I helped lead worship at Resurrection on June 22 and wrote a prayer for the experience. I have shared all of the prayers that I have written for worship in 2007 and 2008 at the following Google Doc. Please feel free to use and adapt to your own context.
Enjoy!
I received the following email from a Resurrection attender this week. I have included my response below and some additional thoughts. It has been edited for anonymity
Email Received:
A friend of mine has a perspective on prayer that falls under what the internet refers to as Prosperity Gospel. She repeatedly says, “If I pray hard enough, God will make it happen.” Interestingly, her latest comment relates to her pregnancy where she says she is praying hard (and is fully convinced) that God will grant her a little girl. I tend to disagree with this perspective because it makes it about the person and not God. God answers prayers, but for his purposes not ours. We will always get a yes, no, maybe later type of answer.
Any thoughts?
My Response:
In response to the “If I pray hard enough, God will make it happen.” I do not think that prayer will direct the gender of an unborn child. I agree with the types of responses that you suggest to prayer. This question also touches a bit on open theology - How and in what way does God respond to prayers? How does prayer make a difference? These are questions that I continue to think about.
What do you think, dear reader?
This is a guest post from Kyle Holt of The New Parables and The Bible in Rhyme. From his blog: Each person is called to use the talents God gave us; to be a voice of one calling out in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for Him.”
I fall short in my prayer life. My wife says the same, as do a lot of my friends. Despite the fact that we are called to be in prayer constantly, it is a struggle setting aside time to speak to and listen to God. I feel like a poor example of a good prayer life. But I have a great mentor.
He’s not prideful. He is not vain. He is probably the happiest and most faithful person I know. However, he can be really, really selfish. But that can be excused, as he is only two years old. He is my son, Noah. One of the most beautiful and inspiring things about my son is that he reminds my wife and I to pray. At every mealtime he holds his little hands out to each side and says, “Prayers?” And he wants to make sure we say the right prayer, the one he is familiar with:
“God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food.”
We had Pastors Andrew and Nicole over for dinner one night, and I began saying a different prayer. Noah was having none of that. He started trying to interrupt me so that we made sure we said his prayer. It was important to him that he participate. And it was wonderful to see that prayer was important to my son so early in life.
At nap time and bedtime, Noah knows that after we read our third story, it’s time for prayers. So he stretches out his hands again, and we say a different prayer. It’s a modification of a prayer my parents taught me as a little boy.
“Dear God, we love You. Protect us. God bless Mommy and Daddy, little Noah, grandmas and grandpas, Uncle Bryce and Aunt Amanda, cousins and friends, and everyone in the whole wide world. And all the puppies. Amen!”
The ‘puppies’ part was imperative to him, and the Amen is always emphatic.
Christ tells us that we must be like little children when we come to him, and in my son I see how true this is. His faith is unwavering, unquestioning, unintentional, unrelenting, unshakable, and undeniable.
If my faith were but a mustard seed, I know I could move mountains. My son’s faith shakes the ground I walk on. If each adult I knew prayed with the fervent intensity that I see in my son, his little friend, or the masses of children I see at church, I guarantee this world would be a better place.
God, I ask that You help me pray like my son. That You forgive me for not giving You the time You deserve. And God, help me not forget those puppies too.
AMEN!
At Resurrection, we are encouraged to write our prayers for worship before the service. The hope is that this will be able to provide a prayer that is mindful of non and nominally religious persons and also is an intentional part of worship.
Beginning today, I am going to include all of the prayers that I write for worship in an online document. Please feel free to use any portion of a prayer or a prayer in its entirety if you feel that it would become a meaningful part of a worship service.
You can find this this and also the resources from my recent blogging presentation in under Resources. Enjoy!
On Sunday night, Nicole and I had the great opportunity to be a part of a small group teaching from the newly released - Prayer: A Small Group Curriculum. It is a four week small group study about prayer. This was developed, written and produced here at Resurrection and I think that it is a great resource for any group hoping to grow in the knowledge, thought, and practice of prayer.
Prayer: A Small Group Curriculum is thoroughly Methodist, has thoughtful questions, great teaching on prayer and includes a video component for each week. If you are living in the Kansas City area you can pick it up at The Well bookstore here at the Resurrection central campus. If not, please feel free to order online - here.
Before I was appointed at Resurrection, I was not very familiar with the practice of anointing someone with oil. However, here I have found that it is a common practice and I have made it a part of my common practice.
When I am visiting someone before surgery, I will anoint their head with oil in the sign of the cross. After conversation with the individual and others in the room, I will read scripture - usually from Psalm 23 - anoint the person having surgery on her or his forehead in the sign of the cross and pray for healing. After I finish reading the scripture passage I say, “Oil has been used in the Old and New Testaments as a sign of God’s presence and for healing.” It also helpful that Psalm 23 mentions one’s head being anointed with oil.
Another occasion in which oil is used at Resurrection is at baptism. After the water has been used, the pastor will anoint the head of the person who has been baptized as another sign of God’s seal on the person.
Oil will also be used at occasions of prayer - for a particular need or for someone seeking guidance. Again placing oil on the thumb or finger and making the sign of the cross while saying the words “(name), I anoint you in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Then entering into prayer with the individual.
I have found that this practice has been one that has added meaning and significance to a time of prayer.
Here is the sermon series promo for the Lenten series at Resurrection - The Lord’s Prayer.
Do you pray this prayer regularly? Outside of worship? What questions do you have about this prayer?
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