Praying With the Church #3: Jesus, Sacred Time, and Sacred Term

McKnight covers at least four aspects of Jesus’ prayer life, Sacred Time, Term, Rythms, and Prayers. We’ll cover the first two on this post.

What was Jesus’ sacred time? It is clear from the first chapter of Mark’s gospel that it was likely a habit for Him to pray early in the morning (since His disciples knew where to find Him), but He also prayed all the time, particularly when making momentous decisions like choosing the Twelve and going to the cross. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing in 1 Thess. 5.

So Jesus prayed faithfully, but on what terms? How did He address God? Abba, Father. And He has called us to do the same. McKnight states:

If we are to learn from Jesus, we will do well to begin with this: We need to open our hearts to God on a constant basis with the trust that God wants us to share our lives with him so he can share his life with us.

How does your prayer life match the sacred time and term that Jesus established as an example for us?