Writing about anything during “creation” week should be easy for me ... I love creating.
I enjoy the freedom Congregationalism gives us - that when we are preparing a worship service, we start with a blank sheet of paper. That fascinates some people: “completely blank?” they ask. “Yup, not even the Lord’s Prayer!” But sometimes that freedom can become a burden. Especially in private prayer…and even in public.
The Lord’s Prayer is a good starting place – and, in my opinion, that is all it is: a pattern for prayer. It invites us to adore and venerate our Heavenly Father; we promise to align ourselves with his will; we ask for our physical needs to be met; we move into the mental, emotional and spiritual realm as we tackle our sins and the grudges we might bear; we ask for future protection and remind ourselves how mighty God is. All that in just 62 words (modern version). But, for modern Christians two essential prayer focuses appear to be missing: thanksgiving and prayers for others – intercessions.
Even though I love the freedom to be creative, both in my private prayers and when leading services, I need a framework. For quite a while I used Lectio365, a free app from the 24-7 prayer group. Its framework uses the acronym P.R.A.Y. - Pause, Rejoice using a psalm, Reflect on a scripture passage, Ask for God’s help (for yourself and others) and Yield to his will.
There is a Grove booklet called Praying with Stuff. It reminds us that we learn (and pray) in different ways. VARK is the acronym for this: Visual, Aural, Read/write and Kinesthetic. Many church services still use the ‘chalk and talk’ method or even just ‘talk’. Listening to a long sermon every week does not suit every worshipper’s learning preferences. Kinesthetic, moving around, is particularly lacking. We need to be aware of thwarting creativity in others, if we ourselves learn in a different way. Even on our own we can use water, leaves, tin foil, a newspaper, a bunch of keys ... when we are praying. Sorry to advertise but Grove books S107 is well worth £3.95!
So, consider praying as you walk outside, or look at old photos, or with your mobile phone in your hand to pray for situations in the news, people you know and ... technology!
Father God, creator of the universe, may we learn from you to use our creative talents, whether in music, dance, needlework, hospitality, writing, nurturing...
Jesus our Redeemer, who told parables to impart truths, remind us that stories are how we learn, stories are how we remember, stories are how we interpret...
Loving Holy Spirit, creative force within each one of us, nudge us out of our ruts to show our full creative selves for the glory of the Kingdom and the spreading of the Good News. Amen.
Elaine Kinchin
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