Monday, October 23, 2006

You are Here for Prayer.

You are not here to be given a spiritual massage. You are not here to be entertained. You are not here to go through certain rituals or say certain words for their psychological side-effects. You are here for prayer. This means that you are here as priests and priestesses offering spiritual sacrifices for the salvation of the world. This means you may not bring any idols in here. Leave them all behind. Money cannot save you; it is lifeless paper and metal. A good reputation cannot save you; men grow old and die. Sex cannot save you and your body cannot save you; it will one day be dust. Politics cannot save you; God turns the heart of the king like rivers of water. Cast your idols down; repudiate them all; scorn them, and offer pure incense before the Most Holy Place. Gathering here for prayer also means that you are entering the council chambers of the King to be enthroned as kings and queens judging the world in righteousness. This means you cannot come in here with petty disagreements and quarrels with brothers and sisters. Do you not know that we are judging angels? Put your pettiness down and be enthroned here in the Kingdom. Finally, we are prophets and prophetesses giving counsel to God, speaking on behalf of the world, pleading with God like Abraham of old. This means you must come with confidence. You may not stand there muttering words apologetically as though you don’t belong here. You may not mumble the ancient and glorious mysteries of creeds and Psalms as though you’d rather be somewhere else. Because if you would rather be somewhere else, I would like to ask you to kindly leave now. Rather, we are entering into the Holy of Holies now; come with confidence, come with exuberance, and come with faith. Sing out loud like every song is for the world because it is. Shout your “amen’s” as though you would have God act and perform all that He has promised because you would. Pray the prayers with all the passion and faith you can muster as though God is listening to your every syllable; because He is. Listen to the Word of God read and preached as though He were speaking directly to you, as though your very life depended on every Word; because it does. Feast at His table with hearts full of thanksgiving as though the bread and wine were all of the energy and life of God made palatable for you; because it is. So come and worship. You are here for prayer.

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