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Prayer
I would like to talk about
prayer, and where we pray. I was watching a TV program. I was
shocked that in one city, a lot of money was used on who the had
the highest steeple in the town. Was it the Muslims? Was it the
Christians or Jews? The town kept rising their steeple to show
pride or who had the best place of worship. To me this sounded
like a the Babel Tower. It made me laugh at how stupid humans can
be. It made me also sad at the image of God we have. Does he
really care who has the nicest church. The Vatican is one of the
nicest Religious
centers in the world, and is an image for millions of people. But
how many died during this prestige project. How many were fooled
by indulgences. While The Vatican was being built, we have seen
how low a religious
organisation could go. Is this something that God is proud about,
or is it something we are proud of? Lets hope not that the Vatican
or any other church is not because of pride, as pride is one of
the seven deadly sins.
I must admit, when I enter
a church. I feel a special presence and atmosphere.
I honestly do feel the presence
of God. I blame my grandmother for this, It was her that took me
to churches and we always lit candles. The thing that I think
about is this because I was together with my Grandmother? I tried
passing this tradition to my children when they were younger. I do
not think it had the same effect. There is no doubt that we feel
the presence of God in churches, but is this because of the
building or the people in the building?
I remember once that I
tried to get some local scouts to work with a local priest on
making an open air service. It was not Catholic, It was the Church
of Denmark. It took a lot of persuading to even get the event off
the ground, and there were a lot of guidelines. These Open air
services were one of the best religious
experiences I had. The only thing I regret is that I could not sit
with my wife at that stage and my children. She and I both had
responsibilities so we were busy. But the main thing is when we
were praying in the middle of the forest, you could look up at the
sky. You could look at the small flowers swaying in the air. You
could feel the rustle of the trees. It would be a mistake if we
could not feel the presence of God here. The trees acted as
steeples, that could stand higher than any prestige project. I had
no problem with that, as the trees were Gods prestige that he done
himself.
Jesus says, "Where
two or three are gathered in my name." that they can pray.
Has 2,000 years of tradition and practice made us forget this? Do
we have to pray in churches. Is our prayers confined to Bible
reading, meeting in a church, or kneeling besides the bed?
This article is about is
where we pray, and how we pray, and why we pray. To answer this,
we would ask what prayer is. Prayer is another word for
communication. It is us talking with God. It could be giving
praise, or thanking him for something. It could also be saying
what you have experienced today. This is communication.
Do we have to communicate
in a church? No! It is actually rarely that I go to church
anymore. But a while ago, I was walking my dog, and this leaf hit
me straight in the eye. This was once that I wished I was wearing
glasses. While my dog was smelling everything that could be
smelled, I thought back to my school days, when I heard how leaves
fell to spread their seeds. Then the childhood realisation came
back that God was ultra cool and smart when it came to organising
how things worked. I suddenly found myself thanking him for nature
and the work he put in it. This was a prayer. A prayer in the
middle of a field with some trees. I also asked him if he could
make it so that leaves will not blind me in the future. But maybe
this was a wake up call.
Jesus visited Synagogues,
but most of his praying and preaching was done in the open.
Remember when he preached from the sea? He did not need a
cathedral to pray and preach. He did it where he wanted. Why then
are we restricted?
I will be honest. I pray
in the toilet, when I am on my scooter, when I hear bad news about
a friend, when I am worried about my children or their mother.
When I lie in bed and could see the stars out of my window. Not
that that is too often in Denmark.
It is important to
remember that there is a difference between a church (small c) and
Church (capital C). A church is just stones and bricks, built by
man. A Church is the people itself that follows Jesus. Which is
more important, people or bricks. We as a Church do not have to
pray in a church. We can pray where we want and when we want, even
though it is in nature, which is God's temple.
So next time you are in a traffic
jam, try to communicate (pray), Maybe another person behind you is
doing the same.
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