“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
With these words, words that make up one of the most beautiful prayers in our prayer book (pg131 of the BCP), Jesus is inviting everyone who is tired and weighed down by the worries of life to let Him carry them for awhile. For he can handle it.
It’s a beautiful night-time prayer and one which gives me, personally, great solace. I can say this prayer, lay my head down and know that whatever is burdening me is in good hands, for I have handed it over to the One whose burden is light and whose yoke is easy.
To be frank, prayer has always held a certain mystery for me. I’ve never been one to barter through prayer—you know, “God if you give me this, I’ll do that……” I’d offer prayers of thanksgiving, but was hesitant to offer prayers of unloading, prayers of lament, prayers of need. When I was younger, I didn’t feel I deserved to ask God for anything. God was much too busy, my needs were much too trite, to ask for divine intervention.
That, my friends was a shame…and insulting to our Lord. For, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel, he wants our burdens. (and he isn’t just being polite….trust me) Our burdens. Not burdens that have been ok’d by a prayer committee. Not burdens which pass the international test for worthiness or importance. Jesus wants that which weighs us down. That which worries us. Jesus doesn’t care if our burdens pass a litmus test, because Jesus has no litmus test. Jesus wants to hear our prayers, Jesus wants to receive our prayers, Jesus wants us to unload our heaviness, our burdens, our lamentations on Him.
Jesus can take it.
Prayer between us and Jesus, prayer between us and God is one form of prayer. But prayer isn’t just something between us and God. Between us and Jesus. Prayer is also between us.
Unloading on God, through Jesus, is one thing, but what about unloading on others, what about asking others to pray for us? What about praying for others? This type of prayer—intercessory prayer---is a vital part of a community, a vital part of relationships.
About 4 years ago, a seminary classmate of mine, Leslie, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Although we weren’t particularly close friends, our class was small so I knew her fairly well. But we didn’t “hang out.” She told me that as the doctor was giving her this news she saw my face. Now she was as surprised by this as I was, for we weren’t exactly close friends. But she figured it meant something, so she called me. What began with that phone call…or maybe what began with that image she saw….was an 18 month journey for both of us, a journey which unfortunately, included her death from the disease, but which also included one of the most powerful experiences of prayer I’ve ever had.
AT 9:30 pm each night, several people from seminary(school was not in session, it was summer) would stop whatever we were doing and pray prayers for the sick (found on page 458-459 of the BCP). The fellowship we formed by praying the same prayers, at the same time every night, from wherever we were---Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, Ohio was powerful.
As Leslie grew weaker and it was clear the disease had won, our prayers continued, not for miracles, but for peace, not for healing but for release. As the prayers continued I realized the power prayer has among us. When we join with others to pray for someone or something the benefit reaches far beyond the person or the situation for which we’re praying, the benefit is significant among those praying. The total effect of this praying done miles apart had a power which was exponentially greater than the sum of its parts—it took on a life of it’s own.
The power of other people praying for you is just that, it’s organic, it’s palpable, it’s of the Spirit.
Frankly, God knows what we need, God knows what we long for, God knows what burdens us. Prayer doesn’t tell God anything God doesn’t already know—so informing God cannot be the only purpose of prayer. No, I think another purpose of prayer is the power, the energy created when many people join to offer prayers for a specific person, a specific situation, a certain need. The power of community, fellowship and camaraderie which happens when we join forces in prayer, whether gathered here on a Sunday or whether across the globe, is a force of God, a force of the spirit. A force so mysterious it clearly surpasses our human understanding.
So to add to Jesus’ request that we lay our burdens upon him, I encourage all of you to lay your burdens on one another. Pray for each other. Maybe you can take the parish list (call the office if you want one mailed to you) and divide it up, praying for people in the parish throughout the week. Maybe you’d like a copy of our list of sick and needy people…maybe you’d like to take the bulletin home and pray for those who participate in the service each week.
Maybe some of you are feeling especially burdened and would like others to pray for you. If so, you’ll find pencils and paper in your pews. If you wish to be prayed for, jot your prayer request on a piece of paper and put it in the offering plate. After the service we’ll have these slips of paper in a bowl, pick one up and pray for that person or that situation this week. See what happens. See if your own sense of burden, your own sense of worry isn’t lifted. When we pray for others we expel energy. An energy that, remarkably and mysteriously, lightens our own load, soothes our souls and creates its own easy yoke. So let’s add our own voices to Jesus and say to one another, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”
Amen
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