July 2019: Come Holy Spirit

Our pattern of prayer in the Episcopal Church is one that shapes us for empathy and action.  It is a pattern of prayer that helps us balance an inward focus with an outward focus, and trains us to notice and respond to the needs of others.  

It is normal (and healthy) for a child's prayers to begin with those closest to them--family members, pets, best friends.  The Book of Common Prayer offers us a pattern of prayer that can help people of all ages build a habit for praying, not only for those who are near to us, but for the whole world.  

The Prayer Book instructs us to include at every Eucharist, our prayers for:

• The Universal Church, its members, and its mission (The Church)
• The Nation and all in authority (Our Country and Leaders)
• The welfare of the world (The Whole World, including all people, animals, and the environment)
• The concerns of the local community (Those Near to Us, including our city, our neighbors, our church, our school, our family) 
• Those who suffer and those in any trouble (The Suffering)
• The departed (Those who have died) 

For Children's Chapel at St. Mark's, we've set aside 6 small jars with visual prompts to remind us to offer prayers not only for ourselves, but for people, places, and things in each of these 6 categories.  When a child offers a prayer, they are invited to place a small jewel or pebble in the appropriate jar.  (I've made several extra copies of the visual prompts, in case you'd like to replicate this practice at home.)  

On July 28th, the children will lead the Prayers of the People during Sunday Worship at St. Mark's.  They will also lead the whole congregation in a sung response to the prayers: "Come Holy Spirit" by John Bell.

Come Holy Spirit (Come Holy Spirit)
Come Holy Spirit (Come Holy Spirit)
*Maranatha! (Maranatha!)
Come, Lord Come. (Come, Lord Come.) 

* Note: "Maranatha" is an Aramaic word meaning "O Lord, Come!"  

In the face of the needs of the world and the needs in our own lives, we don't need to tell God what to do.  God doesn't need our instructions or advice.  We just need to call on God--the source of all love, all life, all light; the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all things-- to draw near and dwell with us in the midst of all our pain, our suffering, our uncertainty, our need, our fear, our hope; and to grant us the strength, wisdom, and inspiration to respond with faith and courage to the needs of the world.