By Deacon Timothy Siburg
Revised Common Lectionary reflection for Proper 12, Year C
July 27, 2025
Key Verse: “Lord, teach us to pray.” -Luke 11:1
I love to sing. That’s not a secret. So perhaps it’s not a surprise that I have a song on my heart that I just have to let out, perhaps you know it too?
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer;
it’s me, it’s me, it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.
Not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer,
not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.
Not the preacher, not the deacon, but it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer;
not the preacher, not the deacon, but it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.
It keeps going, but you get the point. All of us are standing in need of prayer. Every beloved Child of God stands before God, in need of prayer and trusting in God’s mercy and grace.
On the one hand, prayer might seem ordinary and simple. It’s something we do in worship. It’s something we hopefully all do in daily life. Maybe you use a familiar family prayer before meals like, “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest….” And perhaps you grew up with the bedtime prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep.…” Maybe your prayers are like a conversation that just starts with God at any point. Whether we have the words or not, we’re all invited into prayer. It’s part of our lives as disciples, but it’s also a part of stewardship.
When we pray, we have an opportunity to reflect. We can engage in the central tenant of stewardship of giving thanks. Like the psalmist sings, “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart… and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness” (Psalm 138:1-2). In our prayers we say thank you to God for all that God has done and for all that God provides. The writer of Colossians extols that as followers of Jesus, we are “rooted and built up in him,” and because of this in our prayers and very lives we are “abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6).
When we pray, we have an opportunity to ask. We can engage in the tenet of stewardship of asking. When we pray, we pray for our neighbors and all those who might be in need. We ask for mercy and compassion, following the example of Abraham who asks God to show mercy for the righteous: “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (Genesis 18:23). And then, Abraham keeps pressing God to show mercy.
We, too, might pray that God will be merciful to all in need, to all who are in times of war and conflict, and for all those who might be impacted by policy decisions of governments, communities, and leaders. In the United States this month, we pray for all those who because of recent budget decisions may go hungry or struggle for healthcare.
When we pray, we tell God what is on our hearts and minds. We engage in the tenet of stewardship of telling our story and sharing our deep yearnings. We tell God our worries, pir wonderings, our imaginings, and we ask God to lead us and guide us. As the disciple who asks Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray,” we also pray what our Lord teaches us to pray (Luke 11:1): “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial” (Luke 11:2-4). Translations of the Lord’s Prayer have obviously changed over time, but I particularly notice, “for we ourselves forgive everyone.” We are called to do this, but if you’re like me, that in particular might draw some personal reflection. Regardless, we pray as Jesus instructs and invites.
We pray, because we are in relationship. We are in relationship with God, and prayer is a part of that very conversation we share with God in Christ, daily. We are also in relationship with our neighbors, and on their behalf, we pray for their needs. As we pray, we are changed. Our prayer changes us. Prayer is not static. It’s does not begin and end with the overused phrase, “thoughts and prayers.” No. That line has become a moral cop-out. No, when we pray, we deeply believe that prayer leads to action. It leads to response. So, in this way, it is a vital and central part of our lives as stewards.
We pray, because we know and believe that our prayers matter. Jesus says as much: “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10). This isn’t a prosperity gospel sort of claim. This isn’t Jesus posing like a genie who grants every wish.
Jesus is saying that God is with the one who prays and hears the prayers offered. Honest, yearning prayers for whom our hearts break. Deep hopes for beloveds, near and far. Prayers where we hand over and entrust to God what we ourselves can no longer hold or manage on our own. Prayer matters. So, Jesus invites us to do just that, and pray, concluding, “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)
As we pray, we remember that we are all in this together. We are interconnected and interdepepndent. We’re also hopefully in this together as we live out and discern God’s mission – together. Praying all the while that God’s Kingdom will come, and that God will save us from all that might separate us from the love of God in Christ and all that gets in the way of our relationships with one another. This deep yearning and prayer are part of living life as disciples and stewards. Admitting God is God, and we are not. And admitting that we not only need help, we need God, and knowing that God is with us, providing for us through God’s deep abiding and abundant love and grace. After all, indeed,
It’s me, it’s me, it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer;
it’s me, it’s me, it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.
In Worship and Congregational Life
If it’s not stuck in your head yet, it will be, if/when you sing the spiritual, “It’s Me, O Lord,” in worship.[1] In addition to singing this great hymn of the faith, in the spirit of prayer and being the church together, it could make good sense from a stewardship perspective to include an acknowledgment that the week ahead (at least if your context is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) will include the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. There will be elections, discussion, prayer, worship, and more.
As we are part of the church together, we hold all of our siblings and partners in ministry in prayer. For those who might be traveling from your area, region, or synod, include them in your congregation’s prayers, as well as the whole assembly as it prepares to go about the work of the church.
Worship with Youth and Children
In the Children’s Message or Children’s Time, invite the younger saints to remind the congregation what prayer might include. Invite them to name something they give thanks for, something they are asking for help with, something or someone who needs special care. What surfaces might just make for a powerfully poignant prayer or even an honest on the spot time of intercessory prayer where the youngest saints could be leading the whole assembly in naming that which needs to be named, and that for which Jesus asks us to pray.
Previous reflections for Proper 12C:
2019 – Called: Prayer as vocational expression
2013 – Wise words for consternated Christians
2010 – Daily bread: Enough for you, the community, the world
[1] “It’s Me, O Lord,” “Standing in the Need of Prayer,” Public Domain, as found in This Far by Faith, (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 1999), 240.
Leave a Reply