Praying with Stanley Hauerwas Pt. 3
It’s been hard selecting which ones of these to share. This one is one of the longest in the book and perhaps my favorite.
Lord of the Waters, you have set us adrift in a trackless ocean, in a leaky boat with no oars or rudder. “Rudderless” nicely describes our situation, but matters are worse. Even if we had a rudder, we would not know which direction to go. We are not even sure if there are any directions—or if there are any directions, we so distrust our wants that we do not know which way we really want to go. In short, we feel lost and, so feeling, think it is probably your fault. Yet you refuse to let us drown us in self-pity and blame. Instead your drown us in your good kingdom, the death and resurrection of Jesus our Lord, making us part of that great ark, your church. The winds of love blow that ark out to sea, away from shores we think might provide safety, so that we might take on board the drowning. How wonderful it is that the more that are taken on board, the less your ark is crowded and the safer we are. Thank you for making us steady sailors who have no reason to fear the unknown, having learned you would have us be at sea. Amen.
May that wind indeed blow us away from those shores we think safe. Oh how they are not.
