Honest Prayer

There are all kinds of prayers. In my Lutheran tradition we pray using very erudite language, with carefully chosen words. We pray in petition form, making sure to cover all the bases. In my private prayer life I often feel so fatigued that I fall asleep during my prayers (someone told me that's not so bad it means you're falling asleep in the arms of God - a nice thought). But, mostly what I feel is a strong sense that I'm missing something. I've been reading Mother Teresa's private letters in the book "Come be my light" where she confesses her doubts, her pain, and her feeling of experiencing God's absence. Some people have read it and felt that it made her a hypocrite (an accusation she levels at herself). I find just the opposite is true. It makes her more real and human and helpful for those of us who struggle with her. This Sunday at True North I'll be preaching about an honest prayer life - using Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. It's the first in a series on the Stations of the Cross. Along with the sermon and music we'll be trying some different opportunities for prayer. I hope you'll join me in trying to be more open and honest with God - so that we can experience the joy of the One who wants to fill us with His presence. Jesus was so brutally honest in that prayer in the garden and you can see how he moves from fear to conviction. That's a journey that we are invited to join. It's not easy to open yourself up to God, especially in the midst of the church community. But, if we can be that authentic I truly believe we'll be richer for it and closer to one another and to God. I believe it's a risk well worth taking.