PRAYING IN THE WAKE OF THE VIOLENCE IN PARIS

Here’s a prayer of petition written in the wake of the violence in France last weekend.  It was written by Erin Counihan, and was inspired by Psalm 143.

Prayer of Petition

(inspired by Psalm 143)

Hear our prayer, O Lord,

For evil is all around us, pursuing us,
crushing us low, weighing us down,
and we sit in the cloud of its heaviness and death.
Again and again, day after day,

bombing after bombing,

shooting after shooting.
Our spirits grow weak.
Our hearts are breaking.

Oh, but Lord, even in our weakness,
even in our brokenness,
even in our grief,
we remember your hope.
We remember your stories of transformation and faithfulness.
We remember you, our steady and constant love.
And so we reach out to you.
We unload our souls before you.
We empty all our emotions at your feet.

Hear our prayers, O Lord.
Heal our hearts, O Lord.
Hold our burdens, O Lord.

Show us the way we should go.
Teach us how to follow you in this time.
Guide us in faithful witness.
Inspire us to share your radical love.
Even when it is hard.
Even when it feels hopeless.
Let your good spirit lead us.

For we are your people.
We cling to you.
Hear our prayers, O Lord.

~ Adapted from Psalm 143 by Erin Counihan

Psalm 143

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

A Psalm of David (translation: NRSV)

¹ Hear my prayer, O Lord;
    give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
    answer me in your righteousness.
² Do not enter into judgment with your servant,
    for no one living is righteous before you.

³ For the enemy has pursued me,
    crushing my life to the ground,
    making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
⁴ Therefore my spirit faints within me;
    my heart within me is appalled.

⁵ I remember the days of old,
    I think about all your deeds,
    I meditate on the works of your hands.
⁶ I stretch out my hands to you;
    my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.Selah

⁷ Answer me quickly, O Lord;
    my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
    or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
⁸ Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
    for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.

⁹ Save me, O Lord, from my enemies;
    I have fled to you for refuge.^[a]
10 Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
    on a level path.

¹¹ For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life.
    In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
¹² In your steadfast love cut off my enemies,
    and destroy all my adversaries,
    for I am your servant.

ON SAINTS & PROPHETS

Prophet Elijah Praying on Mt. Carmel in Front of his Altar

Last Sunday, on All Saints Day, Pr. Ben reminded us that all of us who are gathered in churches everywhere are saints … and sinners.  All? Everyone? Yes.  “Saint” is the St. Paul’s term for the followers of Christ, living and dead alike. 

Thus it made total sense for us to celebrate All Saints Day in a less somber manner.  Contrary to other years, we did not read the names of Bethel members who had passed away over the previous 12 months (as Vera Finstad was the only one who had passed on), but instead remembered all those Christians who were died because of their faith, their race, gender, malnutrition, preventable illnesses, or other reasons.  If you missed the video we watched in our worship services, you can still do so on here. 

Additionally, we had eight guests who delighted us with their music and dancing – the New Life Band from Arusha, Tanzania. It was wonderful to be reunited with four old acquaintances and make four new friends.  If you missed the worship services and the New Life Band concert in the afternoon, you can watch a short video of their performance here.

This Sunday, we won’t here about saints, but listen to a well-known Biblical prophet – Elijah.  He is known for bein on the run from the wrath of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, for miracles that he performed, for being on Mount Horeb and listening to God’s “still small voice,” for being lifted into heaven by way of a fiery chariot, and for engaging in a prayer contest with a bunch of pagan priests (1 Kings 18).  In short, Elijah lived a rather colorful, rich life.

After deconstructing, if you will, the term “saint”, it is helpful to also note the way the Bible uses the term “prophet.”  As we already saw, the Bible uses the term “saint” in a very different manner than our culture uses it. Saints are not those people who are particularly holy or virtuous, but all who put their trust in Jesus Christ.

Similarly, prophets are not those who can predict the future through some secret gift or a crystal ball.  Rather, prophets are those followers of God who know God’s law and who can read the present time in light of God’s law. Prophets are those individuals who can acutely see how their contemporaries stray from God’s will. Prophets are those individuals who acutely understand and publicly point out the mistreatment of the most vulnerable in society (widows, orphans, immigrants) and the way pagan worship has penetrated the worship of the ancient people of Israel.

So, if men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and Elijah were prophets in this sense, are we not called to a similar prophetic ministry in our current time?