Praying Together

When Jesus prays, he does so aloud for the benefit of his disciples.

Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. "Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." - John 17:20-26

I was raised on silent prayer.  Or when we prayed aloud, it was to recite a memorized prayer like The Lord's Prayer or Hail Mary.

Even novenas, which my grandmother taught me we silent.  It was all in my head, not for the people around me to hear.

It wasn't until years later, when I attended retreats like Tres Dias and Kairos that I was exposed to the kind of prayer that attempts to move mountains and shake roots.

That type of evangelical prayer uses repetition to build up the emotion in the room, like a faith blender or a Holy Spirit tornado.

I imagine that is what Jesus is doing here.

We see this in written form, but I wonder how it would play out in the hands of a Baptist minister.

Did the disciples find it so moving as to lift them to their feet, hands raised in the air, ready to accept God's grace and mercy right there with Jesus?

The message is simple.  Jesus wants his disciples to know that are one with God, that God's love is in them, and they should go and spread it to everyone.

Will they become evangelists?  Will we?

When I became a deacon, I realized I will be called upon to lead people in prayer from time to time.  It goes with the ministry.  We cannot rely solely on what is written down, though the Book of Common Prayer is a real blessing.

We need to be ready to speak from the heart and soul as well as from the head.

I will never be the powerful prayer leader that shakes the room.  It is not my style, not something I feel comfortable with.

My approach is to open myself up to the Holy Spirit and let the words flow.

Sometimes, I surprise myself.  It is then that I know I am not the one choosing.

Thank God.  

I noticed in the news clips from Texas that there was a man with his hand on a woman's shoulder and he was praying with her.  That's the image I like to keep in my thoughts to remind me, when I find myself in a position to help, what I can do.

It is quiet, comforting, tender and real.

God in me, God in us, us in God.  Love.

More to come...