Lifting One Another Up In Prayer, Mutual Concern, and Active Support
Be The Church 3
Intro
We continue now with the Ministry of the Members, item 3 “Lifting one another up in prayer, mutual concern, and active support.”
Again, this is one that we know we are supposed to do, and we often will do some of it. However, we often fail to go deep enough, we pray, but do not move on to the concern and support part.
Scriptures
Psalm 15
Psalm 15 asks the the question of who can ‘abide in God’s tent.’ The psalmist (attributed to David) gives a list of qualities of such a person. I think that it is interesting that in this list, there is not actually a whole lot about moral behavior in general (there is a blanket statement that they ‘do what is right’) but most of the list has a lot more to do with relationships. This gets to the Hebrew word mishpat, which we translate as righteousness. In the Western mindset, we limit righteousness to ‘right action,’ but in Hebrew the concept is much more relationship based. It is by all means ‘right action,’ but with an emphasis on right action in our relationships, which is less emphasized in English. The psalmist says that the person who can abide in God’s presence is careful with their words, they speak the truth from their heart, and do not slander others. They have a right relationship with their friends and neighbors. They despise those who actively participate in evil, and honor those who fear the Lord. If they have made an oath, they stick by it even if they need to take a loss. And (slipping from preachin’ to meddlin’) they willingly lend money, without enriching themselves on someone else’s misfortune; and they will not take money to falsely accuse someone.
2 Kings 4:8-37
This story tells of a Shunamite women, and her kindness to the Prophet Elisha. The Prophet passes through her area from time to time, and one day she invites him in for a meal. After a few of these meals, she suggests to her husband (who plays a decidedly minor role in the story) that they build a guest room for Elisha, which they do. In response, Elisha and Gehazi decide that she needs to have a baby (we will leave aside the fact that two men decide what she would ‘really’ like. She, in fact, argues against this gift, pleading with the prophet not to get her hopes up. She has a baby boy, who grows up, and then dies suddenly. The boy is then resurrected by Elisha.
Anticipating Needs: Both the Shunamite women and Elisha have enough of a relationship with one another that they seek to anticipate the other’s need for active support. Both display not only a passing interest, but mutual concern for one another. This is a vital part of this ministry of the members. We pray for one another, yes, but we also care enough about one another to be a part of answering those prayers.
This is Fine: When Elisha asks the Shunamite woman if she is alright, if her husband alright, is her son alright? She answers “It is all right” or “it is well,” basically she says that ‘it is fine.’ The important thing is that Elisha does not take her at her word, because clearly she is not ‘fine’ she is in the midst of great grief. When she opens to him, she unloads the bottled resentment and fear of loss that seems to have been behind her initial hesitancy for his miracle. Our churches are filled with people whose marriages, families, jobs, and lives are ‘fine’ until they are not. Because of Elisha’s true concern for the Shunamite women, and because of her vulnerability with him, he can do something about it.
Cringy Healing: Just to note, the healing scene in this story is… strange. By all means, if you use this text, feel free to skip over the pediphile-ajacent details.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13:7
In this famous passage, Paul compares the individuals in a congregation to parts of the body. This is a great illustration when talking about our prayers, mutual concern, and active support of one another. When one of our members is hurting, we should all be hurting, we should all be supporting them. This is the ideal, which we sometimes actually accomplish.
Ultimately this all leads into the ‘greater way’ of love for one another. As we continue past the made-up border between chapter 12 and 13, we are invited to love one another with a list that never fails to kick my butt.
Marriage is a wonderful opportunity to love someone who is not you, who has different assumptions and expectations, who views the world in a different way, and can sometimes be downright annoying. It is an invitation to love and be loved by, to know and be known by, a wholly different person. Similarly, a church is made up of all sorts of people, who not only think and believe differently then you, but also even vote differently than you (an offense punishable by excommunication these days). Yet we are called together to be a singular body, to blend our gifts and abilities, with our weaknesses and vices, with our passions and dreams. In the Sanctuary, we have the opportunity to share a pew with someone we might never spend any time with. We share a song with someone we might even avoid in other situations.
And this body is not limited to the local congregation, one might even be able to see this body of Christ as the Church Universal, the many congregations and denominations across time and space that make together a body. We as Presbyterians tend to highly praise education, and often overthink all sorts of things. We revel in ‘grayness’ and get into the complexity of things. We also tend to be far less comfortable with the Holy Spirit than our Pentecostal siblings. Much of our Christian conversation throughout history is rooted in who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’ of the club. The modern (post-modern) way that this manifests is the narrow definition of ‘real Bible-believing Christians’ on one side, and ‘we’re not that kind of Christians’ on the other. However, Paul speaks directly against that type of talk with the absurd illustration of the eye saying to the hand that it is not part of the body. We need one another, and we also need to claim one another. We do not get to pretend that ‘Scripture is clear’ about deeply complex issues, and we also don’t get to simply distance ourselves from the toxic theology of others because it is convenient.
Additional Other Texts
Genesis 16:1-13 (Haggar is heard by God, and she names God El-roy, ‘the God who hears’)
Matthew 6:5-15 (Sermon on the Mount, Prayer)
Themes
Thoughts and Prayers
There has been a lot of ire on the interwebs about the phrase ‘thoughts and prayers,’ specifically when used by those who actually have a say in the matter. For example, Senator Ted Cruz was blasted for lifting up ‘thoughts and prayers’ after the school shooting in Uvalde, TX. The argument is that as one of Texas’ state Senators, he has direct say in the making and enforcing of firearm laws both in Texas and Nationally. He has consistently refused to restrict the sale, owning, or use of firearms.
To be clear, there are times when all that one can do is to pray (more about that in a bit). However, if we have a role and responsibility in a particular field, but only give ‘thoughts and prayers’ when a tragedy happens, then there is an incongruity that needs to be addressed. A little closer to home, we can pray for members of our congregations and communities by all means, but we are called to go beyond those prayers to mutual concern and active support.
Prayer Changes Things Us
People also say that ‘prayer changes things’ and I believe it, but I also think that most often those ‘things’ are us. The act of prayer should open us up to the possibility of changing our minds and attitudes. There is a reason that Jesus told us to ‘pray for our enemies,’ because if we honestly pray for someone, our heart changes towards them. We cannot pray for and hate someone at the same time.
Sometimes things are out of our control. Sometimes things happen that we had no hand in, the results of someone else’s decision, or even no one else’s decision. Sometimes our backs are against the wall, and there is nothing else we can do. Sometimes we watch in horror events unfold across the world. Sometimes things just happen. In those times we pray, because we have nothing else that we can do. We may pray because we believe in a God who is able to effect the outcome of things, who has the power (at least theoretically) to do miracles, to change things, to make things better. We may pray because we believe that God can make good out of any situation, even the most terrible ones. We may pray because we want to be open to the possibility of our role in the solution, to stand in solidarity with those who are suffering, to be present in the face of tragedy.
Oftentimes, however, we do have some sort of role, some sort of response, some sort of change that we can make at least going forward. Perhaps we need to reflect on our own decisions and the decisions of others that has led to this outcome; and to learn from it. This may mean that we don’t make that same dumb decision again, or we change policies and laws to make sure this does not happen again. We might discern our role in the forces that lead to this event. The murders of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, Ahmoud Arbery, and so many others have caused some to consider our own complicity in systems that are inherently racist; prayer alone will not change this situation, but intentional reflection, education, and action. We may be called on to provide support for victims of natural and human-made catastrophes. It may also be that we simply have a different perspective towards that situation in the future. The list goes on and on, and in each case, letting ‘thoughts and prayers’ be our only response is an act of unrighteousness.
When we pray for those in our congregations and community, the relationship is even closer, and so the response needs to be more direct. Simply praying that a surgery goes well may not be enough, how are we called to bring a meal, watch the kids, or even share the financial burdens.
Worship Resources
Call to Worship
ONE: Lord, listen to your children praying
ONE: Give us open ears, open minds, open hearts, and open hands to meet the needs of those around us.
Prayer of the Day
El-roi, you hear your children when we pray. Help us to hear the needs of others around us. Help us have mutual concern for one another, as if we were members of the same body. Help us to actively support one another in word and in deed. Help us to rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn, and be attentive to the needs of others. Amen.
Hymn Suggestions
What a Friend We Have in Jesus (GTG 465)
Blessed Be the Tie That Binds (GTG 306)
We Are One in the Spirit (They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love) (GTG 300)
Lord, Listen To Your Children Praying (GTG 469)