The PRAYERwerks: Reckless Extravagance

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Reckless Extravagance

Lord Christ, the annual stewardship program has begun at my church. I’m reminded of the Gospel story about your anointing at Bethany.

Mary poured expensive perfume on your feet. It was probably worth a workman’s annual wage. She concluded the intimate ritual by wiping your feet with her hair.

An expression of devotion. An act of worship. But the onlookers saw it as reckless extravagance.

Pledge card in hand, I react like Mary’s critics. My mental calculator whirs as I count the cost. Am I holding too tightly to financial resources that really belong to you, to material blessings received from your gracious hand?

Holy Spirit, with your help, I aspire to giving that truly reflects my relationship with Jesus. I aspire to reckless extravagance in service to the Lord I love. Amen.

Credit for the theme of reckless extravagance, from Mark 14:1-11, goes to Annabel Robinson, writing for Scripture Union USA’s Encounter with God, 2/13/11. She’s Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of Regina in Canada.

I admire people who can pray spontaneously, but there’s something to be said for word craft, especially when the words are offered to the Lord.

The PRAYERwerks is my attempt to assemble the components of prayer: Praise. Gratitude. Confession. Repentance. Intercession. Humility. Authenticity. The result: A connection with the presence and power of God.

(There’s a significant omission from the list above: silence before the Lord and listening for his voice. I can’t really assist with that on the Internet other than to remind you of its importance!)

I'm publishing my prayers on the web because we can’t get enough…offer enough…speak enough…internalize enough PRAYER. As St. Paul advised the Thessalonians “PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.” This is my modest contribution to the cause.

Here’s a disclaimer: I may "sample" ideas and language from my daily Bible study - Encounter with God - from Scripture Union USA, and the other resources listed below on the sidebar. Some might consider it plagiarism. I prefer to think of it as improvisation, and I attempt to give the authors and expositors credit.

Thanks for visiting The PRAYERwerks.

G.W. Habel
Durham NC, USA

I only pray when I'm in trouble. But I'm in trouble all the time, so I always pray.

Isaac Bashevis Singer

Nobel Laureate

Prayer is eternity in the midst of mortality, life among death, hope amidst despair, true promise surrounded by lies. So let us pray unceasingly.

Henri Nouwen

One way to make sure that your heart is in tune with God is to pray often. The more you talk to God, the more he will talk to you.

Family Christian Press

Prayer names how God becomes present to us and how we participate in that presence by praying for others.

Stanley Hauerwas
Duke University
From Hannah’s Child