A Prayer Reflection
Prayer on a Wednesday for The Prodigal Network
“Given, would you be up to praying for TPN tomorrow?”
The Gospel of John stretches the flow of time moments leading to the arrest of Jesus. If you have a red-letter edition bible, these are the pages printed in red ink, direct quotations of Jesus’ prayers, including for the community of — as Jesus puts it — “those who will believe in me through their message” (John 17:20–21).
His vision is a radical unity never seen before. We often hear the vertical and horizontal metaphors of our relationships with the triune God and with our neighbors, yet Jesus sincerely prays
that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
I am likely paraphrasing and distilling many theologians in saying this: Jesus longs for the relationships within a Christian community (and the relationship between Christ and his church) to be as intimate, dynamic, loving, powerful, mysterious, blessed, undivided, glorious, holy, joyous, harmonious,
as the relationships within the First, the Second, and the Third Persons of God.
So in my prayers this past Wednesday, I joined Jesus in praying this, and also to enlarge my vision for Jesus’s community through TPN.
“Let’s start a tradition: At 3 PM, pray for three minutes in a group of three.” — Anna Lee-Winans during Urbana 22
“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer — at three in the afternoon.” — Acts 3:1 (NIV)
I also invite you to join this little tradition. I personally set up a daily alarm on my digital watch at 3 PM, and although I cannot abandon my tasks (chemical reactions!) at that time, I pray silently while working. It is a joy that someone, somewhere, is also praying.
Lastly, please excuse the overdue publication of this — I had to work late to cover two absences.
