Contents. Editor s Comments. Assumptions about the Content material

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2 Editor s Comments Assumptions about the Content material 1. Pages continue to be printed in full colour, as are most publications these days, from local newspapers to the advertisements on the back of Supermarket register print-outs. Only the Church continues to print Bible Study notes (with no drawings or photographs) on black and white pages -- often on separate pages which give the impression it is not expected that they will be kept long-term. Some subscribers to the hard-copy Sunday Journal inform me that they have saved back-copies that are more than ten years old. 2. When was the last time you heard a sermon preached on the Psalms? My wife, Kay, says it was about thirty-five years ago when I was the locum at North Beach, Perth. Assuming others may be starved of devotional insights based on the Psalms, I have continued the inclusion of helpful Preaching Notes throughout Sunday Journal 114 (For example see the notes for Psalm 29 on page 6). 3. The idea of will be expanded from Sunday Journal 115 onwards. This concept started when I began talking to preachers about their sermons and the fact that by the time the congregation leaves the church to go home, almost everyone will have forgotten about 85% of the sermon content. So what hope have they of recalling any of the teaching points about three or four weeks later? The Sunday Journal provides a bound quarterly copy of the Sunday Readings that can be consulted at any time. 4. Over the past 15 years of regularly sitting amongst the congregation I cannot recall even one sermon about praying, or providing any insights about growing and developing a rewarding devotional life. Consequently, this issue of the Sunday Journal contains a series of eight articles about Prayers that unite mind and heart and inspired by Henri Nouwen s advice about our inner life. When was the last time you heard a sermon about maintaining a prayerful devotional life? If they have been few and far between, you will value the bonus prayer section starting Contents May 24 Pentecost 1 May 31 Trinity 5 June 7 Pentecost 2 8 June 14 Pentecost 3 11 June 21 Pentecost 4 14 June 28 Pentecost 5 17 July 7 Pentecost 6 20 July 12 Pentecost 7 23 July 19 Pentecost 8 26 July 26 Pentecost 9 30 August 2 Pentecost August 9 Pentecost August 16 Pentecost August 23 Pentecost PRAYERS THAT UNITE MIND AND HEART 4 EPHESIANS: Bonus Section 41 Copyright 2015 by Brian D. Haig, printed in Perth, Western Australia for St Martin s Parish Press. Scripture texts are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Sunday Readings are from An Australian Lectionary 2008, Copyright 2008 General Synod, Anglican Church of Australia. The Psalms are from The Liturgical Psalter, Inclusive Language Version Copyright English text 1977 David L. Frost, John A. Emerton, Andrew A. Macintosh. Additional prayers are from A Prayer Book for Australia, Copyright 1995, The Anglican Church of Australia Trust Corporation.

3 May 24 SUNDAY BIBLE READINGS Ezekiel 37: The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD." 7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live."10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, `Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act," says the LORD. Pentecost Someone once said that enthusiasm is from the word entheos, meaning God within. Enthusiastic, exuberant people, rare as they may be, are the ones who fire up our world. The valley of dry bones 1. The meaning of the dry bones In his day, hope had become a rare commodity. A captive in the land of Babylon, Ezekiel must have felt as desolate and useless as the piles of bones that he had seen in the startling vision God had given him. He knew that only a miracle could bring the decimated and scattered people of Judah back together again in the Promise Land. 2. God breathes new life into restored bodies Yet as Ezekiel sat in this desolate valley and watched the Lord s mighty work, a miracle unfolded before his very eyes. Where before only dry bones had littered the landscape, the Lord added muscles, tendons, and tissue. And into those restored, silent bodies, God breathed new life. It was a testimony that he would do the same for Judah -- he would take the spiritually dead, dispersed nation and, by his might, bring it back to life. 3. God will infuse us with purpose and hope Maybe you feel dry, defeated, and emotionally scattered. Perhaps your valley of dry bones is a great loss, a failed relationship, an illness that consumes you, or a circumstance that is absolutely beyond your control and requires a miracle. But do not despair! The same God who breathed life into the old, dry bones sustains you today, and he is able to infuse you with new purpose and hope. Just as God proved the victory to Ezekiel and Judah, he is near to you and can make you triumphant. Just one breath from Him and your life will never be the same. Trust God, and he will breathe life back into your hopes and dreams. Q1: How confident are you that God will always breathe life back into your hopes and dreams? Why? 1

4 A friend is someone who walks in when everybody else walks out. Psalm 25:1-10 Taking responsibility 1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. 3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. 6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD! 8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. Seeking God s guidance 1. David expressed his desire for guidance (v.4). How do we receive God s guidance? 2. The first step is for us to want to to be guided and to realise that God s primary guidance system is in his Word, the Bible. 3. By reading the Bible and constantly learning from it, we will gain the wisdom to perceive God s direction to our lives. Q2: Do you believe that whatever problem you are facing today, you can call upon God, and in his perfect timing he will guide you on the right pathways? Why? 2 1 Peter Baptism saves us 18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. 21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you-- not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. God still at work in us 1. God has given everyone the opportunity to come to him, but this does not imply a second chance for those who reject Christ in this life. The first stage of the history of salvation describes God s intention to save mankind. The Flood story relates to no specific time at the beginning of world history, but rather to all times. 2. The story depicts sinfulness and the destructive forces of sinfulness. It is a reminder of our own miseries and weaknesses, of our feelings of being swamped by the hustle of daily living. 3. God is still at work in us. Knowing that God is in control, we can face all our temptations without fear; and in the midst of any difficulties and problems we can grow in Christian maturity and effective service. Q3: Do you believe that at baptism we identify with Jesus Christ who separates us from the lost and gives us new life? Why? It wasn t raining when Noah started building the ark.

5 John ; 16.4b Jesus said, "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. 4 But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?' 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer. 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Editor s note: If you were to ask me to preach about the above photograph with its spectacular stained glass windows depicting the tongues of flame experienced at Pentecost, I would focus on the lady in the purple jumper arranging the flowers for the Sunday service. Without the dedication, commitment and service of countless women with great humility, performing the most mundane tasks, many things would not be done in the Church. General Booth of the Salvation Army once said: Some of my best men are women! Obviously it is possible to move on from recognising the faithful women in your community of faith and go on to mention some of the more prominent women mentioned in the scriptures. Should you ask me: What is the first thing in religion? I should reply; the first, second, and the third thing therein is humility. Augustine of Hippo The Spirit of truth comes 1. Finding peace in the Lord Jesus said: I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world (John 16.33). With these encouraging words Jesus tells his disciples to take courage. In spite of the inevitable struggle they will face, they are not alone. Jesus does not abandon us to our struggles either. If we remember that the ultimate victory has already been won, we can claim the peace of Christ in the most troublesome times. The troubled soul which finds refuge in Christ will find rest in him. The peace of God becomes a guard to the heart against the troubles and disappointments of life. The nervous irritations which seem to annoy us in our present, fast-living age will give way to calmness. ; 2. Without Jesus there is no gospel Unless Jesus did what he came to do, there would be no gospel. If he did not die, he could not remove our sins; he could not rise again and defeat death. If Jesus did not go back to the Father, the Holy Spirit would not come. Christ s presence on earth was limited to one place at a time. His leaving meant he could be present to the whole world through the Holy Spirit. (Life Application Study Bible: John 16.7.) 3. The floodgates of faith are opened When Christianity ceases to be outreaching, when it ceases to be missionary, then it ceases to be truly Christian. But how could eleven simple disciples steeped in religious prejudice, reach out into a pagan world? Only through the power of God s Holy Spirit, who was to come upon them at Pentecost. They needed the very breath of God if they were ever going to do God s work. Pentecost was the great day when the flood-gates of faith were opened, and the Gentile converts first streamed into the kingdom of God, as Christians. Q4: What do you learn from the gospel passage about God s Spirit? 3

6 4 Prayers that unite mind and heart Prayer Themes 1. The garden of our soul (Page 7) 2. God knows each one of us (Page 10) 3. Having the right intentions (Page 13) 4. Praying for the less fortunate (Page 16) 5. Staying on line (Page 19) 6. Living life now (Page 25) 7. Healing and hope (Page 28) 8. Maturing in our faith (Page 32) Henri Nouwen s quote on prayer If prayer were just an intelligent exercise of our mind, we would soon become stranded in fruitless and trivial inner debates with God. If, on the other hand, prayer would involve only our heart, we might soon think that good prayers consist in good feelings. But the prayer of the heart in the most profound sense unites mind and heart in the intimacy of the divine love of God. It is indeed like a murmuring stream, that continues underneath the many waves of every day life, and opens the possibility of living in the world, without being of it, and of reaching out to our God from the centre of our solitude. Editor s note: This photograph of a loving grand-mother and her grandson sharing some quality time together examining the structure of an autumn leaf, provides a visual image of prayer being the mind and heart coming together in the intimacy of the divine love of God, as described by Henri Nouwen. As you develop your own daily prayers based on the various themes based in this prayer section of Sunday Journal 114, remember to keep a helpful balance between intelligent considerations and emotional enthusiasm. PREACHING/TEACHING NOTES The photograph of grandmother and grandson together looking at the structure of an autumn leaf also provides a great visual aid for preaching/teaching about death, dying and grieving.

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