Praying Us into God's Dream Easter 7C Trinity, Fredonia

Today’s reading, just like last week’s, is from Jesus’ Farewell Discourse. It’s Maundy Thursday. Jesus is giving his last sermon. The end is near. He’s getting in as much as he can in the very limited time left.
And although the reading is taken from the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, the content is all about what’s to come---the resurrection, the ascension, the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the steady walk toward the coming of God’s reign in this world, on that day when, as Jesus says, we’ll all be one…
A day when as outlined in our reading from Revelation--a world where all those who desire the water of life will be washed in it, where everyone who thirsts for justice and righteousness will be quenched, a world which we must help create by following the teachings of Jesus and the dream of God. A world where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing but life everlasting. The New Jerusalem. When heaven and earth are joined as one.
As he looks ahead to the inevitability of his suffering and death. As he contemplates all that has been and all that will be, our Lord and Savior prays: intently, powerfully and emotionally. He prays for his friends. He prays they will carry his message throughout all the lands. He prays that they, his friends will pray for all whom they encounter and he promises to pray for everyone everywhere, always. I find this scene of Jesus praying humbling and amazing and moving:
 Jesus prays for me. And for you. For all of us. Forever.
Prayer is an awesome, powerful, mysterious and incredible thing.
Now I know a lot of people feel ill-equipped to pray. We feel as if our prayers need to have the eloquence of the great preachers of our day, the poetry of the BCP, just the right words to convey what it is God wants to here.
Nope.
Anne Lamott has stated that the three most powerful prayers in the world are:
Help
Thanks
Wow
Prayer can be a series of disjointed words. Prayer can be one word. Prayer can be sitting in silence, listening for what it is thew Spirit is whispering to us. Prayer can also be a sunset, a baby’s laugh or a herd of deer on a rainy Sunday morning along the 90.
This morning a herd of deer galloped along side of me as I sped down the 90. They didn’t turn into the road, they just ran alongside and while witnessing this I was overcome by a peace and a presence sop profound I was sure that my late wife and my late mother were in the car with me. It was if they were saying—we are here, in everything. Everywhere always. Those deer were a prayer for me.

Have you ever been in a period of profound pain and loss and fear? Have you ever had people intentionally and consistently pray for you during that time? Have you felt their prayers?
I have. And I’m here to tell you, it works. I’ve been sustained by and through the prayers of so many people… As a woman of faith I've certainly done my share of praying and  intellectually I’ve known that research shows the effectiveness of prayer. But it wasn’t until I was the recipient of extensive, intensive, pointed prayer that I understood---deep in my bones, my heart and my soul---the power of prayer. I was, and remain incredibly humbled by my prayer warriors and have seen again and again and again that same intentional intercessory prayer work absolute wonders for others. Prayer works. The prayer of others offers the recipient a spiritual undergirding that buoys them up enough to endure whatever it is they are enduring. Prayer brings peace to the hearts and souls of those who are prayed for. And that my friends is our secret weapon.
Because by praying we will change this world.
And changing the world is what Jesus is telling us to do. It what’s God is expecting us to do.
Prayer isn’t optional for any of us who long for that New Jerusalem described in Revelation or that world where we all—everyone everywhere—will be one as Jesus prayed for in the Gospel.
My charge to you, each and every one of you here today, is to pray.
Diligently, regularly. And not just for those you know but especially for those you don’t.
Pray for peace. Pray that the leaders of the nations will have wisdom. Pray for our planet, pray for seasonable weather and successful crops. Pray for those you love. And pray for those you have a REAL HARD TIME loving. Pray for your enemies. For through prayer a power of light, of positive energy, of Love is unleashed and spreads throughout the world. This power is real, it is effective and is the only way forward for us. Pray.
It’s also important to pray for this, your church, and for your priest, and your vestry and wardens.
Pray for those members who have left the area or are about ready to leave.
And please, please pray for our dioceses, pray for me, pray for Bishop Sean. Pray that all 90+  churches in our dioceses will live into the task that has been given to us:
To be the hands and feet, the eyes and ears of Christ in this world and to seek and serve Christ in all whom we meet.
On the night before he died, our Lord prayed for his friends, he prayed for the world and he prayed for us. Today as our focus moves from the empty tomb to being the church in the world, let us pray for him, let us pray with him and all those who have gone before. May we all pray….consistently, intentionally, and endlessly. And then let us watch the world evolve into the place of God’s dream.  Amen.