Last Sunday's Conversation

*I've moved, and my posts have come with me! Check out my new blog at www.jeffrey-davis.net/blog/*

Prayer is sooo crucial to the life and survival of the Church. Can you imagine what kind of relationships we'd have if we never spent time in conversation with those close to us? One thing is for sure--we probably wouldn't have any one who is close to us. Why is it then that prayer seems to be the thing that we as followers of Jesus neglect most often? How does it get pushed to the side and into the shadows without us (or maybe just me) ever realizing it.

For all these reasons and more, we felt God leading us this past Sunday into a journey of prayer for the entire evening. We began the evening by sharing in the Lord's supper together in a way that we have not done so before. After reading and briefly discussing passages from Mark and 1 Corinthians about this sacrament, we listened to "I Repent", by Derek Webb. This song provided a reflective backdrop as we searched our hearts so that we might confess and repent from any injustice that was harbored there. The song also lists ALOT of sins that I may not necessarily think of normally. Perhaps my favorite line is, "I repent...from our suburbs, where we're safe and white...I've been wrong and of these things I repent...". After reflecting inwardly, we moved to an area where plates filled with sand were stationed. There we wrote into the sand the sins in our lives that God had revealed during reflection, and then wiped them away. After that, we took part of the bread and the cup.

We then moved into a different room where we spent time praying for our community of faith, the Gathering, as a whole. In this place, any who wanted to prayed out loud as the others identified with them. Moving from there we came into Gina's massage parlor where soft music and candles added to the ambiance. Here we sat in silence and wrote out prayers for family, friends, and neighbors. After we were done writing, we spent time reading each others prayers, thanks, and adorations as we prayed over them as well. Moving from there, we came back into the living room where I led us in prayer for the Kingdom of God, as a whole, throughout the entire world.

What an incredible evening spent in the presence of God through silence, music, incense writing, reading, touch, taste, and friendship. How incredibly God moved Shaunna's ( my wife) heart to create these various atmospheres for us to meet with God in prayer.