Isaiah writes, “Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness revealed.  Blessed is the man (or woman) who does this… and the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord and to be his servants… these I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer… for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”  (56:1, 2, 6, 7).

A poetic expression of the people of God.  And even though Isaiah would not have had in mind the church, he would have been very familiar with those who identified as followers of God.  And so, I think as we continue to think about the church, God’s poetry recorded by Isaiah can be helpful.  Familiar themes of justice and righteousness start the verse.  A blessing which accrues to those who deal in justice and righteousness are affirmatively stated.  Which invites a question, how do I seek justice in my life and the world around me?  How do I do righteousness?  How do I join myself to what God is doing?  How do I love the name of God?  How do I do “servant”?  How do I experience joy?  How do I pray?

Any of these questions could be a welcome stop on which to land.  But I’d like to start at the end.  How do I pray?  It is very easy for me to pray in front of a group of people.  Likewise, it is easy to pray on Monday mornings during the staff meeting in which we pray for the requests submitted on Sunday.  (Thank you, by the way for giving your prayers and praises).  When I get an email asking for prayer, when a friend texts me, before a meal, in the shower, on Sunday mornings when the building is still empty.  And yet there are times when I don’t think to pray, when I miss the opportunity to pray, when my brain is so distracted, I can’t pray. 

I have learned to pray in the middle of the night, I have learned to pray in the very instant that someone bumps into me and asks for prayer.  I have learned to pray for peace, and for grace, and for strength and for wisdom.  And I think I am just barely learning to pray.  In fact, I want to find new avenues of prayer. 

A responsibility we share, as the people of God, is for prayer.  Each Sunday there is a group of folks ready to pray after each service.  

This week, pray for the team in Detroit.  Pray for justice and righteousness and salvation.  Pray for love.  Pray for servants.  Pray for joy.  Pray for new avenues of prayer.

This Sunday we resume ASL interpretation in the 10:30 service.  Additionally, if you are interested in baptism, please contact the church office.

Peace to you, praying for you,

John