14th Sunday after Pentecost

Ephesians 6:10-20

The letter to the church in Ephesus is one of the letters that has survived from the tumultuous years in the first and second centuries when Christians were religious minorities. Standing against paganism and poly-theism, their small communities of faith were threatened by persecution and oppression. Scattered across Asia Minor, land that is largely modern-day Turkey now, they received letters like this one from the teachers of the faith, like Paul, who offered instruction and encouragement and reminded them the tenets of the faith that we have through Jesus Christ.

For several weeks now, I have been using this letter and the gospel of John as lenses through which we’ve looked at the values that we hold as a congregation – those things that we have named as being central to our identity as Ascension Lutheran Church: outreach, affirmation, calling others to service, and pointing to Jesus. What remains is prayer.

While prayer isn’t a ministry that gets us mentioned in the newspaper or can be seen from the street, our prayers are a witness to the promises God gives us in faith, including a promise to be Emmanuel — God with us —in all circumstances (Matthew 1:23) and a promise to help us in our weakness, interceding with sighs too deep for words (Romans 8:26).

As Luther writes about the Lord’s Prayer in his small catechism, God doesn’t need our prayers to accomplish God’s purposes on earth, but we pray so that we might recognize what God is doing and participate in that work. Prayer is, as Dr. Mark Allan Powell writes, “an arena for encountering God and learning what kind of God we have.”[i]

The writer of the epistle urges us, “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication.” (Ephesians 6:18 a)

There is urgency in the writer’s description of the life of faith that compels us to pray earnestly and unceasingly for the church, the world and all who are in need.

Sometimes we say defeatedly, “All we can do is pray.” But for God’s people, prayer isn’t meant to be a last resort. “Prayer is simply talking with God”… expressing our adoration and love; recognizing who we are as God’s beloved children; giving thanks for God’s love and grace and being attentive to the needs around us.[ii] Our prayers unite us with God even when our individual resources or knowledge are exhausted and depleted. Henri Nouwen says, “To pray is to walk in the full light of God, and to say simply, without holding back, ‘I am human and you are God.’”[iii]

The letter continues, “…keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. (Eph. 6:18b)

The saints are not only those who have already died and joined the church triumphant; they are all of us too! Martin Luther calls us simultaneously sinner and saint because by God’s grace, and that alone, we are forgiven and made holy, or sanctified.

Writing about the prayers of the faithful, Father Michael Kwatera explains, “Our prayer for others can enlarge our spirits and enlighten our minds, so that we may see more of God’s will for this world. And when we pray for others, we are asking that by God’s grace they may open themselves to God’s will. Intercessory prayer helps us to embody and promote reign-of-God values (peace, justice, equality, service) by conforming our wills to God’s will.”[iv]

Fred Rogers, the memorable host of public television’s children’s show “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” once shared a story of meeting a boy who had severe cerebral palsy and communicated with computer assistance. The boy had always loved watching the television show, and a benefactor arranged for Mister Rogers to meet him.

After they met and talked a while, Mister Rogers said to the boy, “I would like you to do something for me. Would you do something for me?” And the boy said he would, so then Mister Rogers said, “I would like you to pray for me. Will you pray for me?”

The boy was surprised and “although at first he didn't know if he could do it, he said he would, he said he'd try….”

Mister Rogers said later, “I didn't ask him for his prayers for him; I asked for me. I asked him because I think that anyone who has gone through challenges like that must be very close to God. I asked him because I wanted his intercession.”[v]

 “Will you pray for me?”
Those five words invite us into life together.
Asking for prayer,
we lay bare our fears and anxieties, surrender our control of our situation and yoke ourselves together to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.” (Eph. 6:10)

Let us pray…
Steadfast and loving God,
Thank you for your Son Jesus who brings forgiveness for our sin.
Help us come to you humbly in prayer and make us ready to conform to Your will.
Show us the power of prayer to free us from burdens
and unite us with You and with each other in community.
We pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

[i] Powell, 167.

[ii] Dr. Mark Allan Powell, Loving Jesus. 159-164.

[iii] Powell, 162.

[iv] Fr. Michael Kwatera, St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, MN. http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/liturgy-answers/what-history-theology-behind-prayers-faithful/, accessed 8/25/2018.

[v] Tom Junod, “Can You Say...Hero?” Esquire, April 6, 2017. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a27134/can-you-say-hero-esq1198/ Accessed 8/23/2018.