Our Primary Work – Prayer
This has been a rough week for our nation with a lot to process. At the time of this writing, it has been a week since the death of George Floyd, protests, and violence throughout America. Here in Perham, it feels very peaceful and distant from it all. You always assume that these are the things that happen in other places far removed from Minnesota. Yet you only have to drive three hours to see the destruction of Minneapolis or turn on the tv to see violence throughout our country. Yesterday, I spent some time on the phone with a pastor friend in Saint Paul and he talked about the needless destruction in the area surrounding their church.
The Early Church
My mind continues to go back to what the early church did during times of crises. First of all, they prayed. Not that God would take away the challenges, but asked God to give them boldness in the midst of what they were going through. The early Christians recognized that there was a deeper story behind the violence that they were experiences. A spiritual war was raging and that prayer was the greatest weapon that they had in their arsenal. Secondly, they also loved one another. They sought justice and the well being of their community.
As a church, I am asking us to commit ourselves to prayer. As our denomination says, “prayer is the primary work of God’s people.” Pray for our leaders, but also pray for the church. In the wake of evil, may we have wisdom on how to love, stand up for justice, and to be light in the midst of darkness.
