Day 169: God's Verbs

DAY 169

                              Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic                     

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Twenty-five   Sunday 30 August 2020

God’s Verbs

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  - The Book of Common Prayer: Prayer for the Sunday closest to 31 August

The verbs with movement in them in this prayer draw us into it, a desire on our part to be engaged with them and to be engaged by them. They all point directly to us: “graft in our hearts,” “increase in us,” “nourish us,” “bring forth in us.” Some prayers are otherworldly – this is not one of them. Here we asking for things that pertain to this life and our interactions with God and others: “the love of your Name,” “true religion,” “all goodness,” and “the fruit of good works.”

Some people believe that there is a God but that He is passive, unwilling to be actively involved in human history. Others believe there is a God but that He is impotent, unable to be involved in human history. Both perceptions are inaccurate – imagine God being either – He wouldn’t be God. The paradox is that He is both active and silent in human history, a presence and activity that is not given to us to discern or explain or understand – only trust.

Reflective questions:

And so we pray today, pausing to reflect on each petition to a verb of God…

“Graft in our hearts the love of your Name…”

    Q: What does this petition mean to you in your walk with the Lord today?

“Increase in us true religion…”

    Q: What would be your definition of ‘true religion?’ See James 1:27 for God’s definition.

“Nourish us with all goodness…”

    Q: To nourish is to nurture, to feed. What ‘goodness’ do you want God to nourish in you?

“Bring forth in us the fruit of good works…”

    Q: What ‘good works’ do you think God wants to bring forth in your life?

Reflective Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to me and I will answer…”

Reflective hymn:

“We are Called to Be God’s People” – Thomas Jackson (1931-    )

We are called to be God’s people, showing by our lives His grace

One in heart, and one in spirit, sign of hope for all the race.

Let us show how He has changed us and remade us as His own;

Let us share our life together as we shall around His throne.