Ideas for Drawing Closer to God

Rector’s Rambling: November 2010
It is a warm night for late October. The terriers pace listlessly and outside, I hear the last of the crickets singing their nearly solitary songs. This has been a night for writer’s block if ever there has been one. It seems strange, because there is so much to write about this time of year. We are approaching the climax of the annual stewardship campaign at the church. Bishop Breidenthal is coming for his annual visitation on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We will be gathering with our friends from St. Mark’s and Sixth Avenue for our Annual Thanksgiving service. And I have ten new chicks which hatched quite unexpectedly this last week. Any of these things could usually provide inspiration for a tolerable ramble, but tonight is different, and my deadline is at hand.
Last night at Fisher Catholic’s football game, I was pleased to be able to talk to Father John Reade, a friend and former member of our parish who now serves our Lord as a Roman Catholic priest. We spoke of many things, caught up on news, and laughed together. At one point, we shared with each other how difficult it sometimes is to maintain the regularity of our own devotional lives. There are so many good and necessary things that need doing, and which are important parts of our job descriptions as priests. I hear the same concern voiced by many of my friends who are involved in ministry, and I cannot help but conclude that if it is a concern for those of us who serve the Church professionally, it must be even more difficult for the good people of God who work a non-religious job at home or in a workplace forty or fifty hours each week, and try to juggle family and community responsibilities as well.
Several things have helped me to maintain the regularity of my prayer life and study time over the last few weeks and months. I pass them on to you not because I think that everyone will be able to use all of my ideas, but because you might find some of them helpful. None of them are original to me. One is drawn from Fr. Pat Reardon, an Orthodox priest in Chicago who helps my Ashley with things spiritual. Another is drawn from the English author Izaak Walton, whose Compleate Angler has charmed me for years. And then there is the Book of Common Prayer, which always draws me back, and is the property of all God’s people.
First, keep a list of the people you pray for, and pray for them specifically, and every day. A small book or a three by five card will often suffice. It only takes a few minutes to go through the list, and you can always add a new request, or cross a line through those prayers which are answered. Don’t let your list get too long, or it will get unweildly. Start with a new list each month, and re-enter those ongoing requests which really are necessary. You will be encouraged at how many of your prayers God actually answers, and will be drawn much closer to those for whom you pray.
Second, establish a place where you can go to be alone. I often take the dogs and walk down the trail to the cabin, or hermitage, at the bottom of our property. While they chase mice, I light candles and pray, or read, or both. Sometimes I sing evensong. Sometimes I read the great litany. Sometimes I read poetry, or the writings of the Fathers and Divines. And sometimes I just sit and think. It is a place where I meet God, and a place where I go with a sense of expectation. Seek out a place apart for yourself, and God will meet you there.
Third, familiarize yourself with the Book of Common Prayer. The edition does not matter. I prefer the older editions, but any one will do. To share those prayers and forms which are the common currency of the people of God through the ages brings me the comfort of knowing that I am never alone, and that I am a part of something much bigger and more profound than I can ever know. If you are unsure about how to start with the prayer book, give me a call sometime at 215-3900, and we will sit down and discuss some ways that you can get started on a wonderful journey of prayer book spirituality.
Finally, for today, think about developing devotional practices which involve all of the ways you might experience God. Many of us grew up in a word- based culture which has given way to a sight and sound- based culture. But there are other senses that can also bring us to our Lord. The feel of beads running through our fingers can be a powerful and comforting tactile experience of the presence of God. A scented candle or pinch of incense can call to mind in a powerful way that Scriptural image of the prayers of the saints arising before the throne of God as great clouds of incense. Along this same line, reading or saying your prayers aloud, or singing the Psalms and Canticles can be a way of transporting ourselves into the heavenly court. While most human bystanders will think you are insane if you do some of these things, I have it on good authority that dogs and cats don’t seem to mind.
As the days grow shorter and the darkness grows longer with the coming of winter, I hope and pray that we all might be able to take some time to seriously consider the nature and practice of our private time with God. Each of us will find that what works for us will be a bit different from what works for our neighbors, but as we seek Him, he will meet us where we are, and in a way that is custom tailored to our personality, to our needs, and to our situations.
Faithfully,
Bill+