I was privileged to join other Hope Valley members last Friday evening at a local Indian restaurant to hear Leena Lavanya share some stories about her amazing ministry in her home country of India. Through the ministry she has developed, ServeTrust, she and others are focused on reaching out to and caring for the marginalized people of India. Some of you have had the chance to hear Leena when she has spoken at Hope Valley in years past, and I am always inspired by the remarkable things God is doing through Leena and that ministry. Among the many life-changing areas of work, Leena and her partners care for people with leprosy and HIV, provide job training to help women escape commercial sex trafficking, organize schools to educate children in poor communities, and provide numerous other ministries to show compassion and love to people in need. If you would like to know more about Leena’s work, you can read more at www.servetrust.org.

Whenever I hear Leena speak, I am amazed by the energy level she must possess and by her willingness to be an instrument of God’s work. I feel tired just trying to imagine the schedule she keeps and all the ways she invests her time and care in other people, but as I listened to her talk last week, I was reminded that one of the keys to her ministry is her commitment to and belief in the power of prayer. As she told stories of seeing God heal and transform people in response to the prayers of believers, she repeated over and over again that these things happen because of the power of prayer. It struck me that she believes in and practices prayer with a level of commitment too often lacking in many of our lives and in many churches these days.

Inspired by her example, I want to invite us as a congregation to make a commitment to daily prayer for our church during the upcoming summer season. Like many churches these days, we face challenges and struggles. These are difficult days to be a church, but God does not leave us helpless or powerless. There are numerous Scriptures that show Jesus pulling away from the crowds to spend time in prayer, and the early church in Acts was obviously committed to prayer. During my sermon on Sunday, May 27, I will invite you all to join me in a 100 Day of Prayer emphasis that will include a devotional guide. Coinciding with the summer season, the guide will include a daily Scripture pas-sage to read and some suggestions for how to pray for the church that day. While there are no magic words or practices that lead to church health and growth, I am convinced that God responds when God’s people commit themselves to prayer. I will share more in the weeks to come, but I hope we can make this summer a true season of prayer.

As we pray, let us be filled with hope in the promise of God. In John 14:12-14, we find this promise from Jesus: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Bill

A Methodist minister tells of his decision to join a Civil Rights march in the South during the late 60’s.  He and other students met the group at a church ready to march for justice, to stand up and be counted, and to demand equality for all people.  But the first thing that the organizers had the group of hot and bothered protesters do was find a seat in the sanctuary for several long hours of singing, praying, and preaching.  Finally, some of the young activists grew tired and spoke to one of the march’s organizers, saying “Come on. Let’s get on with the march. Let’s get out on the streets where we can do some good.” They couldn’t figure out what all this singing and preaching had to do with their desire to work for justice.  Patiently, the leader reminded the students that they had been at this struggle a long time. They had learned long ago that in the battle for human rights, they were not contending against just a few bad laws or a few bad people. They knew that they were struggling against principalities and powers, against cosmic evil, and if all they had to sustain them out in the streets was superficial, optimistic humanism, good intentions, and a desire to “do good”, they wouldn’t last long.

The young man learned an important lesson that day. Though he was ready to get busy about the work needing to be done, he discovered that as Christians, our power and strength for ministry begins in worship and discipleship. Just as it is inadequate to focus on worship and discipleship without putting our faith into action, we cannot go out to change the world unless we have connected our spiritual lives to Jesus who is the vine that nourishes us so we can bear fruit.  Only when we balance our commitment to spiritual maturity with a commitment to do God’s work in the world can we be the church we need to be.

Mildred McWhorter was for many years a Baptist home missionary in inner-city Houston.  Once, she encountered a little boy who had come to the Baptist Center where she worked. She had watched over him all week and spent significant time with him. At the end of the week, the little boy asked her, “Missus, are you God?” Mildred was taken aback by the question and quickly said, “No.”  Then sensing an opportunity to teach the little boy about God, she continued, “But God’s love is in my heart.”  But the boy just pointed at her again and said, “No, missus, you’re God.”  Again, she tried to explain, “No, I’m not God, but God’s love lives within my heart.”  Pointing to her heart, he said, “Oh no, you’re God, and I can see him right there.”  That little boy knew the power and presence of God when he saw it in the life of God’s servant.

My hope and prayer for all of us is that we will deepen our discipleship and faith so that others see the love and grace of God in us.

Blessings,
Bill