Anxieties and Prayers to the Saints

Starting with the upcoming Sunday I will serve a congregation to the north of where I live as worship leader and preacher/teacher. Their pastor has accepted a Call from our Lord to serve another congregation near Austin, Texas. Until the Lord of the Church provides this congregation with another pastor I, together with a couple other area pastors, will serve them with God's Word and the Sacraments.

That is why I find myself on this day completing work on a sermon I will preach. Following the lead of the former pastor, the congregation has chosen to use the upcoming Sunday as a time to meditate upon the Scriptural teaching about Saint Timothy (January 25 is the day for this on the church calendar). This opens up the question of saints and saints' days—from the Lutheran perspective.

That was a big question during the days of the 16th century Reformation of the Christian Church. For instance, here's some of what we Lutherans teach in our Confessions about invoking or praying to saints:

"And although the angels in heaven pray for us (as Christ Himself also does), as also do the saints on earth, and perhaps also in heaven, yet it does not follow thence that we should invoke and adore the angels and saints, and fast, hold festivals, celebrate Mass in their honor, make offerings, and establish churches, altars, divine worship, and in still other ways serve them, and regard them as helpers in need [as patrons and intercessors], and divide among them all kinds of help, and ascribe to each one a particular form of assistance, as the Papists teach and do. For this is idolatry, and such honor belongs alone to God" (Smalcald Articles II:25). 

In light of that teaching I will not be guiding our congregation to pray to Saint Timothy. Some Christians are still so taught, however. Here's a prayer I find on the Internet, a prayer for those wrongly thrown into prison:

"Dear Saint, well known for your gentleness, you were a most faithful disciple of Saint Paul, and like him traveled much to bring the Good News to all people. The Letters Paul wrote to you reveal your zeal and inspire us with confidence in you. You too were cast into prison and you too gave your life for Christ. So with confidence we dare to ask, please obtain relief for {name of sufferer}, if it be God's will."

Somehow there are folks who believe that this or that saint in heaven is more accessible than the Lord Jesus Himself. Perhaps they mistakenly have come to believe that He is too busy for them or that He is too far off or even that He prefers we send our petitions to saints instead of Him or that the saints have more pull because of their holy lives on earth. All this is not what He himself has taught through the Word. Keep this in mind when you also are in need of praying for someone near and dear to you. Listen to what Peter the Apostle tells us and follow his instructions:

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:6-7).