Are you good at being quiet?

Are you unsure of what to say when you pray to God?

Can you remember one sentence at most?

Then I have good news for you: You’re going to be really at learning some simple prayers.

The Christian prayer tradition covers a lot of ground, including intercessions for others, prayers of thanksgiving and praise, and prayers for healing or restoration. There are simple prayers that Jesus himself taught us like the Our Father and longer prayers like Mary’s Magnificat.

Yet, there are plenty of simple prayers that any Christian can learn to do right now with very little training or memorizing. Although more experience practicing these prayers will make them easier to do and feel more natural, any beginner at prayer can start praying to God today by participating in a few simple prayer practices.

Christianity’s Tradition of Simple Prayer

The Christian prayer tradition of contemplative prayer teaches that the Spirit is present within us, and that God has already found us when we pray. We aren’t asking for God to show up or do something special because God is already here and has given us the Spirit.

Contemplative prayer helps us rest in what God has already given and increases our awareness of God. In fact, contemplative prayer is the work of God in us as we become present for God’s love. The methods of prayer help you receive what God has given to you.

Although there is a measure of effort in learning how to remain still or to increase your awareness of God in these simple prayer practices, you can’t make God more loving toward you or more present for you. Prayer is a practice, but it is also a pure gift from God.

Pray in Silence with Your Breath

One of the most common starting points for Christian prayer is a silent prayer that uses your breath. There are different teachings on this, so you may need to figure out which one works the best for you, but the basic concept is that you’re breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth at a calming rhythm.

You may inhale for four seconds and exhale for four seconds, or you may try holding your breath in-between the inhale and exhale. There are many different patterns for this kind of breathing.

For myself, I try to avoid overthinking it. I want to breathe in deeply to a point that feels comfortable and then make a cleansing exhale that can alleviate tension.

The idea is to use the pattern of breath to remove distractions from your mind so you can turn your attention to God. There’s no need to say anything as you breathe in and out. God is present, and that is enough when you pray in silent awareness of God.

Center Prayer with a Prayer Word

Although some use a rhythm of breathing to center their thoughts on God, others prefer to use a prayer word or phrase as a way to gently let go of thoughts and become more aware of God.

Generally speaking, you’re more likely to use a prayer word frequently when you begin centering prayer because your mind will likely run all over the place with thoughts. Using the prayer word in your mind should be a gentle, gracious process rather than a sign of “failing to pray.”

The prayer word or phrase helps you let go of distractions, but whether you are silent or focusing on the prayer word, the intention is the same. Your focus is on God’s love for you and God’s presence, and the prayer word is just a tool to help you maintain that intention while praying.

It’s typical to center prayer for about 20 minutes at a time. I’ve found that the simpler the prayer word, the better, using words such as Jesus, beloved, or loved.

Pray the Jesus Prayer

We’re getting a bit more “complex” with our prayers. Beyond silence or a single word, there’s the single sentence of the “Jesus Prayer” that has been used since the early days of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. This is the prayer of the tax collector who returned home righteous after making his confession to God:

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

There are different versions of the prayer, but the general idea is to use this prayer throughout your day as a way to remain aware of God’s mercy. This is a prayer that you can keep in mind while walking, driving, waiting in line, making dinner, cleaning up dinner, folding laundry, exercising, and so on.

While some have suggested that this isn’t a prayer with the same restful qualities as silent contemplation or centering prayer, I have found it very liberating from unhelpful rumination.

When my mind is stuck on something that causes worry, anger, or frustration, the Jesus Prayer is right there to lean on when my mind feels stuck. It brings me back to my own limitations and need for God’s mercy, while freeing me from downward spirals of negativity.

You can always combine this simple prayer with other approaches to prayer. For instance, you could use the Jesus Prayer for a few minutes as a way to clear your mind before centering prayer.

Although prayer can be challenging during a season of fasting or at a busy moment in life, I find it helpful to make a regular prayer practice out of at least one of these each day, such as beginning my day with centering prayer. Then, I can use the other methods, like a breath prayer or the Jesus Prayer, to become mindful of God throughout the day.

If Prayer Is Hard, Start Simple

There are plenty of other ways to pray, but if you aren’t sure where to begin with prayer or you’re frustrated by prayer challenges, starting simple is a good way to go.

As a final note, Thomas Keating, who played a major role in the revival of centering prayer among American Christians, wrote that the only way you can “fail” at centering prayer is by getting up and leaving the room. This is about as simple as it gets!

You can find a bit more about centering prayer in Thomas Keating’s book Intimacy with God: An Introduction to Centering Prayer.

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Books by Ed on Prayer

A sermon at St. John’s Episcopal Church on April 24, 2022.
John 20:19-31

I’m not an expert in church planting, but I’ve gone to seminary, sat through a few church leadership classes, and helped at a few churches over the years. I know two informal rules of church planting that should be common sense for all of us.

Now, let’s get our terms straight first. There’s a lead pastor or senior pastor who is in charge of the church plant. Then there’s a core group of committed volunteers known as a launch team who do a lot of the heavy lifting to help the lead pastor get the church started.

So, there’s a lead pastor and a launch team.

Here’s Rule # 1 for church planting.

Don’t get your launch team arrested. If someone arrests your launch team, they won’t help you launch your church. So don’t send your launch team to a place where they may be arrested.

Here’s Rule #2

If you’re the senior pastor of a new church plant, avoid being killed at all costs. If there’s no senior pastor, the launch team won’t know what to launch. They may just end up sitting around in a room with the doors locked.

Today’s Gospel reading shows Jesus breaking those two rules as his disciples hide in a locked room for about a week. The new church or community assembly that Jesus planted appeared to be withering right from the start.

What could the disciples do without Jesus present to guide them?

How many disciples would be killed or imprisoned by the religious leaders who proved themselves capable of heinous violence?

If we place ourselves in the sandals of the disciples in chapter 20, we would discover men and women feeling a wide range of emotions. Their lives and their hopes for the future have been turned upside down by the brutal execution of Jesus. Yet, they received incredible news from some women in their group that Jesus was alive.

Most, not all, of the disciples dismissed this as impossible, yet we can imagine that everyone hoped against impossible odds that Jesus could be alive.

The 3 Things Jesus Gave His Disciples

When Jesus showed up in the locked room, he shared three things with them, and I’m guessing they only wanted two out three.

First, Jesus offered peace to them. They were terrified of the Jewish leaders, and they didn’t know what to do next after seeing Jesus’ execution.

Although they rejoiced at the sight of Jesus, their fear remained. And we know that this fear had gripped them because even a week later, when Thomas showed up among them, they were still hanging around in the same house. They weren’t going anywhere or taking any chances.

That self-imposed cabin-fever was a problem because Jesus had specifically commissioned them to go into the world just as the Father had sent him into the world.

That commission is the second thing Jesus gave to his disciples, and it certainly wasn’t what they wanted to hear. They saw that the Jewish leaders were willing to work alongside the hated Romans to orchestrate the execution of an innocent holy man.

If the Father sent Jesus out to preach repentance and forgiveness only to be killed, what would happen to them if they were sent out on the same mission?

We may imagine the disciples saying at first, “Jesus! You’re here!!!” And then their enthusiasm wanes after hearing this commission, “Oh. Jesus… You’re here?”

The third thing Jesus gave to his disciples was the Holy Spirit, who is the promised means for their mission. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit in his longer discourse, which included prayers and promises, in John chapters 15-17.

It seems that Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on his disciples in a way that would call to mind God breathing life into the first human. Perhaps we have a hint that Jesus is starting something brand new, a new creation, as he breathed the Holy Spirit on those gathered.

Commentary writers have a lot of different views on how to relate this filling of the Holy Spirit to the day of Pentecost as described in the Book of Acts. We could get into the finer points of the debate over what Jesus did here, but in my view, I can’t imagine anyone today arguing against another chance to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

At the very least, Jesus is telling his disciples, if not empowering his disciples, to complete his mission of being sent out to preach repentance to others.  Jesus made sure they could rely on the Holy Spirit to complete their mission. 

What Was Their Mission?

Now, it might be easy to read this passage and overlook what exactly Jesus was sending his disciples to do. What does it mean for them to be sent in the same way that the Father sent Jesus?

We get our clues from what Jesus says after filling them with the Holy Spirit: They are being sent to forgive sins so that people can be restored in their relationship with God and have life by believing in Jesus.

A little bit of a pause is warranted here because it’s very easy to read this passage in an unhelpful way. It has been interpreted poorly for centuries and there no doubt are Christians who have said awful things because of it.

First, commentary writers and scholars aren’t necessarily agreed on this point, but quite a few believe that a larger group of disciples were present for this conversation and commissioning.

This wasn’t a special power over sin only granted to the top apostles or leaders. Every Christian can share the gift of God’s forgiveness to others.

Second, there’s an unspoken point that needs to be spelled out after centuries of poor application. Jesus wants his disciples to forgive sins. He’s not giving them arbitrary power over sin for their own jollies.

This commission is important and high stakes. Jesus sacrificed his life in order to unite humanity with God. He forgave his executioners on the cross. It would have never crossed the minds of the disciples to withhold forgiveness as a power grab or way to manipulate others.

They were being sent to free people from their anger, pain, greed, violence, and selfishness. If they failed to go, then people would retain their sins.

Now, we would assume that having received the Holy Spirit and the commission from Jesus to go forgive sins, that the disciples would step forward in boldness. We would expect them to announce that Jesus has risen from the dead and conquered death, and all who believe in him can be forgiven, liberated from sin, and restored to communion with God.

Right?

Or they may stay put for a week and fail to convince even one of their own apostles that Jesus is alive.

The church planting plan isn’t off to a great start with their first attempt at a convert among themselves.

Thomas Goes Over the Top

The story of Jesus and Thomas is a bit of a low point in the Gospels where even an apostle of Jesus who had every advantage of sitting under Jesus doubted his Resurrection. Yet, the focus on Thomas’ doubt has always bothered me.

If I was going to make up a subtitle for each Gospel, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to write something like this:

Stories of Jesus Saving People Who Misunderstood and Doubted Him

The single strongest argument for the historical authenticity of the Gospels is the number of times the disciples look bad. They’re always doubting Jesus, misunderstanding Jesus, confused by Jesus, and sulking about with their tails between their legs. Jesus even called Peter “Satan” once!

The Resurrection accounts are filled with the disciples struggling with doubt and confusion. Matthew and Luke take care to mention the doubts of the disciples, which we tend to overlook because those doubts aren’t as dramatic as Thomas.

Thomas makes a demand for an even more miraculous experience than the rest of the disciples who saw the wounds of Jesus. He wanted to touch them!

Over the years, I have still felt that John was kind of outing his friend.

I’ve since changed my mind, though. The Gospels take care to document a lot of doubting disciples, and the story of Thomas at this particular moment is crucial for the disciples and for us today.

Thomas struggled to believe the people he trusted the most about the risen Jesus. Therefore, their mission to announce forgiveness of sins through the Risen Christ faced steep challenges.

This prompted Jesus to announce a special blessing for those who would believe in his Resurrection and forgiveness without seeing what they saw. John wanted future generations to know their mission is a tough ask, and they will most certainly need all of the help they can get from the Holy Spirit.

I don’t think the intention is to single out Thomas after a Gospel full of doubts and confusion. In fact, Thomas gives one of the most memorable affirmations of Jesus being God, saying “My Lord and my God.”

Thomas reminds us that we will need God’s help to share the hope of Jesus being alive and present to forgive sins.

Where Does This Story Leave Us?

Based on today’s Gospel reading, we may find that we have a few things in common with the disciples, even if we haven’t witnessed the events of Jesus’ death and Resurrection.

We too have had to deal with our doubts and failures.

We too have been forgiven by the risen Jesus and invited to share in new life through the Holy Spirit.

We have received the Holy Spirit or we can receive the Holy Spirit because of our relationship with Jesus.

Although we aren’t hiding from people who threaten our lives, we may still feel alienated by others and struggle to find much in common with them.

We may feel the burden of being called to help people find freedom and forgiveness in Christ if we don’t appear to have anything in common with them.

For some of us introverts, it’s very hard to talk to people. And it’s even harder to talk to people when we can’t see common ground.

I share those concerns, and here are a few things that may help.

For starters, I hope that you can take time this week to meditate on God’s love for you and the indwelling Spirit Jesus has breathed on you. Those are God’s gracious gifts that you could never earn or “prepare” for. You just have to receive them.

Then, I hope you take time to remember God’s love for you also extends to everyone. I love the snarky t-shirt that says, “Jesus loves you. Then again, he loves everybody.”

As snarky as that sounds, it’s actually true. Jesus loves you as a unique, wonderful person, but he also loves everyone. That love and grace is given to you for you benefit and for the benefit of others.

We don’t talk about sin because we are God’s appointed judges for this world. Jesus specifically said he didn’t come to judge. He came as a doctor who wanted to heal people.

As you think of how you can share the life and love of Jesus with others, consider ways you can help others heal. Don’t stand as the judge. Be a caring doctor who listens, prays, and supports people in their faith journeys.

If you ever worry that you’re not doing this right or that you don’t have what it takes, remember something from today’s passage. The risen Jesus appeared to his closest disciples, told them to go out and forgive sins, and then, they stayed put. Even one of Jesus’s own disciples doubted the testimony of his friends.

We have been given a high and holy calling to heal others by sharing about the love and grace of Jesus. But we shouldn’t forget that this mission started out as a fiasco that appeared doomed to failure.

Only the breath of God moving through ordinary people could help them continue a mission that depended on the power of God from day one.

Amen. 

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Photo by Andrea De Santis on Unsplash

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I’m not particularly interested in proving whether Christianity is true to anyone. I’m more concerned about helping people give Jesus and shot and seeing what happens.

To me, Christianity is a living faith. You get some information (which is true and historically reliable, by the way) and then put it into practice with the help of the Holy Spirit. My practice has grown simpler over the years, with a greater emphasis on listening and silence, depending on God rather than my own knowledge or experience–even if a foundation of some sort can help with getting these practices started.

I don’t lose sleep at night about Christianity being a fraud or a fabrication. I’ve surely got some parts of it wrong, but the central idea of a loving God present for us and revealed in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has been a constant through my highs and lows.

Yet, I do have some concerns about the amount of lies being told among Christian leaders and the kinds of lies these leaders have leveled. I mean, some of the biggest names in Christianity during my formative years have been exposed as fraudulent abusers living double lives.

It’s not all a lie, but there has been way, way too much lying among some of the most influential and powerful leaders among Christians in America, with some even extending their influence overseas.

These frauds, abusers, and liars were certainly not my own pastors, but they were EXTREMELY influential among many of the pastors in the churches I attended and among many churches throughout America.

The list is daunting to the point that I don’t think I can remember all of them. There’s Gothard, Driscoll, Hybels, Yoder, and Zacharias, just to name a few. Also, there’s the lesser deception of the likely well-meaning Joshua Harris who wrote one of the most influential books about not dating while having little to no experience in male/female relationships. Although not intentionally abusive, Harris’ book has had a devastating impact on relationships and sexual identity throughout the evangelical subculture.

Revisiting the stories of those who misled, deceived, or failed us won’t do much to help us move on, provided we’ve fully confronted these events and seen them for what they are. Yet, if so many people who presumed to be leaders in morality, theology, church planting, and spiritual formation were abusive, fraudulent, or, at best, misleading, what does that say about the substance of Christianity?

I understand that some could dismiss this as just a few bad apples. There are so many others who have been faithful and good without making names for themselves or without egregious moral failures or misrepresentations of themselves.

That’s true to a point. The unfaithfulness of one group doesn’t cancel out the faithfulness of others. But the sheer number of liars, deceivers, and abusers at the highest levels of American Christianity should make us want to examine ourselves and hopefully make such people less influential in the future.

What does it say about American Christianity that so many can amass power and influence and yet avoid scrutiny or accountability to the point that they lead double lives, harm people behind closed doors, and peddle in deceptive ideas?

This troubles me because I often wonder if we measure the wrong things in our spiritual influencers and leaders. I include myself in this. Do I value the wrong things in leaders and influencers?

One thought I’ve had is that inspiration is probably overvalued. We love it when leaders inspire us to do better. But I wonder if we need to look for leaders who are willing to ask the hard questions, to say the unpopular things, and to make us uncomfortable.

That certainly isn’t a perfect safe guard, but it at least could help us check some of our inclinations to build cults of personality around inspirational spiritual leaders. Leaders can inspire and direct people to great things without being spiritual or in step with the Spirit.

I also wonder if we need spiritual leaders who can point us to spiritual processes rather than moral outcomes that meet certain standards. In other words, instead of spelling out what faithfulness and morality will look like as an end result, we need leaders who will help us seek God and then trust the outcome to God.

At the very least, this would help us ask whether our spiritual leaders actually have the credibility to direct us. Do they have an active spiritual life, an interior depth that is grounded in God’s presence and power? People who focus on correct answers and correct outcomes don’t need to have spiritual depth or a vital relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Finally, I wonder if we honestly just need to view spiritual leaders of any large enterprise with extreme caution. Without accusing them of the worst, we should recognize that spiritual leaders with massive followings are, at best, on dangerous ground and we should increase our scrutiny as their followers increase.

Leaders who give away more of their influence and power, who plant new things, who give away what they’ve built, who know when to step back , and who recognize when life is out of balance should have more credibility in my eyes.

This may not be the perfect example, but a few years back pastor and author Francis Chan left a large, thriving ministry. Some people thought it was irresponsible. One prominent pastor I mentioned above even asked him if he was proving himself unreliable to people who would minister with him in the future.

Without getting into all of the details, Chan recognized a need to step away, and I think that sensitivity to the Spirit is the kind of thing we should value in our leaders. Leaders who move away from more power and influence should not be anomaly. We shouldn’t be shocked by this.

Too many well-meaning leaders have been crushed by the entrepreneurial, corporate-influenced model of pastoral leadership in America. Far, far too many church attending Christians have been burned by abusive leadership systems and toxic church cultures.

If we have this many prominent names leading double lives, deceiving their congregations and readers, and perpetrating horrible abuse to the most vulnerable, it’s time to start second-guessing our judgment when it comes to our spiritual leaders in the American church.

At the very least, we need leaders who show evidence of a deep inner life of prayer, a message of dependance on God rather than working toward specific moral outcomes, a capacity to recognize their limits, and a willingness to even give up the power and influence that is so readily given to them.

When a spiritual leader’s popularity and influence increases, so should our scrutiny and our caution toward them.