Let Us Pray
“I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.” -C. S. Lewis
More and more in my life and ministry I have come to view prayer as not so much something that I do at specific times, but as relationship with God in all aspects of my life. To be a person of prayer means living a life of being close to God, of being drawn into intimate union with God. The challenge, of course, is to take the closeness to God that I experience in prayer and worship and live my whole life in this reality. Even though I start my day in quietness and prayer, life intervenes. I’m met by an aggressive, tail-gating driver on my way to work. There are pressing deadlines to meet, or a challenging pastoral concern to address. It’s not easy staying close to God! While my morning begins with peace and quietness, it doesn’t take long for it all to disappear.
But what I find most helpful in maintaining my being ever conscious of God in my life is the practice of meditation or centering prayer. This form of prayer is the exploration of the still center within each of us, the place of being in God’s presence, in wordless waiting, and of experiencing the peace that passes all understanding. It is this daily practice that changes me, guards, and guides me through the challenges and changes of life.
Beginning on October 9, we will begin offering a Contemplative Morning Prayer service on Wednesdays at 8:15 AM in the chapel. It is our hope that these Wednesday morning gatherings will provide an opportunity to pause from our activity and busyness and reground our hearts in God. I look forward to seeing you. Come and be changed. Peter