Do You Pray for Your Church?

One of the basic “to do items” on our list as Orthodox Christians is to say our daily prayers. Depending upon the prayer rule given to us by our Spiritual Father, we all spend time in prayer, no matter how long. The question I have for you today is, “Do you pray for your Church?”

Brethren, God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the off-scouring of all things. I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.

1^st Corinthians 4.9-16

In today’s reading from Saint Paul, assigned in honor of Apostles, we are invited to “be” imitators of Saint Paul. The saying, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” doesn’t express enough of what Saint Paul wants. He doesn’t want flattery. He wants holiness.

Before inviting us to imitate him, he lays out the life of an Apostle which includes ‘all the opposite’ treatment the world offers important people. We aren’t called to be important. We are called to be holy.

The daily lectionary for today begins Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians. He begins many of his letters with prayer, and this brings me to my point today. He prays always for the Thessalonians, thanking God for them and honoring their faith. We should pray for our Church.

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you; for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

1^st Thessalonians 1.1-5

If we are going to “be” imitators of Saint Paul and he prayed always for the Church, thanking God for the Church, honoring the faith of the Church, then so should we pray for the Church. In fact, we do pray for the Church during services in the Church, but rarely at home.

When was the last time you included in your prayer for ‘family and friends’ (another holy tradition of our Orthodox Faith) your Church and priest? Of course, you should always discuss your prayer life with your Spiritual Father. I doubt he would say, “No. Don’t pray for the Church.”

If we consider the impact that praying for our Church would have on our own commitment, we may never stop praying. It might even shame us (with holy shame) to live up to the expectations we honor in our prayer for our Church. It may even increase our devotion to God’s Church.

At a minimum praying for your church will remind you that you are not alone in your fight against sin. You are not alone in your struggle against the ‘ways’ of the world. There are holy men and women in our local church praying for you right now. They are imitating Saint Paul. Join them.

Here is a suggested prayer:

“Thank you God for my Church, my Bishop, my priest, and my spiritual father. Thank you, God, for giving me a spiritual home that is dedicated to living for You and with You. Thank you, God, for sending me to Church so I can learn to live in Communion with You.”