Never Gonna Give You Up – September 26, 2025
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 88; PM Psalm 91, 92; 2 Kings 9:17-37; 1 Cor. 7:1-9; Matt. 6:7-15
This week, my time in Spain has been on my mind, as my colleague John Burruss is walking the same 72-mile path along the Camino de Santiago that I took this summer. My journey was alongside 20 teenagers and 4 other adults; John is with 18 other adults. With fondness and joy during Sunday morning’s Christian formation forum, I listened to reflections from 9 youth pilgrims and one of our adult chaperones. What beautiful stories of growth and hope they shared! I cherished the rhythm of our days, as we walked and ate, laughed and prayed.
In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, Jesus advised his listeners to avoid “practicing piety before others in order to be seen by them;” and to avoid praying “at the street corners” but “go into your room and shut the door”. In truth, for 25 pilgrims to pray together, we required a space bigger than what was available in our hotels. So, we often gathered in a courtyard, park, or other outdoor venue. To Jesus’ point, we did not seek others’ attention when we prayed in public, but to find stillness and time for reflection, alone together.
One evening, as we sought a place to pray in the bustling ancient courtyards around the cathedral in Santiago, chaperone Michael McGovern suggested an open space that surely would be obliging at that late hour – as it was just getting dark around 10:30 p.m. Upon walking down the stairs, we realized that, while there was ample room for us to assemble on the temperate summer evening, there was another impediment: loud music. The outdoor café had tables full of people and a man playing guitar and singing Rick Astley’s 1987 worldwide hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up”. With its sticky tune and simple refrain, we recognized it on the spot. We chaperones began laughing, for our efforts at worship had been “rick-rolled” – a term associated with this song popping unexpectedly into another experience. A harmless prank in the internet spheres manifested in real life for us in Santiago! The lyrics of this song ring true for our pilgrimage: regardless of where we are, God is “never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you…”
Jesus taught the listeners at the Sermon on the Mount that prayer need not be ornate. Simplicity and heartfelt are hallmarks of how we can connect with the Lord. The simple words we read in Matthew 6:9-13 – known as the Lord’s Prayer – are just that. We acknowledge God’s name and ask that God’s will become our own will. We ask for enough nourishment for today. And then, we ask for forgiveness and protection. God yearns for each of us to turn our attention and intentions to the Divine – no matter the background music, setting, or hardship upon us. God knows us, and desires that we pay attention to offer our lives to the glory of the Lord.
Join me in praying today. Simply. Humbly. And with God’s help.
Katherine+
Reflection and Challenge
If praying is hard for you, why is that? Do you struggle with what to ask? Or wondering if the words are right? If these are concerns for you, sit with The Lord's Prayer. Rewrite those words Jesus taught, and craft them in a way that reflects your prayer to God. There is no right or wrong way to pray, when the focus is connection with our Lord.