I find that the older I get, and the longer I'm a part of the Episcopal Church, the dearer Scripture is to me.  Not "dear" in the sentimental way-yet something as precious as life itself. 

And for Episcopalians, Scripture is most alive when centered in our life of prayer.  This is why our worship book, called The Book of Common Prayer, has woven the language of scripture into virtually all of our prayers in community, in hopes that the words and imagery of the biblical world will become an enduring part of the very fabric of who we are, and dear as life to us.

Learning about Scripture in the context of Common Prayer also has the potential to unlock its transformative power.  Folding our hands in prayer, the great Swiss theologian Karl Barth reminds us, "is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world."   Encountering Scripture as a community, gathered in prayer for worship, is a danger to the status quo, for it re-centers our priorities and calls us back to be more fully the human beings that we're created to be, rather than the pale imitation we often encounter day-by-day.

The world of Scripture is the story of God's ongoing relationship with humanity, and it provides a portrait of the ways people have come into relationship with that God, who is ever calling them to life.  That's why the best Episcopal preaching tries to offer an invitation to God's people that encourages us to seek and enter into a fuller relationship with God, through the biblical story.  For the beginners among us, I invite you to tip-toe into the edges of the story...and as you begin to find your way around the world of biblical story to work yourself up to the boldness of diving headfirst into the lives of our biblical ancestors, seeing and hearing what it is they have to teach us. And one of the things we will find in the heart of the story is this child of God, Jesus.

Jesus, the embodiment of God amongst us was portrayed in the Gospels as a man of frequent prayer. Examples in the Gospels of Jesus' prayer life are abundant.  He's described as withdrawing from the crowds he gathered for healing in order to find a deserted place to pray (Luke 5:15-16).  Jesus is described as spending nights in the mountains praying to God all alone (Luke 6:12).  At other times he is shown praying alone, but with his disciples nearby  (Luke 11:1).  Each Sunday, in fact, we recall the time when Jesus had been praying, and one of his disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray," and he said, do it like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  May your reign come among us, and your will be done by us, right here on earth as is the case in heaven (Luke 18:1ff).  If you're going to pray, Jesus seemed to tell them, pray for nothing less than God's Reign to break out in our very midst--pray for the Kingdom of Heaven to be at hand.  WOULDN'T THIS BE AWESOME!  And amazing and glorious!

No wonder, then, that every Easter season, it's the stories from the Book of Acts that invite us in for a peek at the earliest church, and the power of prayer, in community and during table fellowship, that from our very beginnings has shaped and formed what we now know as the church. And it should come as no surprise to us, as well, that when they prayed and broke bread together, they expected nothing less than a radical transformation in their lives. Indeed that in the words of Acts, "many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles," such as living together and having all things in common; selling their possessions and goods and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need; and breaking bread with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.   They had no need for a stewardship campaign - their mission was to give whatever it took for the community to meet the needs of the world where it was situated. Is it any wonder that the Book of Acts reports, "day-by-day the Lord added to their number."?