 | Rev. Patrick Notley is the Associate Pastor of First Presbyterian Church located at 525 N. Broadway in downtown Wichita. Reverend Notley received an MA in Divinity at San Francisco Theological Seminary and a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, VA. Born in Denver, CO and raised on the East Coast, Reverend Notley along with his wife, relocated to Wichita in 1997 to join the church, where he is responsible for Evangelism Educational programs. You can reach Reverend Notley at (316) 263-0248 ext. 22 or by email at pwnotley@firstpresbywichita.org |
***image1:left***QUESTION: Who should one pray to…God…Jesus…The Holy Spirit…the Saints?
ANSWER: Prayer is the most personal conversation we can have with our creator. As a pastor in a Presbyterian (USA) church, the appropriate response, for me, to this question is, that one prays to God through the intercessory work done by Jesus, the Christ, on our behalf. This answer must, however, be placed within its particular context; that context being Christian in faith and reformed in nature. By that I mean prayer for the non-Christian, while perhaps directed toward God will not be done so in the name of Jesus, the Christ, nor should those persons of faith who do not share the Christian perspective be expected to adopt that which is particularly Christian. To be reformed in nature is to claim a heritage that may recognize those who are called Saint by others but does not accord to those Saints the same privilege of conversation that is engaged in when one prays to God.
But, back to my first statement… Prayer is the most personal conversation that one can have with one's creator. Prayer is conversation, not formula. It is give and take not one-sided chatter. Prayer is how we bring ourselves in to the presence of the Holy One so that we can be more fully open to who we are, whose we are, and how we are called to live. So if your faith tradition leads you to prayer to the Saints, then do so. If your faith tradition leads you to pray to God, then do that. In other words do that which allows you to be more fully present to the divine and assists you in living into the life you have been given by the creator.