"In My Life" Philippians 4:4-13 3/6/05

We are at the midway point of our Lenten journey. In three short weeks we will gather to celebrate Easter together. Over these past weeks of Lent I have been sharing a scripture verse each week that we have been living out in our lives for that week. We began with the two great commandments:

"YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." (Luke 10:27)

We took the time to look at the ways we live out these commandments of love in our daily encounters.. Were there things we needed to give up or take up to make our love for God, our neighbor, and ourselves the guiding light for our lives? For the second week of Lent our scripture verse was:

During that week we were encouraged to find God in the moments of our days as we practiced living as much as possible in the present moment. Last week our verse was:

On our journey last week we looked carefully to see the eyes of Jesus in the people that we met throughout the day- our family, friends, strangers and even our enemies. As we looked through the eyes of Jesus we tried to live out Mary Glover's prayer: "Lord, we know that you'll be coming through our lives today, Lord, help us to treat you well."

Tonight I invite us to hear the words of Paul as found in Philippians the 4th chapter, the thirteenth verse:

This is a prayer that I have used in my life for as long as I can remember. It is a prayer that calls me to give up control of my life and rely on a power greater than myself. It is a prayer that says in my life I want God to be glorified. In all that I do, in all that I can't do on my own I want God to be in charge. I have always believed that prayer changes things. There is indeed power in prayer. Not only for those we pray for, but also for ourselves. As we look to a power greater than ourselves to intervene, we give up control of what ever the issue is an entrust that situation, that person, those people who we pray for into the hands of a loving God. Prayer is not a passive activity however. We don't just offer our prayer and then so about business as usual. When we pray, we trust that God is at work to answer the prayer in God's own time and God's own way. But we are also active participants in our prayer. God has entrusted us with the ability to think, and feel, and do. And so our prayer takes on life as we seek to live out our prayer in each new day. For example when I pray for a new job, you trust that God will help you find the right job at the right time. But also live out that prayer by writing resumes, by applying for jobs, checking out job opportunities on the internet. We don't just sit at home waiting for the phone to ring with a job offer. We are living prayers, pray-ers who put our trust, our faith into actions.

One of the most inspiring action prayers is the prayer of St Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.

    Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

    where there is injury, pardon;

    where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope;

    where there is sadness joy; where there is darkness, light.

The prayer goes on to say:

"O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; not so much to be understood, as to understand; not so much to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life."

And so we can lift up our prayer as St Francis did saying · "Lord make me an instrument." Use my words, use my actions, use by thoughts and feelings. Use me as your instrument in our world. I have often watched with deep respect those people who are gifted in playing an instrument. As I watch someone with a guitar in her hands, as I see a person touching the keys of a piano, as I listen to the voice of a singer, using the instrument of his or her voice, they become one with their instrument. We become an instrument of God as we allow ourselves to become vessels through whom God flows. Each day gives us the opportunity to be a living prayer as we seek to be God's instruments. Through Christ who strengthens us we can make a difference in our world.

As we go into this fourth week of Lent may our lives be a living prayer to all those who we meet. Take the time each day to lift up those in need, to pray for our church, our world, and our own lives as we seek to be instruments of God's presence. Know that in all of life we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.