Sabbatical - Day 8

'When he had said these things, he knelt down with them all and prayed' - Acts 20:36

Reading Michael Green: A Prayer Journey with the Apostle Paul. Very struck by Paul's public prayerfulness and dependence on God. May I be prayerful and model such prayerfulness in all ministry, beginning with the time in India. There is a humility about public prayerfulness which is some of the answer to all pride and self-dependence.

This is also a place where individual and corporate prayerfulness can be encouraged. I m reminded of Bishop Stephen whom I have often observed beginning a sermon with a lengthy moment of prayerful silence.

I pray for those we will meet at

Gurukul Theological Seminery, Chennai

Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary  Madurai

St.Stephen's church, Vichoor Village.


United Theological College Bangalore


Bishop Newbigin College of Education.
ESanthome Cathedral


Kancheepuram where Bishop Newbegin served.



St.Peter's Church, Vyasarpadi
 where we visited in 2012

Madras Christian College, Tambaram.



May my prayer not be brief or embarrassed. May it be and model total dependence on God. 

Sabbatical - Day 6

It is a privilege that by God's grace Paul Weston of Ridley Hall Theological College and the Lesslie Newbigin Centre will be in Chennai at much the same time. We will be sharing much of the itinerary.

I have been pondering the words of M Basil Pennington (Call to the Centre): 'The regular practice of entering prayer will have a profound effect on our lives.It will bear abundant fruit... But we must not test God. We must not go to our prayer looking for results. For then it will no longer be true entering prayer.
'Entering prayer is a very pure prayer - pure gift, teetotal gift of self to God. It will bring forth fruit in our lives... But we must leave all that to God. They will show up when and where and how he deems best.
'If we go to entering prayer looking for results, we are still trapped within the false self, the self that is made up of what we do, what we have and what others think of us. Our prayer becomes a "doing", something we will have to do, and do right to get a certain result... It will no longer be the simple prayer of being...
'Don't put God to the test. Just give...'

This ties in with my own experience of prayer.
- The deepest moments of prayer come in periods of silence and waiting - this is perhaps part of what he means by 'centering'.
- In the midst of this and other prayer, it seems to be the brief prayers (though maybe chiselled out over long periods) that God especially seems to answer.
- What then of my long prayers? I used to think that it was the intensity of my asking that mattered; but my brief answered prayers are not always intense (though perhaps deep). Perhaps my long prayers are examples of patient waiting. If so, I need to worry that they are not intense enough. But maybe God is still chiselling away ate me in them, or perhaps a better image is that of a river (God's Spirit) carving its way through a landscape.

So to finish, George Herbert on Prayer

OF what an easie quick accesse, 

My blessed Lord, art thou !  how suddenly 
            May our requests thine eare invade ! 
To shew that state dislikes not easinesse, 
If I but lift mine eyes, my suit is made : 
Thou canst no more not heare, than thou canst die. 

            Of what supreme almightie power 
Is thy great arm which spans the east and west, 
            And tacks the centre to the sphere ! 
By it do all things live their measur’d houre : 
We cannot ask the thing, which is not there, 
Blaming the shallownesse of our request. 

            Of what unmeasurable love 
Art thou possest, who, when thou couldst not die, 
            Wert fain to take our flesh and curse, 
And for our sakes in person sinne reprove ; 
That by destroying that which ty’d thy purse, 
Thou mightst make way for liberalitie ! 

            Since then these three wait on thy throne, 
Ease, Power, and Love ;  I value prayer so, 
            That were I to leave all but one, 
Wealth, fame, endowments, vertues, all should go ; 
I and deare prayer would together dwell, 
And quickly gain, for each inch lost, an ell. 

And here is George Herbert praying, as depicted in Salisbury Cathedral (at the foot of the window)

Prayer for Mission and Unity

There is great power in this prayer of Bishop Stephen, used widely today in Chelmsford Diocese, if used to slowly and reflectively:

O Holy Trinity,

three persons but One God,

open our minds to know your will;

open our hearts to receive your peace;

open our hands to do your work;

give your church the unity which was Christ’s prayer;

help us live with conscientious difference;

forgive us when we gain the world and put our souls in danger.

You know what is good for us:

come by your Spirit and change us,

let your church reflect the beauty, diversity and hospitality that we see in you,

lead us to a place of graceful concord:

a self-forgetful love,

a turning back to Christ:

for with your grace to help we can be one,

and in your strength can strive to serve and bless,

and by your will can see your kingdom come.

Use us to the full;

and when we are empty, fill us afresh.

We know you love your church,

help us to love each other.

Unite us in the effervescent joy of your declaring,

but not just us – we ask it so the world may believe.

And in these days of uncertainty, we ask it in the name of him

who is our foundation, our salvation and our end, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Quotes for the Day

“The more surpassing all imagination of Prophets and Psalmists and Apostles the Divine Nature is,—the more true it is that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man what God hath prepared for them who are for ever to be made partakers of the Divine Nature... "Now it is necessary to know, and ever to keep in mind, that prayer is the all-comprehending name that is given to every step in our return to God. True prayer, the richest and the ripest prayer, the most acceptable and the most prevailing prayer, embraces many elements : it is made up of many operations of the mind, and many motions of the heart. To begin to come to ourselves,—however far off we may then discover ourselves to be,—to begin to think about ourselves, is already to begin to pray. To begin to feel fear, or shame, or remorse, or a desire after better things, is to begin to pray." - Lord, teach is to pray: sermons on prayer By Alexander Whyte

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, Unuttered or expressed; The motion of a hidden fire That trembles in the breast. Prayer is the burden of a sigh, The falling of a tear The upward glancing of an eye, When none but God is near. James Montgomery

My Quote for the Day

from Lord, teach us to pray : sermons on prayer

"instead of it being a difficulty, and a hardship, and an offence that the love of Christ passeth knowledge,—that is the crowning glory of Christ's love : that is our crowning blessedness. The love of Christ has no border: it has no shore: it has no bottom. The love of Christ is boundless : it is bottomless : it is infinite : it is divine. That it passeth knowledge is the greatest thing that ever was said, or could be said about it, and Paul was raised up of all men to see that and to say it. We shall come to the shore, we shall strike the bottom, of every other love: but never of the love of Christ."

Lord, teach us to pray : sermons on prayer By Alexander Whyte

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Photography and Prayer

Thinking today about how photography and prayer can engage. I certainly often have the thought that photography is very close to prayer. If I am making a landscape photograph then in a sense I am not far from eg Psalm 19. I rather like this blog of Bill Walsh I came across:

9 Reasons I'm a Photographer
I'm not here thinking of using photographs as part of prayer (though that can be invaluable), but photography itself as close to prayer.
Take Psalm 8:

3 ¶  When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

4  What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Making a photograph (as against taking a snap) involves considering. It involves stopping, looking, reflecting, seeing.
C.S. Lewis speaks of "the divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic reality in which we all live" (Preface to George MacDonald: An Anthology.)

Maggie Ross in The Fire of Your Life, p 16, who there seeks to widen our understanding of visions, to embrace the secular understanding of vision as well as the mystical, says:

"The mystics find the universe, seen and unseen, in hazelnuts, grains of sand, and wild flowers. Their visions communicate to us a vision, a perspective, that widens the lens of our hearts, enabling us to glimpse through their a depth of field we had not dreamed existed."

Although she does not mention photography, I can only imagine that the references here (lens, depth of field) are intentional analogies. And in fact, the photographer in photographing such and other items and events, is doing exactly the same thing.

So this takes us beyond photography as prayer to photography as vision.
Perhaps for me it can be a way of helping live out these
10 Resolutions for Mental Health

Human Rights

I found myself getting angry at the reports that's Devon Council is being taken to court for beginning its proceedings with prayers. The argument is that the human rights of those who do not believe are being abused.

To which I want to say, What about the human rights of those who do believe in God?

I am not suggesting this is a Christian or good response. But as news items do not often get me angry, I have been pondering it.

From time to time I am at a 'secular' committee where proceedings do not begin with prayer. It always seems that something important is missing, even if only the opportunity to stop and say to oneself: this is an important meeting; I must stop, focus, prepare, that I may make good decisions.

Unfortunately silence is not an option for the Devon Council. Even that is alleged to abuse human rights.

My anger? I realise how important words are to me. They create the universe we and I inhabit. By this I mean that they create a climate in our minds, individual and corporate. So, if there is not prayer, I am being required to live out a lie. This abuses me, if I may for a moment be a fool.

As a fool, I do not object to a majority decision not to have prayer. But I do object to a minority veto.

However, this leaves me wondering what my response as a Christian should be. The example of Jesus is to respond with grace, mercy and truth. How might we do this as a Christian community?

The importance of words for our health and well-being presses itself upon me. This is therefore a gift that I might offer others in a 'secular' context. (I use quotes since I don't subscribe to the sacred/secular divide but it is useful shorthand. But perhaps I need to challenge this language as well.) After all, Jesus said, You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

The lie being propagated is that to banish God-language is to somehow be more impartial, to use language that surely any reasonable person should agree on - neutral language.

At this point 'David Bentley Hart's book Atheist Delusions may be of help. At p 21 he writes: "Modernity's highest ideal -it's special understanding of personal autonomy - requires us to place our trust in an original absence underlying all reality..." "[A]ll judgment, divine no less than human, is in some sense an infringement upon our freedom."

Hence, he points out choice, not what we choose, is for us the first good (p 22). And thus we deny both a God who is beyond us and also a stable human nature which would confine our decisions within certain inescapable channels.

So what actually makes me angry is the folly of the situation. On the basis of a leap of faith, that there is no ultimate reality not even human, we are banished from using faith language. It is a poverty of thought.

But how then to speak? How do we speak to those who for the most part are blinded because of the culture around? For we can only use the words and the forms of thought that are to hand.

Perhaps a rediscovery of prayer may help. A friend and colleague is also careful to listen to what it is that others are praying about. This is a healthy corrective to most praying when we are anxious to speak, or to be silent, or to listen to God, but place less emphasis on the listening to one another.

But surely this is hinted at in John 20 (If you forgive the sins of others they are forgiven) and is implicit in Romans 8 when Paul speaks of God's Spirit praying through is. Incarnation is true in prayer as much as anywhere. God 'articulate' his purposes through us. And so it is that if two or three agree on earth it shall be done for them in heaven.

So how doe we speak of prayer in a 'secular' world. Perhaps we can speak of prayer as the ultimate listening to one another. The Christian sees this as part of the Spirit's work. But it is also true at a lesser level, when we truly hear each other. This is not merely beginning with silence; it is using that space of time to articulate what is in our hearts at a deeper level. If we are not ready for that, well, silence is a good start.

Prayer and the Press

Around us swirl accusations and counter-accusations. Empires and governments seem unsafe. Where does power reside? Where is there safety?

True power lies with God, and the person in prayer knows more about power than anyone (albeit it a very special sort of power, true power, not  usurped power.

Eugene Peterson is poignant in his book on Revelation, Reversed Thunder:

'Out of the silence, action developed: an angel came before the altar of God with a censer. He mixed the prayers of the Christians with incense (which cleansed them from impurities) and combined them with fire (God's spirit) from the altar. Then he put it all in the censer and threw it over heaven's ramparts. The censer, plummeting through the air, landed on earth. On impact there were "peals of thunder, voices, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake (Rev 8:5). The prayers, which had ascended, unremarked by the journalists of the day, returned with immmense force - in George Herbert's phrase, as "reversed thunder". Prayer reenters history with incalculable effects. Our earth is shaken daily by it.'

- Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder, Ch 7 (a commentary on Revelation, relating to Revelation 8:1-5. I am not quite sure if I would interpret the phrase 'reversed thunder' as  he does. He seems to suggest it is the prayer returning to earth; I think George Herbert in the poem from which the phrase come - see below -  has in mind that prayer is thunder rising from the earth to the heavens cp thunder which comes from 'heaven' to earth. But the  introduction of the image is helpful and it is easy to adapt Peterson appropriately.)

It is worth quoting George Herbert's wonderful poem Prayer (1) which Eugene Peterson refers to in the phrase "reversed thunder":

Prayer (I)

Prayer the Church’s banquet, Angels’ age,
God’s breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth;
Engine against th’ Almighty, sinners’ tower,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six-days world-transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;
Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
Exalted Manna, gladness of the best,
Heaven in ordinary, man well dressed,
The milky way, the bird of Paradise,
Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul’s blood
The land of spices; something understood.