Stephen’s last sermon was on prayer as a kit bag, and today he looked at how we must have belief in our kit bag if it is to be practical, visible and available. Without faith, prayer is like a bag full of holes:
John 1:1-14 reminds us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. What was invisible (God) became visible to humans through the form of Christ. So often, we struggle with prayer because we are connecting to someone who is invisible and intangible, but Jesus reminds us that in the Incarnation, God has revealed Himself to us and He makes the invisible reality to us. Belief turns the intangible into something tangible and the invisible into something visible.
Our kit bag has to be a reality in our lives. We have to pray effectively and with faith so that the invisible becomes visible. A bag full of holes (a ‘holey bag’) is no use to us, for whatever God puts into such a bag would simply spill out. But a bag full of faith (a ‘holy bag’) is worth something because then we are equipped for every situation. Prayer takes the written word of God and makes it ‘3D’, connecting us through this word to the living God. Then our prayers can make a difference and we can see how our connection to God is able to have a practical impact on our lives, our community and our world.