We have emerged from the season of Lent into Easter and a season of Resurrection! Listen to a paraphrase of this passage from Ephesians: “I pray to the Father for the Spirit to continuously re-create resurrection in our lives, so that Jesus [lives in] us, in order that we overflow with love of Christ.”
You may wonder, how do we access the Spirit of the Resurrected Jesus? Through prayer, we not only access the Spirit, thereby Jesus, and the loving power of God through Christ, but we also open ourselves to transformation. Prayer connects us to God; it is the critical spark that brings the Spirit to life and ignites change within us.
Prayer is not just one more church activity; it is the breath at the heart of all the church’s ministry. In scripture, there is no reference to the 'gift of prayer'; it is not just a gift given to a few. We all, without exception, have access to the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer. In this season of Resurrection, we warmly invite every one of you to share in a new and renewed opportunity to participate in prayer for our parish, its ministries, and all its concerns.
Please join us for intentional, communal prayer through the Ascension Prayer Ministry, which will meet on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the Parlor beginning April 10th. Sessions will last approximately 30 minutes. Feel free to drop in occasionally or make a commitment to participate regularly. We anticipate adding a daytime session in the future. For more information, please contact Winifred Rutenbar at wrutenbar@gmail.com or 214-681-6055.
In closing, consider this passage from Ephesians more fully: "For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love." Ephesians 3:14-17
Blessings,
Fr. Paul and Winifred Rutenbar
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