Wesley Church

People Blessing People

Devotional April 14, 2021

Dear Church,

Each Wednesday, my church-wide message will include a word of scripture and a “call to prayer,” as we encourage you to share your prayer requests with our pastoral staff and prayer team. In this strange and uncertain season of COVID-tide, may we find ourselves rooted in prayer!


Blessings,
Pastor Candy

When we pray, we don’t do so in a vacuum. We pray in the midst of what’s happening in our personal lives, what’s happening at work, what’s happening in the church, what’s happening in the world around us. We pray in the midst of the headlines on the news, the scribbles on our calendars, and the emails in our inbox. We pray in the midst of real life. 

As I write these words of prayerful invitation, this call to prayer, I’m listening to the headlines on the news (at the moment, headlines dominated by tragic events and ensuing protests in the city of Minneapolis) and planting vegetable seeds with my children (to be transplanted, in a few weeks’ time, into our church’s community garden). These acts may seem unrelated… but as I page through one of my prayer books, I find they’re drawn together in the words of a prayer. Words about the eradication of violence and about the care of creation appear together in this prayer, penned by Wanda Lawrence of the Chippewa Nation:

We pray that someday an arrow will be broken, 

     not in something or someone, but by each of humankind, 

     to indicate peace, not violence.

Someday, oneness with creation,

     rather than domination over creation, 

     will be the goal to be respected. 

Someday fearlessness to love and make a difference

     will be experienced by all people. 

Then the eagle* will carry our prayer for peace and love, 

     and the people… can sit in the same circle to communicate in love

     and experience the presence of the Great Mystery in their midst. 

Someday can be today for you and me. 

(The United Methodist Book of Worship, #521)

*An eagle in the Native American tradition is often a carrier of prayer.

  • As I listen to the news, I’m praying for Someday. 
  • As I plant seeds with my children, I’m praying for Someday. 
  • As I live and move in this very real life, I’m praying for Someday. 
  • Today, in the midst of this call to prayer, I invite you to pray (and to work!) for Someday, too. 

What are you praying for today?

Share your prayer requests by:

Together, our Wesley Church Prayer Team will pray for each of your requests. If you would prefer for your prayer request to remain confidential with the pastoral staff, please indicate that in your message.

Be people of prayer, friends… and remember:

Our God is bigger than coronavirus. 
Our vision is bigger than coronavirus, too. 
We are people blessing people. 
We are Wesley Church.   

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