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Our Prayers Together
by Hilary Marchbanks
On Saturday, March 9, the Intentional Faith Development committee gathered folks together for a prayer retreat in the church. This retreat was not only an opportunity to learn about types of prayer, but a chance to experience prayer. Those gathered practiced prayer from the heart and focused on a centered way of being with God. When we ask God to “deepen our faith,” centering prayer and contemplative prayer practices bring us both closer to God and closer to our own created selves.
This Lenten season, we have explored prayers and creeds that shape our rhythms of worship and Christian life. We began on Ash Wednesday with Shelley’s sermon about the significance of prayers of confession. We started our Sunday worship series with the Apostle’s Creed. The second Sunday of Lent, Pastor Randy dug into the history of the Serenity Prayer, and then we explored the background of communion prayers we say at the altar. Next, our District Superintendent, Marcus Freeman walked us through John Wesley’s life and the Covenant Prayer. Finally, this week, we encountered the UMC Social Creed and Litany. You may view any of these services on our “Past Worship Services” webpage.
Sunday, March 24, marks the beginning of Holy Week. As we turn with Jesus to his final week in Jerusalem, we also turn to the prayers Jesus prayed himself. On Palm Sunday morning, we pivot from celebratory Hosannas to Jesus’ plea to God in Matthew 26 to “let this cup pass.” On Maundy Thursday, we will focus on Jesus’ prayer for the disciples in John 17. On Good Friday, we'll engage in a dramatic reading of the Good Friday story at noon; at 7 p.m., liturgists will read the story of Jesus’ final hours with musical response from the Chancel Choir. On Easter Sunday, we will focus on the prayer Jesus prayed and asked all of us to pray: the Lord’s Prayer.
When I look at Holy Week, filled with Jesus’ divinity and wisdom, remembering that Jesus is God’s love revealed on earth, I am always struck with the question, “Why did Jesus pray?” Jesus’ prayers help us to articulate and clarify questions we may have about Jesus as fully human and fully divine, about the Trinity, and about prayer itself.
It also brings up the plain yet important fact: Jesus prayed. Jesus, who asked us to follow him, prayed. Jesus who asked us to be baptized like him and to see the world through his eyes, prayed.
What can we learn from the prayers he shared himself? Together I invite us to journey this Holy Week to learn together with our minds, and experience with our hearts. I’ll see you in worship.
Grace and Peace,
Hilary Marchbanks
Saint John’s Senior Pastor
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