"Will you pray for me?" I cannot think of a more humbling moment for the one who asks or for the one who is asked - the asker and the askee. In my estimation, what is at the heart of the question is, "This thing is bigger than I am. Will you help?" And don't we always say, "Yes, of course."
This "Day" column is the next installment in a series on "worship." The Worship Team is in hopes that our understanding of worship's whys and wherefores will deepen our understanding, and thus our experience, of worship.
We pray in a number of ways. Near the beginning of most services, we pray a "form" prayer, one that we share together. We are apt to use a form also in praying as Jesus taught us, The Lord's Prayer, and in thanksgiving to God at the time of our offering. Worship is a corporate act, and much of our life at prayer becomes one of the unifying moments within the larger service. That doesn't mean there aren't more ways to pray, and certainly we are called to pray in words of our own, or in utter silence, day by day.
Our "intercessory" prayer is an answer to the question with which this began: "Will you pray for me?" On an expanded level, that can mean, won't you share the burden of my heart, for myself or for another? Won't you rejoice with me over a moment in life? Won't you validate the deep concern I have? Won't you walk with me through a troublesome place, a dark valley? Won't you grieve with me my loss of one I love? Won't you join me in reaching out to God on behalf of the wide world, and the most vulnerable of God's children? We say yes, of course.
So we take some time in worship to gather those prayers, and then offer them to God, no longer "mine alone" but "ours." No, we don't know all those people. Sometimes our guests must wonder at the degree of brokenness that touches our lives! Well, yes, of course.
Two things have lately emerged which can enhance our prayers in worship. One is to freely use the prayer cards in the pew pockets, especially for those persons in "second" or "third" circles of acquaintance (ie, my boss's cousin, my friend's uncle's fiance). Prayer cards are also used by those who choose not to speak out in the service, another excellent way to share. Prayer requests on the cards will find their way to the next week's bulletin, and also the on-line "Fairmont Prayers" we share each week (Not getting that? Want to? Sign up at fairmontprayers@earthlink.net ), where prayers can be uplifted day by day. A second is following through. We are now providing stamped postcards at the back of the sanctuary: if you have raised a prayer request for another, think what it will mean to her/him to get a note from you that says, "On Sunday, we uplifted you in prayer."
Will we pray for you? Yes, of course.
Pastor Steve
Fairmont
Fairmont
