Just Shut Up for Lent

Scripture is full of prayers. Psalms, the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus’ prayer in the garden, Paul praying for the early church – these are all wonderful models of praying, of talking with God. But one prayer we often overlook is the prayer of Samuel.

That’s right, the prayer of Samuel, the boy in the temple who couldn’t even recognize God’s voice calling in the night. But eventually, with the help of Eli, Samuel heard God’s call and responded with a six word prayer of his own:

“Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

Speak, for your servant is listening. I’ll admit, I can’t remember the last time I began to pray to God with words like these. Most of my prayers begin with empty promises, effusive praise, or supplications that are best described as the begging of a petulant child. When I pray, I am quick to speak, and slow to listen.

But what if we spent less time talking and more time listening when we pray? What if our only prayer was, like Samuel's, an invitation for God to speak? I suspect such a practice would remind us who is really in control (hint: it’s not us!). It would also be an act of faith, a living out of our belief that God can still speak to us. And in that holy silence, if we actually shut up long enough, we might hear the voice of God.

Of course, we may not really want to hear God’s voice, and that is why we so often fill the silence with narcissistic ramblings. If we let God speak, what will God say? As long as we are talking, we have the security of controlling the conversation.

As Lent begins, we are choosing to discipline ourselves for the next 40 days. If you want to give something up, give up talking so much when you pray. If you want to take something on, take on the discipline of holy silence. As we pray, God just might have something to tell us. But we’ll never know unless we shut up long enough to let God talk.

Keeping things in Perspective

This is my prayer as we Christians who happen to be Steeler fans gather for worship this morning:

Almighty God, we greet you this morning with football games and parties on our mind. As Western Pennsylvanians, we are at the height of Steeler fever today. But we know better than to make that the focus of this day. We know that a silly football game is far less important than taking the time to worship you. And so we gather in your house to worship you and you alone. Help us to set aside the concerns of this world, to ignore the temptation to worship false idols, so that we are completely focused on you today. Center us, O God. Bring our wills into accordance with your will as we seek to live and worship you this hour. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns in us, Amen.

An Inauguration Day Prayer

I wrote this prayer last week and included it in our prayers during worship. I thought I'd share it here as a prayer that we all can pray on this historic day.

This week, O Lord, is an eventful week. It is a week in which we are thankful for the leaders which you provide. We thank you for the prophetic life of Martin Luther King, Jr. We celebrate the progress he made toward racial harmony and reconciliation in this country, and we pray that you would help us remember his work always as we continue that march which is still far from complete.

We celebrate a change in presidents this week, O God. The inauguration gives us a chance to offer prayers of thanksgiving for President George W. Bush and his administration as it comes to a close. We thank you for his willingness to lead our country for the last eight years, in the midst of the conflict, controversy, and mistakes that often come with the position.

And we also offer prayers of thanksgiving for the new leader that has risen among us. We are thankful for Barack Obama’s willingness to lead. We thank you for the gifts you have given him, and we pray that you may guide him and his administration faithfully into a new era. We pray that this new administration may seek policies and objectives that will be beneficial not just to our own country, but beneficial to the whole world, including all your children who share your Creation with us. No matter our political, social, economic, or religious leanings, may we all come together in support and celebration of the leaders of our nation, both past and present. Guide us and protect us all as we step boldly into a future filled with hope. Amen.