From the Rector

On the Efficacy of Prayer

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Among its many attributes, Manakin can claim a rich and powerful prayer life.  It is, as it should be, multi-tiered.  It begins and is centered in our corporate prayers at our Lord’s altar.  We gather regularly to offer prayers of thanks and to ask God’s continuing blessing on ourselves, those we love, the greater community and the whole of the creation.  Many of our activities – our meetings, our meals, etc. – begin with prayer.  The Vestry begins each meeting with prayers or devotions led by a member of the group, and the Vestry also has a “prayer rota” by which all members of the Household are being prayed for regularly by the parish leaders.

In recent times, we have set up our Prayer Pagers, now employed by three members of the parish, to let them know that people in their church family are praying for them regularly as they struggle with their various ailments.  In addition, we have just begun a Prayer Vine whereby anyone in the parish who wishes to can become a “Prayer Angel” and receive prayer requests by email notification as needs arise – or request prayers as needed for themselves or others.

Just as important as our corporate prayer life,  the personal prayer life of each member of the parish – ongoing daily whether we are gathered together or spread throughout the greater community in our various activities – provides a constant foundation for all that we do.

There are, of course, a remarkable variety of very active and rich ministries going on at Manakin in addition to our various forms of our prayer life.  But I think it could be argued that none of them would be possible without the powerful basis of those prayers.  Prayers connect us to one another and to God in ways that make us able to do things we could not have imagined on our own – and to be the people that God made us to be.  One cannot rise to one’s full potential, I don’t think, without the prayerful support of others.  That is why it so important that our corporate and private prayer lives reflect our gratitude to God for all the blessings which have been bestowed upon us and our love and hope for all of God’s children – those near and dear to us and those whom we do not even know.

In his wonderful book of daily devotions drawn from the Book of Common Prayer*, Bishop Edmond Browning, former Presiding Bishop, writes:

What do I pray for?  Prayer isn’t just about “Let me get better” or “Let me get the job.”  To allow my spiritual life to be circumscribed by the test of physical well-being or personal material prosperity would be to deprive myself of something I need:  a context for my life that is larger than I am.  To enter through prayer into the world’s suffering, to take its joys and sorrows as my own – for indeed, they are my own – is to become more and more who I am designed to be.

In all the ways that we engage in prayer at Manakin, we are seeking God’s blessing, but we are also seeking to understand God’s will – to find direction for our lives and our life together.  In the midst of it all, we are doing what Bishop Browning describes – joining ourselves to one another and longing for one another’s joy.

I hope your summer is filled with joy – with rest and refreshment and with a real sense of connectedness to God and to all your sisters and brothers in the Faith.  And with a deep and abiding knowledge that your prayers matter – and that prayer works!

In Christ’s Love,
Michael+