St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Emmaus, PA
Reflections on The Season of Pentecost
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, August 2, 2020
By Mo. Laura Thomas Howell
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
What a great time for us to read Genesis 32:22-31, the wonderful story of Jacob! He was alone one night, and a man attacked him while he was sleeping. They wrestled all night long, and Jacob would not yield. Finally, the assailant had to throw in the towel and ask to be released. Jacob must have suspected that this was not just an ordinary brigand who could fight all throughout the night. So he demanded a blessing, as a fee to relinquish his hold on the stranger. Thanks to Jacob’s determination not to give in to the mysterious opponent, something changed between the two of them. A relationship of sorts had grown up. Note the pivotal moment when the wrestler asks Jacob his name. No longer are they two, strong, sweaty athletes, who have spent hours rolling around on the ground. They are now two individuals with a connection. They know each other.
I think that most of us have been wrestling with the demands of pandemic-time. There are times when we feel like we’ve been doing this for so many days and weeks and months, we just can’t go on anymore. Maybe we have taken some time out to give up temporarily. Surely Jacob must have thought he’d have to give up when the angel dislocated the poor man’s hip. But he grit his teeth, marshaled his strength and wrestled on.
Prayer is a spiritual contact sport.
Scripture instructs us that the prayer that keeps us going should be just as persistent and just as personal as Jacob’s wrestling with God. Prayer is a spiritual contact sport. There are so many things in the world that we can’t explain: tragedy, illness, sorrow, injustice, violence, hatred, political campaigns. We have to make as much of a positive impact as we can, but we can’t fix everything for everybody. At some point, we recognize the challenge of our own limitations. With asthmatic lungs and an arthritic hip, I will never be an athlete, but I can cheer on those who are. I will never be the researcher who discovers the cure for COVID-19, but I can work to support those who are being challenged by it in our community. Most of all, I can pray, constantly and fervently. I can’t let my inability to solve all the needs of the world wear me down so much that I give up on prayer, or all hope is gone.
Our constant prayer will bring us what we most need and what God wants—an intimate relationship with God, who IS the one who can change the world. That same strong and persistent prayer refuses to give up, even when we feel discouraged. It also opens the door to a relationship with other people who are the same kind of strong and determined pray-ers. It’s a great mystery, and no one has been able to explain to me how it happens, but through that kind of prayer, we connect with others. Again, through the Spirit, we can provide strength and support to each other, even in the time of pandemic.
Like Jacob-the-wrestler, or like athletes, who are two-thirds of the way through their exercises, but get a cramp in their legs, let us be strong and never lose heart. The One who watches over us will never fall asleep. And dawn will come. We may go limping off, but we will know God.
Prayerful blessings on you all!
Laura+
