When we fight back those healing tears, there may be a part of us that is pushing God away. It’s something to think about, isn’t it? Trouble in our way…you got to cry sometime.

Pastor Adam Hamilton tells the story of how he worked as a teenager at a drive through in a fast food restaurant. His girlfriend Kathy drove up to the window and broke up with him. She did not order anything, she just announced “I don’t want to date you anymore” and drove off. Of course, he was devastated and asked the boss if he could take a ten minute break. He went into the employee lounge and began to cry. He could not hold back the tears. Within a few minutes Tim a coworker came in and held him as he cried. Needless to say that was a very powerful moment that helped him to endure and grow emotionally and spiritually.

In verse 13, James’ answer to our troubles says, “Let those who are in trouble – do what?– “Let them pray.” That is the first thing James says. Pray. Whenever we are in trouble, first pray. But, just how do we pray? Talk to God. Listen to God. Trust in God. Look around you, see what God is doing. Watch God work. Know like the three refugees Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace knew -that God is able to deliver you. Whether or not God does deliver you, God is able to deliver you! God has a purpose and a plan.

We have seen the commercial that shows an egg frying fast on top of a car hood that has been baking in the sun. As the egg bubbles, a voice announces: “This is your brain on crack.” Well, it seems researchers have taken a look at the brain and offer us a scan of the brain that is peaceful and calm. They can announce: “This is your brain on prayer.”

A brain on prayer shows that a person is experiencing peace and calm. If we feel calm and peaceful, we have a better chance of making healthier decisions in life. Prayer makes us calm and positions us for good work. Tibetan monks are known for spending hours in prayer and meditation.  Psychologist Dr. John Luetzow gathered with me and several other pastors to assess our pastoral ministry. He shared a couple research results regarding Tibetan monks.  PET brain scans of the monks while they were in a state of deep meditation showed their brain was no longer sending sensory information to the Orientation Association Area of the brain, the part of the brain that distinguishes between the self and the not self, generating an experience of being one with everything. Researcher Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin conducted an experiment arranging several subjects to meet with a certain “narcissistic” professor who was very much disliked. One by one, a number of subjects were placed in a room with the professor.  In each instance, there was very quickly a disturbance in the room, and the subjects came out quite frustrated. When a Tibetan Buddhist monk was placed in the room, there was no disturbance and soon the monk and the professor came out arm in arm, the best of friends. The conclusion was that the monk did not react to the professor which allowed the professor to remain civil and they were able to get along. 

Prayer changes us. James, the brother of Jesus is encouraging us to pray when we are in trouble. Praying does not guarantee a certain result, but those researching the power of prayer show that prayer is a good thing.  Dr. Randolph Byrd a cardiologist at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine conducted a study in 1988. Data on about 400 patients showed that half were prayed for, not at their bedside, but at a distance. They did not know someone was assigned to pray for them. Those patients required less ventilator assistance, fewer antibiotics and diuretics, and had less pneumonia than the group that was not prayed.

Research also shows that prayer – particularly positive prayer – helps us manage our anger. Angry prayers can stir up anger in us. We’ve heard of prayers of hell and damnation stirring up unholy fear and guilt instead of faith. Loving prayer also makes it easier to love others and it boosts our ability to forgive one another. Once again, in many ways, we are reminded that prayer changes things.

Trouble aside, James the brother of Jesus goes on to ask, “Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” Music soothes and comforts us in wonderful ways. Music is a powerful way to celebrate the great things we have done by the power of God and it inspires us to connect to God and do the great things God has in store for us to do.

Songs of praise to God take us to higher heights and deeper depths in our relationship to God and to one another. Psychologists have advised that relationships become strong when we share 9 affirming words for every critical word that we share with someone. It goes along with the saying that people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. A famous Maya Angelou quote resonates as well. She said “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Giving and receiving affirmations makes for a kinder, gentler world. It is a lesson ALL of us need to learn.

Prayer and praise make us feel good, and it can also make us DO good. We can learn when it is time to pray and meditate and study God’s word and when it is time to take action. Family therapist Paul Hokemeyer says   “One of the purposes of prayer and meditation is to regain our footing so that we can step out into the world and take positive action: we reconnect, re-center, recharge and gain the strength necessary to take steps that will create real change. In other words, prayer is the fuel that lights the fire of action.”

There is a saying – God gave us music that we might pray without words. You may have seen recent commentaries on the therapeutic value of music. One injured veteran regained the ability to speak with music therapy. There is music that moves us into God’s healing presence, not perfectly, but persistently. Years ago, I felt a strong urge to gift a woman with a cd by acclaimed harpist Jeff Majors. The next Sunday after she listened to it, her response was over the top. She had found the music to be such a great comfort and source of healing. This was true for her son as well. They had both been diagnosed with a certain debilitating mental illness. God provided music that brought the illness to its knees.  

In one recent study conducted by NYU Langone Medical Center, members of Alcoholics Anonymous were placed in an MRI scanner and then shown drinking-related images to stimulate cravings (it worked, which sounds pretty cruel). But the cravings were soon after reduced when the participants — you guessed it — prayed. The MRI data showed changes in parts of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for the control of emotion and "the semantic reappraisal of emotion," the study cited.**

Scott McDermott, a United Methodist minister, serving Washington Crossing UMC has prayed at least two hours a day for the past 25 years. He notes "I think we're wired for the supernatural." I agree. The children of God are wired for the supernatural. Our September season of spiritual renewal is a time to see and hear God close up. There may be something supernatural ahead of us.

James, the brother of Jesus goes on to ask in verse 14 ¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ 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. 

¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James, the brother of Jesus, leaves us scratching our heads. We have to ask ourselves, we have to ask the scriptures, and we have to ask God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: who are the elders? What kind of prayer should be prayed? And, what do you have to do to be righteous enough for your prayers to be powerful and effective? Most of us are more likely to be intimidated by the example that James gives where Elijah prayed and stopped the rain for three years. Was it exactly three years? Was it a figurative rain or a wet rain? Some answers may be in a book or in a sermon. Many answers are found as we walk the walk and talk the talk.

Answers can be complex. Sociologist Charles Perrow notes –“We don't understand the consequences that our prayers, if answered, might generate.” When we pray for our favorite team to win, or for someone to be healed instead of go to Heaven, we can’t know all the details of all the results. Whatever disappointment and suffering we endure after praying leads us to endurance. We grow stronger and learn critical lessons when we endure by God’s grace. Endurance builds character. And we all appreciate people with great character, especially in the church.

We might think that we have no time to invest in all that prayer requires of us, but in reality, no one has any time to pray. We have to take time from other valuable activities in life in order to pray. Prayer becomes a priority if we want more of God’s goodness in our lives. A life without prayer is a life full of unnecessary risks. We can believe that the enemy is praying, the witches and warlocks are praying their prayers of hexes and curses on Christians. We had better pray, too.

If we gain anything from our September season of spiritual renewal may it be that we become rooted and grounded in so much of God’s love that we keep the conversation going…that we always pray, that we always listen and that we always speak God’s truth in love. Let it be so today and always. Amen. 

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*Crystal Cavaness works for UMC.org at United Methodist Communications August 26, 2021.

**https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/your-brain-prayer-meditation-ncna812376