Often I like to surprise people in church, by introducing a new prayer or song on the spot. I usually don’t give advance notice of what might be different from “normal” – although normal, at MPC, certainly covers a wide range! If you ask any Youth Group member, they know the answer to “what are we doing next week?” is nearly always “a surprise.” Even one hour in advance, the answer is the same. My philosophy is that too many details get in the way of the choice of whether to attend. I wouldn’t want anyone to pick and choose, only attending on days when we are due to play the favorite game Romans & Christians, or skipping the days when we have a service project to work on together. We are a community gathering, not a concert or lecture series, and so the choice to attend is more central than whether or not we like the specific program. Likewise for the adults, I wouldn’t want anyone to pick and choose church services ahead of time based on what genre of music will be played, what method we use for “prayers of the people,” or even who is preaching (spoiler alert: this week, it’s me).
This week we will try a new style of prayer, however, and I want to give a heads-up even if it may spoil the surprise. Instead of the regular “Time With Children,” we will have a designated time for “Prayers With Children.” The Child & Youth Education committee thought of this because the Prayers of the People are always held during a time when the children are not present, and we would like to give them a chance. During the Prayers With Children, the microphone will be limited to children and those adults they may choose to bring with them. If the children are all feeling shy we can spend some time in silent prayer, which is OK too. The focus is on making space for the children to speak their prayers, and for the adults to hear them and pray with them. Thank-you prayers may be the easiest – God, thank you for the fun day last week when we didn’t have school – or help-please prayers – God, please help my cat who is sick.
If these seem to be small prayers, try to remember what it was like to be small yourself. Can you remember what it was like when a day off from school was a joyful eternity, or when a disciplinary “time-out” felt like doing jail time? Recently when I asked someone if they were interested in volunteering with the youth, this person replied “but I have no experience with kids!” While spending time with young people can indeed be a good way to increase your confidence and feel at ease, the truth is that the best volunteers are simply those who are in touch with their own memories. All of us over the age of 18 have the single strongest qualification: we were there, and we survived. Can you remember what it was like for you to be a child? A teenager? Do you remember your first prayers? Do you remember your angstiest prayers in the difficult years of adolescence? Take a moment if you will, and recall what those might have been. I am looking forward to this new way of praying together. I hope and pray it will be helpful for all of us, young and old alike.
Every Blessing,
Talitha