DRIVE-THRU PRAYER.

For many Christians, prayer is a sporadic and erratic event. Do you have a daily prayer time to which you commit?  I’d like to hear about it.

From the tradition in which I grew up, the “liturgy of the hours” wasn’t practiced. Well, it may have been by some, but they certainly didn’t call it that.  In fact, there was often a disdained attitude toward anything that feels or sounds Catholic or “corporatized” about Christianity.  I don’t think anyone hated the traditions of Christendom, but there certainly was an attitude present – whether taught overtly, or environmentally absorbed – that had little value for human traditions of “the church” (the Roman Catholic church).  However, there is great value in understanding the meandering road of our Christian history; whether good or bad in its practices.

Too often, Christians I know participate in something I’d call drive-thru prayer.  After all, we hit the drive-thru for an expressed purpose, and are quick about it, and when it’s over we have little use for it again until next time we visit out of convenience or because we’re in a hurry.  Too often prayer is treated the same way.

In my heritage, we prayed, and were encouraged to pray.  In fact, we often quoted Paul of Tarsus’s instruction to the Colossians in 4:2; “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.”  But there has often been something missing.  While of particular value, I’m referring to much more than dinner-table or bed-time prayer.

In the history of the church, there was a group who became known as the desert fathers. One of the traditions they developed was a revitalized Jewish practice; a specific time of day in which practitioners would devote themselves to spiritual communion with God in prayer.  Out of this practice developed many different types of prayer and spiritual exercises focused on drawing nearer to the Almighty through prayer, meditation, & reading. (I’d encourage you to click the link on desert fathers and learn more about them!)

About 500-600 years before Christ, Daniel the Hebrew’s practice is documented; “Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously.”  He continued in other situations with this prayer ritual – “Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.”  He was a Hebrew taken into exile with others from the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar.  These historical events are well documented outside the Bible.

Back to the point:  I’m very interested in hearing from anyone who has developed a personal practice of the divine hours, or “the divine office” or whatever you call your fixed time(s) of prayer each day. This is an ancient practice, and I’d be interested in knowing the value of it that you have experienced.  Have you set alarms on your phone to do this?  Ever how private it must be, do you stop anything you’re doing to devote yourself to that communion with God?

It’s really about holiness.  I try my best to be holy at all hours of the day, whether public or private alone time.  We live in a time where UNHOLINESS, wickedness, and hedonistic idolatry is the god of most of the world, regardless of whether or not they visit a church like a drive-through every week.  It’s a challenge to be what we need to be, and to continue to stand out.  My prayer for myself and my family is that we would be like Daniel;  ^“Now this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the other supervisors and the satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit. In fact, the king intended to appoint him over the entire kingdom.”

Have you developed a practice of this in your life?  In light of recent political and social developments in our country, how has this affected your divine hours time?  We who are disciples of Jesus should make time, and make it a priority to put in the solitude time.  Thanks in advance for your thoughtful comments.

In a number of places I’ve been growing up, I heard a particular explanation of 1 Cor. 11:17-34.  That explanation was that the instruction Paul gave was a condemnation of the church’s “making a common meal out of the Lord’s Supper.” 

With great respect to the good men who’ve stated it, I believe this is a shallow explanation of the passage, and that verses 17-22 provide the appropriate context.  They show that “common meal” was not at all part of the censure Paul issued. 

The Corinthian church had a number of problems.  Many of them came from Pagan backgrounds; idol worship, ceremonial promiscuity (temple prostitution) and eating meat from sacrifices to those gods, just to name a few.  This was the culture of the people of Corinth.  However, as redeemed disciples of Christ, they are now called away from their former lifestyles and called to a life of self-oblation and dependence on God. 

Chapters 10 & 11 are interesting.  In chapter 10, the Apostle instructs them, “Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ” – instructing them that they cannot have it both ways.  You can’t keep your life of Pagan self-indulgence and worship, and sit down at the table with Christ’s saints and eat the LORD’s supper. 

Just like the serious dichotomy in their attitudes and behavior in chapter 10, chapter 11 demonstrates a serious problem that has nothing to do with “making a common meal” of the Supper.  Consider the opening of the passage: 

17In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk.

The passage continues with the oft-explained passage,

“Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! “

The problem clearly is identified in those verses.  To be accurate, the passage has to mean something far more than our 21st Century Western World thinking.  “Don’t you have homes” couldn’t be accurately translated, “don’t eat in the church building.”  Nor could it mean, “don’t make a common meal of the Supper” – as the church had been in the habit of ritual meals since the Jewish feasts and ceremonies.  In fact, Jesus’ very institution of the Supper was in the context of a meal. 

The problem here is that status differences and class envy were penetrating the Lord’s church.  The everyday feelings and practices of these Christians was not fixed – and not only that – but specifically brought INTO the church.  Those with status, riches, wealth, and availability were abusing the freedoms and liberty of those who “had nothing.”  The Lord’s church was called to a higher purpose!  To be a  light in the darkness, to be a light to the nations, and to show Christ to the world.  The Corinthians were far from it.

Although slaves are not mentioned in chapter 11, the Greco-Roman world was full of slavery during the time of Paul’s writing.  If the slave in the Roman society (50-60% of their world) cannot come to the Lord’s table for equality and fellowship, to where can he go?  (Don’t think 19th century African slavery; think credit, debt, sponsorship, and mentorship.)  The Roman slave may not be a particularly poverty-stricken slave, but just a lower socio-economic class person.  Regardless of the status of the individuals; the “haves” were disregarding the equality of these Christians who were less-fortunate.  Whether slave or free, the church in Corinth wasn’t eating the LORD’s supper at all.  It was their own supper with inequality, status envy, and refused fellowship.

All of this makes the last few verses (often ignored) make sense.  If one doesn’t discern the body rightly, he will not care for his brothers or sisters.  The Lord’s church loves its own, and cares for one another in a way incomprehensible to the outside world.  Verse 30 alludes to those who are weak, sick, and have even died – because the body was not discerned rightly.  If the church there would care for one another, wait for one another, and eat the LORD’s supper, perhaps the fate would not be the same.

The conclusion is simple. 

11:33So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.   – Food isn’t the problem.  It’s mindset.  If one is coming to the assembly to eat and feast, he has the wrong motives. 

While the early church did in fact take part in an Agapao (Agape – Love Feast), Paul does not condemn, nor condone it here.  His silence leads us to believe it was a non-issue.  What was NOT a non-issue was the way the church of God was to treat one another, since “we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”  (1 Cor. 10:17) 

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More than ever, I realized tonight how amazingly important it is for God’s children to be salt and light in a world full of tasteless darkness.  “Come out and be separate, says the Lord” is resonating in my head loudly.

I’m at one of my work engagements, and having a blast.  My friends and colleages are fun people, and some of them are deeply God-fearing.  Others – not so much God-fearing in their everyday ethics and personal morality.  They are not evil people, they are simply demonstrating Satan’s impact on the world by their lack of Godliness.  I have no doubt they “fear” God, but they often don’t appear to let it translate into obedience, respect, and holiness.  I have come to believe that true disciples of Christ cannot possibly be brightening and seasoning the world without being within it.  To get to know people, and for them to get to know us, and know that we – without judgement upon them – choose to live a different life of holiness; separating ourselves from vulgar speaking, filthy thoughts, drunkenness, immorality.

Don’t get me wrong… I deeply struggle with holiness on a daily basis, and hope and pray that God’s rich mercy will cover my shortcomings.  I know that it will because the word repeatedly shows that Christ’s love is so deep for us; that his love was far greater than a simple trump card that was a one-time pass for us to be saved or not saved.  That his sacrifice was once for all time, so that we don’t repeatedly – year after year – have to offer sacrifices for ourselves, as the Hebrews did.  Isn’t that what grace is? 

Isn’t his grace sufficient for us?  Now and for always, Father – give me strength to be in and amongst my friends of the world, and show them Jesus.  To love them, to show holiness to them, and while far from perfection, help me to show them in my conscious and unconscious actions that Jesus is truly the master of my life.  And thank you for placing dear Christian brothers close to me to help encourage.

Well, not totally… but MUCH better!  To our knowledge, she has passed the stone, and is only dealing with residual pain from the ordeal.  She is still very tired as she never really got any restful sleep for 2-3 days, so please keep on praying for her if you will.

Praise God for his power and grace.

This is no time for humor, actually.  I have such bad taste…  Seriously, please pray for Elizabeth right now.  She is in the hospital with a kidney stone and WAS in excruciating pain.  The pain is subsiding – gradually – thanks to modern meds, but they are keeping her in St. Thomas Hospital here in Nashville probably a 2nd night, tonight.  The main issues are her nausea and the concern about dehydration, and the pain is being dealt with by the professionals.  I took her in to the E.R. last night about 9:oo, and after a CT Scan and 4 or 5 doses of pain and nausea meds, she continued to have great pain and nausea, so they admitted her at about 3:15 a.m. 

We are in pretty good shape with our contingency plan, (my parents watching kids, etc.) and our trip to Louisiana/Texas was put off today, of course.  But other than that, several good sisters have jumped in and helped out.  God is good; let’s just pray for her to quickly pass the kidney stone.  I’ve never seen her in this much pain.