Sermon Summary for May 28, 2006
Title- Not of This World.

In John's Gospel, chapter 17, Jesus Prays his High Priestly prayer for the Disciples and the Church and states that we are not of this world. Rather, we should not be of this world but otherworldly.

Muslims commit to prayer five time a day amongst other things. Christianity was always a religion of both faith, prayer, and spiritual disciplines.
At Minimum, we are called to a life characterized by:

1. Simplicity- a life of frugality, simplicty, and stewardship. Not keeping up with the Jones'.

2. Chasitity- a life of moral and sexual purity. For the married, it is a life of fidelity and faithfulness. For the single, it is a life of celibacy until marriage (or in the case of those called to the monastic life, of surrendering all sexual relations and action for a lifetime).

3. Obedience- a life of obedience to the Word of God, the commandments of Christ, and those over us in the Lord.

4. Prayer- a life of structured and consistent prayer. The old testament records those who prayer three times a day and those who prayer seven times a day. The synagogue and temple expressed this pattern of regukar times of prayer; and Christ and the disciples followed this practise- even after Christ ascended, the apostles still attended the temple or synagogue for the hours of prayer. Early Christians divided the day into eight offices of daily prayer (matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers, and compline).
We need to have regular and structured times of prayer als0. Structured prayer implies the use of a pre-written structure and service (devotional) of prayer based on Holy Scripture and the Psalms. Rather than praying from our own agendas, concerns or needs, we submit oursleves to a "sacrifice" of prayer.