Pray Constantly

A sermon by Rev. Nancy Piorkowski
Readings: I Thessalonians 5:12-28, Secrets of Heaven 2535
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Photo by Wendy Van Zyl

To begin with, I started out with the revised common lectionary which had a great Bible reading and lesson for today, but as I looked at it and pondered and prayed over it I really did not have any idea or any strong idea of thoughts that would form what I thought was a cohesive message for today that is beyond about one or two sentences. I reviewed my books in search of inspiration and was pleased to find two books by Anne Lamott that Millie Laakko gave me. The first book, entitled Traveling Mercies, offers ‘some thoughts on faith.’(1) I grabbed that book because I had begun reading it a while back and thought it might be a useful resource for a sermon topic. Coincidentally, my affirmation solidified when I found a handwritten note from Millie tucked inside one of the pages. I do not remember seeing the note before but finding it in those moments gave me hope that I could pull off a sermon!
I paused at the chapter titled "Hearth Cake," and the first sentence captured my attention: Anne starts the chapter out with the following statement: "Some people think that God is in the details, but I have come to believe that God is in the bathroom. “I initially found it unusual, but upon reflection, I can recall several instances of severe illness involving either myself or another person, where I found myself praying in the bathroom." Well, this caught my curiosity. I read about a young mother's experience of having her child undergo blood work, which led to concerns when they visited an oncologist, as it suggested the possibility of cancer. 
The possibility of her child having cancer made the mother very concerned. She felt uncertain and afraid of what might happen next. It reminded her of the story of Elijah waiting in a cave, facing the threat of being killed by his oppressor or saved by God.(2) An angel appeared to him telling him to eat, rest and go back to the cave to await further instructions. Elijah followed the angels’ instructions. Elijah first heard the howling wind, but he did not go to the mouth of the cave, because he knew that the loudness was not God. Neither was God in the earthquake or the fire. After the fire Elijah heard a voice, and indeed that voice told Elijah what he must do to save his people. (3)    Anne followed this example and spent the next two days eating muffins in lieu of hearth cakes and drinking lots of water. She washed windows and gave the dog a flea bath. She went into the bathroom a lot to pray for patience. Anne remembered that it is sometimes the daily rituals, the ordinariness that helps one navigate through these times of the agonizing unknown. While waiting for answers. She knew that she was going to be “more or less okay “– when she discovered patience and serenity in the warmth of the sunlight streaming into her living room. Thankfully, this story has a happy conclusion. The child was diagnosed with an allergy, not cancer.  WOW!
I had my own experience of waiting. I remember my dad coming into my room to tell me the hospital had called him and wanted him to come to the hospital. My father would not let me go with him. I got up and knelt by the bed and said the Lord’s Prayer. So many thoughts going through my head as I realized how my mother’s death would change my life. I remember very well flying from one unfinished task to another after my dad called to tell me that mom had died. These of course were distractions to help me cope with this devastating loss. I was home alone at the time with my siblings asleep. At one point the kitchen sink was overflowing – which gave me another mess to clean up! If you are not careful, your overzealous attempt at distracting yourself will backfire!
Anne’s reflections affirm that the Divine is present in life's small moments. Her journey of surrender, whether through daily tasks or solitary prayers, teaches that faith grows in quiet honesty. This mirrors my own experience of finding solace in prayer during times of personal loss, where it became a comforting conversation with God. Moments of connection can transform despair into hope and uncertainty into strength.
In her prelude, Help, Thanks, Wow, Anne Lamott recommends we keep prayer simple. Prayer is not for display purposes, Prayer is private, even when we pray with others. It is communication from one’s heart to God. One can pray anywhere, walking along a path, doing the dishes or any other common task. Prayer is talking to something with which we seek union, or as e.e cummings put it—reaching out to something having to do with the eternal, with vitality, intelligence, kindness even when we are at our most utterly doomed and skeptical of everything God can handle honesty, and prayer begins an honest conversation. Lamott goes on to say that she believes that when you are telling the truth, you are closest to God.
Years ago, when I was in crisis, I poured out my prayerful pleas for help with journal writing. I wrote in journal after journal for several years. I found that writing to God would put my thoughts out there where I could see them. Writing was a way of calming myself by putting my feelings into words.  I consider my journal writing as honest conversations with God. 
As time progressed, I found the ability to say thank you to God, which is Lamott’s second prayer. Anne states that “gratitude beings in our hearts and then dovetails into behavior.”(4)  Lamott also tells us that gratitude often makes us want to serve others. I know that often feeling gratitude gives me the desire to do something good for someone else. When all humbles us, especially when we recognize all the ways we have been blessed, there is a desire to be of service to others.  
This does not have to be anything big or grand. Picking up litter, volunteering at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen are all ways to share our gratitude with others. Smiling and listening to a stranger in the grocery store or making eye contact with a homeless person and genuinely asking them how they are doing.  It is being respectful and receptive to others. The list goes on and on. Small things that may not seem all that important shine as beacons of love to someone struggling on the fringe of being accepted by society. 
When I am feeling so distressed that I shut down completely, I know that getting up and doing something, anything will redirect my energy. When I am at an emotional standstill it helps when I remind myself to ‘Just Keep on going’. 
Have you had any experience that made you proclaim “Wow” with a sharp intake breath or a gasp of air? There are two kinds of “wow” the one in all lower case that happens when we experience something modest, such as getting the TV controller to do what you want it to do!  The other wow, with a capital “W” are things in nature that wow us. When I was in the Muir woods for the first time, the sheer magnitude of the redwoods! My sister kept saying “oh my God!”, which the equivalent of wow! Has anything wowed you lately?
I loved reading Anne Lamott’s insights on praying using thanks, help, wow as a guide Anne gives very concrete examples from her life experiences. She does so with humor along with the reality of how hard life really is.  
In closing I want to share an encounter I had with a neighbor/friend who shared his experience of attending a family funeral on Friday. I was experiencing writers block, at the time, so this became a wow for me!
Al called me yesterday morning expressing distress about the way his cousin’s body did not look like he was sleeping!  There was no makeup, so the cousin looked like a dead person!  As we went on talking about the funeral, Al shared his personal relationship with God. He talks to God all the time and relates that he has experienced events before they happened. 
There was torrential rain as the funeral entourage headed to the cemetery for internment.  Al told me he prayed to God that it would not be raining at the cemetery.  When they arrived at the cemetery, the sun was out! WOW he exclaimed over the telephone!   This was a WOW experience for him. I thanked him for sharing his experience.  He did not realize what a gift he had given me by sharing his wow experience. Little did he know that he just had given me the closing of my sermon today!  WOW, God is real and always present in our lives!

(1)  (Lamott, Traveling Mercies, 1999)
(2) (Holy Bible, 1972) I Kings 19:7-12
(3) Ibid
(4) (Lamott, HELP THANkS WOW The Three Essential Prayers, 2012)p.56


Bibliography
Holy Bible. (1972). Yew York: Thomas Nelson .
Lamott, A. (1999). Traveling Mercies. New York: Penguin.
Lamott, A. (2012). HELP THANkS WOW The Three Essential Prayers. New York: Penguin Group.