Prayer: God of peace, God of love, may we return and worship you often to know and feel your peace and your love in the midst of our storms. Amen.

May the Lord be with you. [response—“And also with you.”]. We say that every time we worship together. During this season of Lent, I want to push that thought further. Yes, the Lord is with us, but as Christians, as people who have accepted Jesus as the Christ, our personal Lord and Savior, it may be more appropriate to say, “The Lord is in you.”

Last Wednesday night, I introduced this worship series by picking up on one of the least known and least understood theological concepts of the Christian faith—‘regeneration.’ This concept affirms that the Lord is in us. God’s Holy Spirit is regenerated in each person who accepts Jesus Christ as the anointed one who was sent from God for the redemption of the sin of humanity. So the saying is true—Christ is alive in you! And me! When Jesus says, “You are the light of the world,” it now makes more sense: we have Christ’s light in us, and it shines to all in the world.

This Lent, I am working with the thesis that because Christ is alive in us, we deepen the Christ-like traits that we have. We might see life a little more the way Christ might see life. We might live our lives and make decisions a little more like the way Christ might live and make decisions. In fact, we can look to Jesus, examine some of his stories, apply the significance of that story to our stories, and see some of the traits that are desirable for us to acquire and practice.

Tonight I want to emphasize that Jesus was a busy man. He had people following him because he was like the shepherd to the lost, spiritually hungry sheep. He performed works of God in their presence, teaching them the awesome power of God. Many demands were placed on him. Many people clamored to see him and hear him teach and preach.

But, notice tonight, that Jesus deliberately takes time away from the crowds to pray. He intentionally takes a break to spend time with God, so he could grow in faith, so he could be strengthened and renewed by God’s power, so he could be a role model for the disciples and for us. Jesus was a prayerful worshiper of God, even in the midst of all the demands placed upon him. Can we learn from him? Can we acquire this trait?

[SKIT] Five stations—1) Family, 2) School, 3) Work, 4) Church, and 5) Community. At each station there are two items to be carried, one at a time, as the skit progresses. The Skit starts out with me starting to do my daily devotional prayers. But I get interrupted by the cell phone ringing. It’s my daughter calling, needing me to take her shopping as soon as possible. After imaginary dialogue, I take a bag of clothes.

During that conversation, I pretend that the school station is beckoning me, calling me to work on the project, write that paper, meet with the professors and advisors. I pretend the cell phone rings, and it’s my professors and advisors. After that imaginary conversation, I pick up the book bag and add it with the clothing. I move more slowly now to the next station.

At the next station, it’s the job. I pretend to meet the boss, and I talk about deadlines, assignments, responsibilities, accounting invoices, expense sheets, and income projections. After that imaginary conversation, I pick up one of the brief cases and add it to the pile I’m already carrying. I move more slowly, too.

I move to the next station which is the church. I carry on an imaginary conversation with church people needing to meet as a committee, needing to visit a homebound person, needing to take part in the fund-raising project. I pick up a couple of Bibles and add them to the pile I’m carrying.

I move on to the community. I talk with an imaginary person about the candidates running for President. I pick up the prepared signs with the names of McCain, Obama, Clinton, and Huckabee. I carry all with me, now moving very slowly.

Now, I move back through all the stations, picking up the other items, adding to my load to carry. After the last station of family, I am encumbered and heavy laden. With my heavy load, I strain against the weight.

But, then I pretend to see Jesus walking by in the midst of my heavy load. I carry on an imaginary conversation with him that is similar to the incident found in the gospel of Mark. After he tells me to relax, that it’s him and for me not to be afraid, he tells me that he was in prayer all night. He is filled with God’s spirit, a powerful result of being a prayerful worshiper. He is walking with me, amid my load, the storms of my life. As Jesus talks with me, my load lightens. I strip off everything, and place it all in God’s care. I take time to worship God. I take time to pray. I describe the Lord’s power by becoming a prayerful worshiper. I go to the pulpit, describe it as a place where God is, a place where God knows me in secret.

The skit ends, and the evening prayers begin. Amen.