brother roger of taize will invite you to come to prayers. the "hip" service at the big church, advertised on a flyer in-front of the urinal at one of my favorite bar/restaurants, invites me to a worship service. hmmmm... i had a conversation some months ago with my clowns asking the question, "is a worship service really just prayer?" i always liked the thought of inviting people to prayers, and i certainly am not a fan of many of the corporate worship services i get invited to (the latest is a new church called "the edge"). this conversation reconnected with my thinking researching music for an upcoming service our youth praise band will be leading. maybe you know this one..
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care, And bids me at my Father’s throne Make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief And oft escaped the tempter’s snare By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
this hymn written in, i think, the 1860's calls us into prayer.. is this an prayer service? i like what this hour of prayer calls me into a presence of God where i sort out the happenings & longing of my life.
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! The joys I feel, the bliss I share, Of those whose anxious spirits burn With strong desires for thy return! With such I hasten to the place Where God my Savior shows His face, And gladly take my station there, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
how wonderful & scary to think that i come face to face with my Lord and Savior.
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! Thy wings shall my petition bear To Him whose truth and faithfulness Engage the waiting soul to bless. And since He bids me seek His face, Believe His Word and trust His grace, I’ll cast on Him my every care, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
i find comfort in the presence of my God in this prayer. in my weekly worship i tend to be bored, or look at the cool powerpoint and say "that's cool."
i don't think that a worship service really is prayer. but a worship service could really be a prayer, much like our lives are lived as a continuous prayer. will our churches be able to make shift to leave behind the worship service and pray. i really wonder what would happen if our churches embraced an invitation to prayer instead of a worship service. would we be saying things like; come to prayers and "encounter God," or come to our worship service, "it's pretty cool."
