Prayer: it Begins with a Search

Misplace your keys. Looking for your cell phone. Where's your wallet?

In each of these cases, a search begins – sometimes a frantic one. Sometimes it takes losing something, even for just a brief period of time, to realize how vital that thing is to us, igniting urgency to find it again. 

What is true for material things is also true for immaterial things like peace of mind and inner joy. Even with all of the fun and festivities of the holiday season, we can find ourselves running on empty by the time the new year arrives – just when we don't need it. That can be a physical, emotional, and/or spiritual depletion. So, on Sunday, we are beginning a two-month series on prayer. We have focused much on the outward workings of our spirituality the last several months; now we will focus on the interior workings of our spirituality.  

This Epiphany Sunday, marking the arrival of the Magi at the manger, I will talk about their search to find something that is missing in their lives. At the same time, our Sunday School classes all have the opportunity to begin a thoughtful readings and discussions about prayer and its varied forms; included is the opportunity to experiment and "try on" new forms of prayer that we believe will be life-giving as we begin the new year. Consider it a new year's spiritual resolution to help ground us as a congregation for the rest of the year.  

But it begins with a search – a search for something we know we need to live our lives well. We will do so together at the communion table, open to all, and then see what God has in mind for us in 2025. I think you and the people in our mission field will be blessed by our collective search.  Happy New Year! 

Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community in 2025,