September 28, 2003
James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50
Prayer is at the heart of most religion. Few things are more commonly misunderstood than prayer. If one takes at face value the statement of James that "the prayer of faith shall save the sick", sooner or later that person will be subject to great confusion, disappointment, or guilt, or all three. Many prayers have been offered with sincere faith for persons who have died soon thereafter. Did they die because prayer does not work? Did they die because those who prayed did not have faith? Did they die because God didn't love either the sick or those who prayed for the sick?
Let there be no doubt that prayer, subject to definition, is important to human spirituality. Let there also be no doubt that prayer often does not "work". In relation to matters of physical life and death, prayer involves much more than verbal expressions of desire, even when expressed in faith. Prayer may involved training, experience, faith and other ingredients too numerous to mention. The same prayer that might have been ineffective five centuries ago (or five years ago) may be effective today because someone is better trained, has learned from experience, and is sufficiently committed to bring about results different from five centuries or five years ago. In a broad sense, there is a process of learning, experiencing, and doing that is related to being better able to work with God in the healing process.
The James commentary on prayer should be an encouragement to be positive, to nurture faith, and to grow in ones spiritual relationship with God, but probably not much more. We must continue to learn better how to work with God, which in relation to results, is much more effective than learning to to more eloquently talk to God. In other words, the faith that is expressed through those who diligently train and who are committed to helping with human needs, i.e. the health professionals, is much more effective than the long flowing prayers verbalized in the chapel. Effective prayer is much more than verbalization of sanctimonious rhetoric.
It may be a bit of a "stretch" but the Mark passage may have a much needed message for us in our world today. John said to Jesus, "...we saw a man casting out demons and we forbade him, because he was not following us." The reply of Jesus, "do not forbid him", indicates that the value is in the deed, not in who is credited for the deed.
We live in a small world with a variety of religious approaches to life. Is the religion that which counts, i.e. must it be Christianity, Judaism or Islam, or is it the deed and/or the attitude that counts?. Is it just possible that God is so broad minded that names and dogma mean less that deeds? If persons, in all their relationships including spiritual and social, exhibit reverence, respect, love, and personal responsibility, do we really care whether they are Jew, Muslim, Christian or (no) other organized religion. Is it not true that religion in the modern world, when carried to extreme, is basic to major problems which confront us?
Reverence has to do with an attitude toward the Ultimate Creator. Respect has to do with the wonderful environment in which human life occurs, including relationships with other entities in the creation. Love has to do with relationship with other human beings and working for their good as well as our own. Personal responsibility has to do with human behavior, and improving personal behavior in relation to God, self, others, and our environment.
Jesus is reported to have said in what is commonly called "The Sermon on the Mount", that those who embrace his teachings are "the salt of the earth". Mark has Jesus saying that "salt is good but if the salt has lost its saltness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another".
The goal of acceptable living is not the profession of a given religion. The goal of acceptable living is loving expressions of life which lead to peace within the human family as well as within oneself.