Prayer & the Lord’s Prayer - 1 Corinthians 10 & John 6

St. Andrew's Brussels Sermons

“We are Christians, therefore we pray!” The Apostle Paul encouraged, nay required, Christians to pray continually and at all times. However, individual prayer is difficult. Self-discipline is a challenge. It is hard for us to devote the time necessary for prayer. Indeed, prayer has been squeezed into the margins of life in our modern society. In TV, for example, we rarely see people take to prayer, even in the most difficult circumstances. That is why we need communal prayer! We need to get together with other Christians, sharing in greater prayers about the Church as a whole. The supreme act of communal worship is at the Communion Table. In today's first Reading, Paul attempts to describe the significance of Communion as a communal act. Sharing this special Supper together helps the individual Christian realise that they are part of a far greater whole. The Communion helps make us feel truly part of the wider Church. “It's a ladder by which we climb up to Heaven”, says Calvin, who goes on to conclude that it is also a continual encouragement to us in our weakness. It is a means to receive a strength that we never knew we had - strength for the work of the Kingdom. Having received the Sacraments, we are invigorated all the more to pray for the world around us. When we leave the Lord's Table, we leave into the world with the taste of Christ on our lips. This is a wondrous thing! May the Lord give us the courage to act accordingly.