Today I'm reading around my topic for Sunday, the last in our parables series, 'stories Jesus told about prayer.'  I saw these and they seemed worth sharing:

Intercession is work for others.  It is an act of faith in God, his caring, his goodness.  It is involved in the mystery of God and the freedom of man (sic).  We intercede for others because of what we believe about God as loving Father, who works directly, but also through men and women, using their cooperation.  Intercession depends on th elife of faith, not on words.  We intercede with out whol being, opening a door for God, becomign channels, bringing people to God as Aaron did (Ex. 28.29).  We can do this by name in a list, on request, because we aware of need.  We can cover all persons and subjects.  Results are only sometimes known, and all intercessions implies: 'Not my will, but thine, be done.'

Michael Hollings

And on the difference between intercession (prayer for others) and petition (prayer for self)

The distinction between petition and intercession - which is petition for others - is not always easy to draw.  But the two should be kept separate.  Petition concerns our straight course to God; intercession our placing of oursleves between him and the world.

George Appleton

Both from SCM A Dictionary of Christian Spirituality

Taking the two together, then, intercession has a pontifical (bridge) or priestly function, which sits well with understandings of the 'priesthood of all believers' which is why it is so important in public worship.

There's an old hymn, technically I think a Sunday school hymn, which as been quietly excised from most contemporary hymnbooks:

Jesus calls above the tumult
of our life's wild, restless sea;
day by day his voice re-echoes,
saying, 'Christian, follow me!'

As of old, apostles heard it
by the Galilean lake,
turned from home and toil and kindred,
leaving all for his dear sake.

Jesus calls us from the worship
of the vain world's golden store,
from each rival that would claim us,
saying, 'Christian, love me more!'

In our joys and in our sorrows,
days of toil and hours of ease,
still he calls, in cares and pleasures,
'Christian, love me more than these!'

Jesus calls us! By your mercies,
Saviour, make us hear your call,
give to you our heart's obedience,
serve and love you best of all.

Cecil F Alexander (1818-1895)

I suspect this lovely hymn, with its clear echoes of John 21, is a bit too discomfiting for the average middle class western Christian who steadily acquires more and more material wealth.

When I was leaving college, and preaching with a view for the second time (out of three before a church was kind/mad enough to call me) it was on John 21.  I recall lingering on the words of Jesus to Peter, 'do you love me more than these...?'  The Greek is neatly ambiguous, and most often is interpreted/heard as 'out these eleven men are you the one who loves me the most?'  But an equally valid, and I think more likely interpretation is 'do you love me more than these things... you boat, your home, your livelihood, your wealth, your family and friends...?'  It is a question that should leave us going 'ulp!'

At this time of year new students are setting off to begin training as for pastoral ministry and for overseas mission.  Many of them have left well-paid careers, some have sold the homes (others are trapped by negative equity or a dead market), some move far away from family and friends and so on.  If they are Baptist ministerial students (or student ministers or whatever they call them these days) they go to college knowing there is no promise of a church at the end... following the call could, technically, leave them destitute.

Following my call into ordained ministry has definitely been a voyage on a wild, restless, sea, but I have no doubt at all it was the right thing to have done.  Today, as others prepare to step into that boat, to embark on their own stormy journeys, my prayer is that they will know that Jesus is there with them - even if sometimes he's so busy sleeping on a cushion they need to give him a good shake!