Dear Friends in Christ,

What is prayer for you?   

For me, it’s tricky. Praying is about my speaking – and my listening.  It’s about my speaking to God.  And, it’s about my listening for God.  But it’s often difficult for me to hear or discern God’s “voice” above and beyond my own.  So praying can be confusing and frustrating.  How is praying for you?    

Of praying, St. Augustine of Hippo, born in 354, wrote: “Prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours.”  He meant that when we pray, we express our thirst, our hope for something we’d like to see or experience.  And, as we pray, he meant that we open ourselves to receiving God’s thirst – which may be the same or different from our own.  If nothing else, his expression helps me focus on my listening and my moving forward after praying by asking myself: For what am I thirsting, and for what do I imagine God thirsts? 

Speaking of thirst, these days I thirst for new life for our nation and society. We are in the midst of a historic, cultural war, and there are some political leaders who would exploit our fears – whichever side we’re on.  So tonight, I’ll be hosting a prayer vigil. I’ll be praying for the well-being of our nation and a raising up of a new spirit of civility.  I’ll also be asking about your concerns and hopes for our nation, and we’ll be praying for them as well. 

I hope, if you’re thirsting for new life for our nation, that you will join me.  Even if you can’t come to church, you can be present at church with your concerns and your thirst.  Simply text or call me at 603-620-4498, e-mail me at RevEd85@aol.com, or pause this evening to lift up your personal concerns and thirst for new in our nation and society. 

Praying, no matter how we define it, think or feel about it, or experience it, is what we do as people of faith and trust in God Emmanuel, our Creator and Redeemer.  So, let’s be “together” in prayer this evening for the sake of our nation and society.  

Blessings of Praying,
Pastor Ed