When I became an associate pastor at Williamson’s Chapel, my job was to visit the shut-ins, (Folks who could not leave their homes or nursing facilities).
It was one of my first visits, the hour was drawing to an end, I stood up to go to their bedside and asked, “Is there anything the church or I can do for you?”
The answer was something like, “I’d like to talk to you about dying.”
Now, that’s not something you can just rattle off an answer to in five minutes.
I ended up being late for a meeting with the lead pastor. When I arrived, I explained what happened. He laughed and said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. When making pastoral care visits, folks always save the big things for last.”
His experience was a great teacher.
When we are getting ready to stop communicating with someone it is as if we do save the “best for last.”
Maybe that is why we end conversations with, “I love you.” We want those with whom we are in a relationship to remember that as time and distance begin.
In 1 Thessalonians, as Paul was finishing up his letter to the people of the church in Thessalonians, he gave them some parting directives.
“12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,[c] encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.”
He says, “Pray without ceasing.”
If you study what that means, a lot of folks say things like, “offer quick little prayers.”
What if it means that prayer is a state of being? That constant connection with God is our being a part of the great flow.
“Prayer isn’t primarily words; it’s primarily an attitude, a stance, a modus operandi. That’s why Paul could say, “Pray always.” “Pray unceasingly.” If we read that as requiring words, it is surely impossible. We’ve got a lot of other things to do. We can pray unceasingly, however, if we find the stream and know how to wade in its waters. The stream will flow through us, and all we have to do is keep choosing to stay there.”
(Rohr, https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-prayerful-stance-2022-02-13/).
Grace and Peace,
Andrea