THE PLEASURE AND POWER OF PRAYER

I do apologise for this column being posted rather late in the day. The reason is that Tuesday has become a day in which I am particularly involved in leading some prayer in the church throughout the month of January. The church in which I worship has set aside the whole of the month for prayer and cancelled all its normal midweek meetings so that people may engage specifically in prayer. I have been leading a series of sessions called “Praying for the World”.

I haven’t mentioned this just to make an excuse, but in order to say to you how wonderfully refreshing it is to be part of an extended period in which prayer is the dominating activity. There is nothing quite so exhilarating or so strengthening, even though one is aware of constant spiritual opposition. I simply wanted to say that I do hope this year will not go very far before you or your church may become similarly involved.

This has not been a prayer month when anything “grandiose” has been attempted. No special, “big” meetings have been announced, and no “hype”. It is simply that the church and its different rooms are open every day for people to go into and pray in whatever way they wish and for however long they wish. The response has been remarkable with people showing a real appetite to seek the Lord. Various church activities are prayed for in corporate as well as personal manner, but the emphasis is on seeking the face of the Lord for Kingdom blessing in whatever way each person feels important. This is producing a powerful relaxedness. It has brought about a great release of the spirit of prayer which has resided in many church members for some years now.

My own particular burden is to seek God for the church that it might have increased understanding of the world, greater and deeper prayer for the world, and more people being called into world mission. I have had room to express my heart concern with others who have a similar concern. Other heart burdens, different and equally legitimate, have been similarly released. It gives a great sense of the body of Christ moving forward. It’s a great and satisfying feeling.

Prayer in the life of the church is, of course, the supremely important factor for future growth, effectiveness and spiritual quality. Many have said that the church ought always to be in revival as the norm. So indeed it should. Theoretically that is fine, but at the practical level the sustaining of a church in the full power and grace of the Spirit is utterly dependent upon the time we give to God, the time we spend in his presence and the eagerness of our hearts to be about his business and to be utterly godly and righteous.

I feel so blessed when I am part of a genuine prayer movement of prayer, and I simply wanted to encourage you to re-engage in such movement as we move into this new year. I anticipate that it will be a year of real difficulties, one calling for much grace, patience and faith.



Bob

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THINKING ABOUT THE NEW YEAR

Well, the New Year has come! We have welcomed it in, largely with food, fizz and fireworks, and offered good wishes.


January 1st is, however, very much a rootless occasion. That is to say it is not grounded on any substantial event or memory. The date has no inherent message. Christmas is rather different since Christmas is rooted in the celebration of the birth of the Son of God and the offer of human salvation. The Jewish New Year as it is presented in the Old Testament is also full of meaning. The first month of the Jewish calendar (Abib) was set aside by God to mark the deliverance of the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt and it included the Feast of Passover. Thus for the Jew the New Year was a memorial of deliverance, of a new freedom and of an assurance that God was their God and would be with them. It spoke of hope.

The Church of England calendar marks January 1st with the Circumcision of Jesus since, as was customary, that ceremony took place eight days after Jesus’ birth. It is not intended as a “New Year” event, and those who are aware of such a festival are an infinitesimal few, even in the church!


The Anglican calendar does not start, however, on January 1st. It actually starts several weeks before Christmas, and it starts with the season of Advent. Advent is the real start of the church year. That can be seen by a quick glance at the Anglican Prayer Book. And when we look at the message of Advent we really do have something substantial with which to begin a New Year!

“Advent” means “Coming” and the message of Advent is simply “Get yourself ready for the coming of the Lord” and “Put your hope in Him”. That is a great attitude, a very positive attitude to adopt as we gather ourselves together and face the uncertainties of the future.

The opening prayer on the first Sunday in Advent goes directly to our fundamental need: “Give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light”. These words are a direct quotation from Romans 13 which is one of the set readings which follow the prayer. Thus we are reminded that at the beginning of the “liturgical” year it is time to take stock of our lifestyle. We dare not go into an unknown future without the cloak of righteousness. If God should come in judgements (as seems all too likely) then only the cloak of righteousness will mark us out and bring us his sparing grace. So “Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but putting on the Lord Jesus Christ”. These are deep, serious resolutions made with a recognition in mind of the enabling grace of God.

The opening prayer of the second Sunday in Advent prays that “we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life” through the diligent reading of the Scriptures. That will be an incredibly important mindset for the increasing numbers of those facing persecution in this coming year, as well as those facing the deepest challenges of life. The foundation of true hope is always in the promises of a faithful God.

It’s all rather more sobering and strengthening than a bottle of Champagne!


Bob



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THE ANGELS’ LOVE SONG

“Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man at war with man hears not
The love song which they bring;
O hush the noise, you men of strife,
And hear the angels sing!”

The verse quoted above comes from the carol, “It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old …” It’s a carol which speaks in every verse about the presence of angels at the birth of Jesus and what they sang, namely a love song. It’s beautiful to read as well as to sing. (if you want carols to come fresh to you, try simply reading them, pondering as you do)

Apart from anything else, I am thrilled with its acceptance of the “full on” testimony of Luke to the major manifestation of angels at the birth of Jesus. It’s inconceivable to me that this tiny baby into which God poured himself would have been born without the glory of the presence of angels. They were there to announce and they were there to protect, exercising their two wonderful ministries to humanity, which humanity the Word had now taken upon himself. No, they could not possibly be missing, and neither could they have been been anything less than a great multitude in number! Heaven itself was giving witness to the Son of God in the manger. This was a stage and a spectacle where heaven must break through and be seen.

This was no fairy story, but a massive revelation of the supernatural world to which we remain too often desperately blind and which we find difficult to grasp. The Christmas story has many challenges but the challenge to press beyond what we see in this world and to recognise a supernatural world is one of its biggest. We really must press through in our spirituality into the glorious things that are just beyond our humanity, yet for which we are bound. A revelation of the supernatural is imperative for the depth and wellbeing of our faith.

The song of the angels was a love song, which the carol makes abundantly clear. Their song enshrines an offer of peace, goodwill and joy to all mankind. The offer is given not just in words, but incarnate in a human person, a Saviour who will give to humanity the peace which it simply cannot find for itself. Here, in Jesus, is the love gift of which the song speaks. It is a song which is still being sung. He and his salvation is a gift for all, free and life-changing.

The saddest and most poignant part of the carol is the verse I quoted at the beginning. It tells us that “man at war with man hears not the love song ….”. E.H. Shears, the author, wrote that verse about a century and a half ago, and the sentiment remains true today. One can feel his aching heart beat as he pens the words, “O hush the noise you men of strife and hear the angels song”; a sad heart beat, but one we need to take up at Christmas in prayer.

Yet in the midst of our dismay at so much human futility, I pray that the reality of the peace and joy and the wonderful supernatural power of our God in Jesus may bring you that same sense of deep wonder which the angels’ song brought all those years ago. That’s what Christmas should bring us – a deep sense of spiritual wonder.


Bob



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