Praying & prayers

N:gage with Sunday Mornings

First steps to pray & keep going ...

An ideas sheet prepared for St. Columba’s parishioners by Rev’d Robert Ferris

Much of the prayer of St. Columba’s is corporate, that is to say we do it together and this is reflected in much of what you will say when you come along to church on a Sunday Morning - wether it be Holy Communion, All Age worship or Morning/evening prayer. Yet there is another side to our prayer life, our own individual prayers, as we try to share in Christ's prayer to his Father, that his will be done, his kingdom come.

The advice we provide here was originally written for a children's book. However, whether you are a child, young person or an adult, prayer is easier than you might imagine! Millions of people of every age pray every day.

You don't have to know any prayers if you want to pray - in fact, words can often get in the way. Picture Jesus, and then say what is in your heart, what you feel.

Remember!
God hears every prayer - but not all prayers are answered in the way we might expect or desire: we don't always pray for his will to be done!

'Arrow' Prayers
can be offered to God anywhere, at any time.

But thankfully we don't live all our lives in moments of extreme crisis. What about day-to-day praying? We need to come closer to God, to experience His love for us and to try to make sense of where we are in the world. Prayer is the way we do this.

How to start?

Use your hand.
Your fingers can be used to bring to mind different things to pray for.

thumb
this is the strongest digit on your hand. Give thanks for all the strong things in your life, like home and family, relationships that support and sustain you.

index finger
this is the pointing finger. Pray for all those people and things in your life who guide and help you. Friends, teachers, doctors, nurses, police, emergency services and so on.

middle finger
this is the tallest finger. Pray for all the important people who have power in the world, like world leaders and their governments, members of parliament and local councillors, MLA’s, the Royal Family, other world leaders and their governments.

ring finger
this is the weakest finger on your hand. It can not do much by itself. Remember the poor, the weak, the helpless, the hungry, the sick, the ill and the bereaved.

little finger
this is the smallest and the last finger on your hand. Pray for yourself.

When should I pray?

Traditionally, prayer times have been morning and evening, but you can choose a time which is best for you. It helps to be somewhere quiet, where you can have some time for yourself.

Do I have to kneel?

Kneeling is the traditional posture for penitence and standing for praise, but you can pray anywhere - walking, standing, sitting, whatever feels comfortable.

What else do I need to know?

Be creative - use music, a stone, a feather, a flower, or a candle to help you focus - if you are very young, or elderly, be careful with candles!

Prayer activity is a discipline - it can be difficult at times, just like keeping fit, being on a diet, or keeping weeds down in the garden! Little and often is best, but don't give up! No prayer, however inadequate you may feel it to be, is ever wasted or of no value.

What next?

Build up a collection of favourite prayers and sayings -anything that speaks to you. You can find them in greeting cards, cuttings in the press or bookmarks and prayer cards. You could make a scrapbook for them.

Visit your local church bookshop and have a browse.

Why not start with the prayers in the Green - Book of Common Prayer - Daily prayer pages ...

If you want to know more about prayer why not get involved in our parish Bible Study group or speak to a trusted christian friend or member of the clergy?

Many other ideas include

• Prayer Journals
• Giving thanks to God
• Prayer walking / driving
• Arrow prayers
• praying with others
• 24/7 Prayer stations
• posit notes
• lecto divina
• Pray, read, think, pray, do as a bible study method

Source: Adapted from Church of England Website: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/learnpray/

The prayers this morning were structured around ... fingers topics

God our heavenly father, we give thanks to you for all those whom we care about because their lives are closest to us and their love is strongest. In a moment of silence we pray for our families, asking God to bless them at this time wherever they may and holding before him any issues which are on our hearts concerning them.

Silence

Living Lord,

We hold before your all those provide direction and leadership in our communities. We pray for teachers in our schools, clergy, vestry and all involved in leadership in this parish, we pray for bosses and all involved in trainning those in workplaces. Help us all in our learning to be dilligent in study and help us all to be the best we can be. We ask this in Jesus name Amen

God of all authority

We pray for those who hold authority in this community and in the nations of the world.

At home we pray for the PSNI as the seek to maintain justice and peace in the midst of threats of violence. We also pray for our politicians both MP’s and MLA’s as they seek to guide the population through difficult economic situation.

In the wider world we give you thanks for the good news stories from Chile this week, for the miners who have been rescued. We thank you for the evidence, that when people work together the common good can be achieved.

We pray all these things in Jesus Name Amen

God of the weak and the poor,

We hold before you those known to us and those in our community who are struggling -

• struggling to pay the bills at home
• struggling to see a future for themselves and their loved ones
• struggling to come to terms with news they have been given
• struggling to come to terms with physical / mental illness
• struggling to come to terms with addictions
• struggling with the pressure of work commitments

You are a God who has always been concerned with those on the edge of society, You are a God who is a help to the helpless, lover of the unloved, you turn noone away. Help us as individuals when we see those whom we know are in need to reach out to them, to be your hands, your feet, your voice in their circumstances.

We ask this in your name Amen

We pray for ourselves

In a moment of quiet reflection, we remember that we are called to be a people of persistent prayer, never giving up but a people who worship, confess, thank and ask our heavenly father for all his many blessings.

We take a moment in the stillness of this place to bring before God our own prayers for our concerns before God this morning

Silence

We conclude our prayers as we pray for each other in the words of the Grace ...

Sermon Preached in Moira Parish - Sunday 15th June 2008

Sunday Morning 10 am Service (Matthew 9:35- 10:8)
Moira Parish – Morning Praise service
Let us pray,
Heavenly Father, as we come to your word this day, we pray that you would speak to us, that you would challenge us and that you would lead us closer in our walk with you.
In your name and for your sake we pray.

Amen


When the rector, asked me to preach at this service – on Friday – my immediate reaction, without thinking yes and then once I had put the phone down I thought oh crumbs – What are the readings – what have I let myself in for?

When I got hold of the lectionary and realised it was the Matthew reading that was good – because it was talking about Discipleship – which is great because it allows me the excuse to put up my ‘L’ plates – so right from the start I want to explain that right from the youngest to the oldest we are all learners – that is what the word discipleship means. That is what we are called to do.

I am going to concentrate on the Gospel reading – It is a familiar reading I am sure to many – The themes it contains are huge in the Christian Faith – It speaks of mission, it speaks of who Jesus is and it speaks of discipleship

Before we get into the text, Let us take a look at where passage is set – it is in Matthew’s Gospel which was written from a unique perspective and to show that Jesus was the messiah that the Jews were indeed expecting, it comes after the teaching narrative of the sermon on the mount and directly after a whole passage on miracles and calling of Matthew.

I would like to take a look at the text – If you have a Bible with you may want to follow



Jesus went out teaching, preaching and healing – The three of these things go hand in hand when the gospel is spread.

I often wonder how amazing it would have been alive to have met Jesus in the flesh in Galilee. His ministry is totally key to our understanding of who he is.

The miracles he performed shows and bears witness to who he is – he is shown to have power over nature,
power over Disease
power over death
and ultimately power over sin.

When we move on to the next section when he saw the crowds he had compassion on them – why? Because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd

It is interesting to note here a strange looking word
splanch – nizo- mai – SPLANK NIZO ME

Which is used throughout the NT in regards to Jesus motivation – right in the depth of his being – in his belly –is where he felt for the people and their problems.

For us :
He is the unchangeable – It has been said so many times that I do feel that we can sometimes in our faith grow immune to it – God has compassion on those who are hurting, who are suffering, who are harassed and helpless.

As we move on in this passage – There is a recognition that there is a part for everyone to play in this mission – Jesus once again draws as he does on so many occasions on agricultural imagery – “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”
Notice what he does here – He speaks this to his disciples and the asks them to “ask the lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into his field”.



It is here I would like to pause for a moment and ask if anyone has been to theme park – any favourite rides? <> I went to Alton towers last year and had a great time – my favourite rollercoaster is AIR – I managed to get a quick video of it for you taken by someone first hand. Its not that great quality by hopefully you will get the idea.


I am sure, if you haven’t been to alton towers and been on air you’ll not really get what I’m saying, you wont have experienced the same feelings I have for it. My point here is the same in the text we can hear others talking about going places, hear others testimony about what God is doing in this place, in other places but if we don’t take that step to actually say God I want to do it then we wont

This is where us as disciples are challenged – we know that there is a harvest, we know that someone has to do it, we maybe pray to God that he would send someone to work in the field. Little do we know that we might be the answer to our own prayer. If we are already working maybe we are being called to pray for others to help us.

<>
This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

As we move into Chapter 10

We see the disciples being told – JUST DO IT – get out there and do the stuff I have shown you – they were given authority to heal raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, preach the message – Jesus gave them the authority.

He also makes provision in this – you will notice that the disciples are not to go alone, they are paired up. In ministry the idea of individuals I don’t think is biblical – having teamwork, another person who you relate well to is key. Someone you can pray with, someone who is ready to help you and you to help them when difficult times someone is key.

The chapter then goes on to speak of provision – and what to take and not take which in our whole idea of going does not sit easy one coat – no bag … I know I’m heading over to Africa next week and I am finding it difficult to stay under BA’s weight restrictions!!


So having said that what are we to do?

Well, I suppose this message this morning is practical
Firstly I believe God has a heart for those who are harassed and hurting this day – He is intimately concerned with the things you are concerned about, he is desiring above all the rest to heal and to restore those who are broken. He desires for that relationship to be restored.

Secondly, I believe that there are those to whom he wants to say – just do it – He is wanting you to get out there and do whatever he has called you to do – It’s not necessarily to become a Church of Ireland Clergy person but it may be to spread the gospel in your place of work, in your school, in your family circumstances wherever.

Finally, I believe he wants to say – don’t worry – I have made provision for you – especially for those who maybe over the summer are heading off overseas or doing some mission service at home – God will provide for all your needs.

We have been given so much – it is our responsibility to give – to the world around – Let’s JUST DO IT and not leave it to someone else to spread the good news – from the youngest here to the oldest we can all talk about God to our friends our work colleagues

Let’s take a moment of silence as we think about what we need to be doing this week, what resources we need to be asking our father for.


Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would speak into our situations and ask that your would be provider and sustainer of us

Amen.


---- Prayers of intercession ----


Let us pray,

God of gods and Lord of lords,

We come this morning as ourselves, with our faults and our failings, we come with our concerns, our doubts our worries we come before you and declare you as Lord, Lord of this place, lord of this town, lord of our lives.

Father God we come to you on this Fathers’ day and pray for all those who are father’s, we ask you to bless them with patience and love which only you can provide.

Lord God as we look around the world that you have created we see so much beauty, however you have instructed us to pray for those who are in need – we think of those in countries where there is violence, war, disaster and hardship – we pray for those places which hit our headlines on a daily basis – for Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iraq, Afganistan, China, Burma
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
We pray for the church,
In our readings we are challenged, regardless of age or background, problems to serve God in whatever way he has called us. We take a moment to pray that God to send workers into the harvest field. Remembering that as disciples we too are called to play our part in the body that is the church.
Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer

We pray for our community of faith in this place.
Lord Jesus,
You had compassion on those who you saw were in trouble, in grief, in pain – that compassion moved you to action.

We pray for those whom we know who need a touch from the Lord this day. We pray particularly for The Rector and his family at this difficult time and others whom we name in silence.

Loving Lord, Surround those who suffer at this time.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer - Conclude with the Grace