The following piece was first written for the July 26, 2026 pew sheet at St Augustine’s Anglican Church. I share it here again in the hope that it may continue to encourage and bless.
This Sunday we come to the fourth and final sermon in our series, 'A Church for Others.' At first glance, you may not immediately see the connection between 'A Church for Others' and 'A Praying Church.' Yet the connection is both deep and essential. It is more than simply saying, 'We need prayer to do ministry.' It goes to the very heart of what it means to be the church. Over the past few weeks we have reflected on Christ's call to be sent into the world, to be salt and light and to practise the hospitality of the kingdom. The final sermon is not a departure from these themes but the foundation that undergirds them all. Before the church can be sent into the world, before it can be salt and light, before it can welcome strangers and serve its community, it must first live in dependence upon God. That is what prayer is: an expression of our dependence on him. Prayer acknowledges that the mission is not ultimately ours – it is God's. We are called to participate in his work, but we do so in the strength that he provides. Jesus himself demonstrated this. Although he was the eternal Son of God, he continually withdrew to pray. Before choosing the twelve apostles and before every significant stage of his ministry, Jesus sought his Father's will. If the Son ministered in dependence upon the Father, how much more should we? A church can become very active, busy, creative and strategic. Yet if it is not praying, it can quietly begin to rely on its own wisdom, programs and resources. The early church shows us a different way. In Acts 4, when the apostles faced threats and opposition, their first response was not to retreat or devise a new strategy – it was to pray. And God answered by filling them afresh with the Holy Spirit and giving them boldness to continue proclaiming Christ. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he began with these words: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.' Prayer is not about persuading God to accomplish our plans; it is about aligning our hearts with his purposes. A church for others must first be a church on its knees. Only then will we have the strength, wisdom and courage to serve others faithfully in Christ's name.
