Pastoral Letter: I Pray, and I Watch

Dear SUM Family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Almost every morning, when the alarm goes off, there is one thing I do first.

Still on the bed where I have just woken up, I rise onto my knees, bow my body forward, lower my head into the pillow, and pray for a little while.

Waking up to a new morning can feel so ordinary. But in that moment, when my body is still tired and my mind is not fully awake, I try to remember what a gift it is simply to be given another day.

Then I quietly sing one of my favorite songs, I Will Come and Bow Down.

Its words echo the language of the Psalms—coming before God, bowing down in worship, finding fullness of joy in God’s presence, and knowing that nothing else compares with the One before whom we kneel.

Psalm 95 says, “O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” Psalm 16 speaks of “fullness of joy” in God’s presence, and Psalm 73 confesses that there is nothing on earth to desire apart from God.

Some mornings, those words become my prayer before I am fully awake.

My prayers are not always long or especially deep. Some mornings, all I can offer are a few sleepy words. If I stay there too long, I may fall asleep again.

But I am grateful that this has become a habit. Even before I am fully awake, it sometimes feels as though my body already knows where to turn.

Last night, I woke up several times.

I do not remember what I was dreaming, but even half asleep, certain people and concerns kept coming to mind—our church, members of our congregation, my family, and even myself.

At one point I found myself thinking,

“Maybe some part of my heart was still praying even while I slept.”

And I also wondered whether God might be inviting me to pray a little more.

The psalmist says,

“O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch.”
— Psalm 5:3

I am especially drawn to that last word.

We pray, and we watch.

Prayer does not mean that every answer comes right away. But when I pray, I find myself watching more carefully for how God may be at work.

As I pray in the morning, the important things I need to do that day begin to come to mind.

I pray for wisdom and strength to do what is before me. I pray that I may work with people who pray, serve gladly, and faithfully carry what has been entrusted to them.

And when I can, I try to pray one more thing.

Rather than asking only for God to make my plans go well, I try to ask that what I am planning and doing may come closer to what God desires.

When I pray that way, my thoughts naturally turn to SUM.

Last Sunday, I watched members of our church family listen carefully to one another, speak honestly, and stay engaged throughout the Understanding SUM Workshop.

That gave me hope.

So I prayed again.

And somehow, the more I prayed, the more hopeful I became.

Beginning this Sunday, we return from our summer worship rhythm to three Sunday services:

8:00, 9:00, and 10:30.

Once again, we will gather to worship God, hear the Word, pray, and sing.

I am looking forward to it.

Not simply because we are gathering again.

I am looking forward to remembering God’s goodness in worship, receiving again the grace and love of Jesus Christ, and noticing again how the Holy Spirit is at work among us.

And I hope that the grace we receive in worship will continue into our everyday lives—that we may pay closer attention to one another and joyfully carry the work God has entrusted to us.

Tomorrow morning, the alarm will ring again.

And there on the bed, before I am fully awake, I will rise onto my knees again, bow my head, and begin another day in prayer.

I will give thanks for another morning, give thanks for this renewed rhythm of worship in our church, and watch with expectation for what God may do among us.

As we gather again this Sunday at 8:00, 9:00, and 10:30, I pray that we will experience God’s goodness more deeply, receive new strength in the grace of Christ, and grow in our love for one another.

Let us pray, watch, and worship together this Sunday.

Grace and peace,

Pastor DH
Simsbury United Methodist Church
sumct.org | pastordh@sumct.org