There is nothing better than
an adventure. But adventures always
begin with prayer. It’s the beginning of
the New Year so let’s look briefly at the beginning of the Gospel of Mark where
we get a window into 24 hours of Jesus life.
It’s an adventure. But adventures
always begin with prayer. Here we see
Jesus in the morning go to the synagogue with his friends. There Jesus preaches and teaches. It’s amazing we are told. The congregation are on the edge of their
seats hanging on to every single word. But
one man is finding it difficult; he begins to shout out, ‘why are you
interfering with us Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the holy one of
God’. Jesus interrupts, ‘be quiet, and
come out of him’. Suddenly a scream
comes from inside the man and he falls to the ground and convulses before
suddenly finding peace for possibly the first time. The audience are amazed, ‘Who is this man’?
News would spread like wildfire about Jesus.
Jesus goes back to Simon Peter’s house to spend time with his new
friends for the afternoon. But the
ministry for the day was not over. As
soon as he approaches the house, they run out to see him, saying ‘come quick
Simon Peters mother in law has a high fever’.
Jesus goes upstairs and feels the sweat and clamminess. Strokes her hair away from her face and feels
that she is burning up. Then with a
prayer we have a wonderful before and after.
Before she was lying in bed with high fever, now she is cooking a
celebratory tea for her guests! Jesus
has been teaching and training all day, surely the evening would be time for a
rest? A knock at the door. Someone answers it. ‘Jesus come and have a look, I think this is
for you’! Jesus looks and there is all
the ill in the entire village. There in
front of the house are parents holding sick children, friends supporting the
physically disabled, people with severe mental health and some who are demon
possessed all being watched on by the rest of the village. Jesus moves amongst the crowd healing
many. It does not tell us in this 24
hour account what time Jesus went to bed!
I am guessing pretty late! It
does tell us what time he got up. Very
early in the morning before daybreak Jesus went to an isolated place to
pray. Jesus’ life was an adventure! But every adventure begins with prayer. Here Jesus connects with the father, is
giving guidance, healing, refreshment, nourishment, life in all its fullness…
Here Jesus is at peace finding strength for the next adventure. Whilst he prays Simon Peter’s house has been
busy. People are desperately looking for
Jesus. They send out a search party and
they find him in prayer. ‘Come back,
people are looking for you’. Jesus
replies ‘No, it’s time for the next adventure in the next town, for that is why
I have come’. And every adventure begins
with prayer!
At Westbury on Trym Baptist church we are looking at the
book of Acts. There the early disciples
are given the calling to be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria
and to the very ends of the earth. They start in Jerusalem and it’s an
adventure. Peter begins preaching and
thousands are converted. A new type of
church being set up where everything was shared, the sick healed, the bible
taught all in awe, healing ministries on Solomon’s colonnade, crippled beggars
dancing in the temple… It’s an adventure
story! But all adventures start with
prayer! Where does this adventure
begin? In the upstairs room where those
young disciples are one in prayer. The
next stage of the journey is to Samaria and Judea. And it’s an adventure story! We see Philip baptising Ethiopian Eunuchs, we
see Peter ministering to Roman centurions… it’s an adventure! And all adventure start with prayer. Where does it begin? With the praying and laying on of hands of
deacons and apostles. We as church are
now in Acts 13, at the beginning of the 3rd phase, the gospel going
to the very ends of the earth. And it’s
going to be an adventure story! We are
going to see shipwrecks, churches planted, imprisonment, conversions, healings
and the gospel take off across the world… it’s an adventure story! But all adventures start with prayer! Where does it begin? But at the church at Antioch with prayer and
fasting and the laying on of hands. All
adventures begin with prayer.
2016 can be an adventure.
What might God do in and through you?
What areas of addiction might be overcome? What areas of weakness might be stripped
away? What might God do in our
churches? Who might find healing? Hope?
Love? Joy? What might God do in your work
place or play place? With your
neighbours? In your family? Who might come to faith? How many may hear the good news? How many baptisms? 2016 is an adventure story waiting to be
written. But all adventures begin with
prayer!
We must learn to pray.
Tim Keller writes:
“Prayer is the only entryway into genuine self-knowledge. It is also the main way we experience deep
change, the reordering’s of our love.
Prayer is how God gives us so many of the unmanageable things he has for
us. Indeed, prayer makes it safe for God to us the many things we desire. It is the way we know God, the way we finally
treat God as God. Prayer is simply the
key to everything we need to do and be in life.
We must learn to pray. We must…”
So… I have set the church I serve a challenge. A challenge to pray. We are trying to pray for 20 minutes twice a
day. And these prayers will look
something like this:
ADORATION: Listing
and remembering all our blessings
CONFESSION:
Seeking to be made right with self, other, land and God
BIBLE STUDY: AM: Looking at small passages of scripture
and asking questions. What does it tell
us about God? About the people? Any commands I need to know? What’s going to be different because I have
read this story? Who can I tell this
story too? PM: Using a Psalm in the evening to help us express our every
emotion with God.
LOOKING AHEAD/BACK: AM: Plotting the day ahead and asking for
God’s guidance, protection and to hear his voice so we can join in with his
mission. PM: looking back and seeing
where we honoured God, where we may have slipped up.
INTERCESSION: Praying for our churches, communities and
the world.
We are also committing to spend a solid amount of time
each week in our ‘God places’. The
places we best connect with him. Walking
in the countryside, in a cathedral, listening to music…
You may like to join us with this challenge?
A final story! I
am sure like many of you my favourite games are playing chase with my
children. They run after me and I stay
teasingly out of reach. They tire, they
think they are not going to catch me, but they put everything they have got
into one last chase… than all of a sudden I turn around and they fall into my
arms and I begin to tickle them, throw them in the air… life in all its
fullness. My new year’s resolution is to
chase God like that. To become a God
chaser! To spend my time chasing after
his presence, his ways, his love… and knowing that when I chase I will find… I
will find life in all its fullness. From
there I can pass it onto all I meet. An adventure story. But adventures always begin with prayer.
May you join me in aspiring to become God chasers, and as you chase
may you know that you are becoming the very person you were created to be! Happy New Year, may it be blessed, and you a
blessing to many. Amen.
