TEACH US TO PRAY

by Barbara Chadwick

Dr. Theodore J. Wardlaw, President of Austin Presbyterian Seminary tells the following story:

“There is a small, but once-large, Presbyterian church in Nashville that was founded in the wake of the commencement of the Second World War. Its pastor, previously at the prominent Presbyterian congregation downtown, had been a thoroughgoing pacifist for at least a decade. In the wake of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor – a time when thoroughgoing pacifists, or pacifists of any kind, were hard to find in this country – this pastor had preached a passionate sermon against war and, predictably, had ignited the wrath of many of his parishioners. Over the issue of the freedom of the pulpit, the pastor and some nine hundred of his supporters left that church and founded this new one: a pacifist Presbyterian church, in a Southern city, on the eve of our involvement in World War 2.

I heard this unusual story years ago, and later, when I was in Nashville for a short visit, I had to go see this church. An architecture enthusiast, I was curious as to what it would look like, How would its roots in radical pacifism affect its appearance? It looked like lots of Presbyterian churches formed in that era – in a lovely neighborhood, shaded by the canopy of large trees, all stately and rectilinear with its abstract glass and stone exterior. The thing about it that startled me the most was what was carved in stone above the main entrance to the sanctuary. If I had even thought about what pacifists might carve in stone over the doorway to their sacred space, I might have imagined a fiery scriptural critique of establishment religion – something like, ‘Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream…’ or ‘I hate, I despise your feasts and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies…’ or Pilates’s tired question, ‘What is truth?’  What I saw instead over that entrance surprised me. It was Luke’s account of a plea by one of Jesus’ disciples: ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’

These lonely rabble-rousers had searched the scriptures and had wisely carved in stone over their church’s doorway a reminder of the heart of Christian piety: the quiet, steady, relentless discipline of prayer.”

His story struck me because I’m very concerned about our country and often say, “If we as Christians would just stand up and be true to our beliefs in everything we do, we would make a big difference.” 

You know the word “Christian” means “little Christ’s.”  Sometimes, we want to just blend in with the world. We don’t really want to be radical. We don’t want to stand out from the crowd.

Ed Stetzer, President of LifeWay Research, says: “I suggest we tweet thinking more about Jesus and less about politics. That’s just basic Christian prioritization.”

We need to pay attention to what we’re here for. We need to plead with Christ to, “teach us to pray.” Lord, teach us to love and care and give in Your name.

Remember that the heart of Christian piety is, “the quiet, steady, relentless discipline of prayer.”