A Journey in Prayer

This past week, which marked the beginning of the Lenten season, has been one of the most meaningful in my Christian walk. Our church, along with other churches in the community, came together to present “A Journey in Prayer”.

The six day event started with our annual Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. It was attended by several and hungry tummies were filled with delectable pancakes and sausage. It was a precursor to the spiritual satisfaction of the soul we were about to receive throughout the next few days.

A prayer vigil took place from 6 PM Tuesday evening until 6 PM Wednesday evening. The small chapel behind our sanctuary had been converted to a prayer room. There, the worshiper could enter into intimacy with the Lord either through prayer, or reading several versions of the Bible, prayer books or prayer literature, listening to praise CD’s, or quiet meditation. A prayer labyrinth was available at one of the other churches.

A traditional Ash Wednesday evening service was followed by two services on Thursday and Friday evenings when each of two pastors shared their personal prayer journey. Our pastor, Derek Hutchison, has battled a cyst on the brain for most of the past decade. He spoke of his struggle with pain, frustration, despair, and anger as his journey in prayer led him to a place of gratitude and thanksgiving for “one more day”.

Friday evening, the Metehodist pastor shared how a deep hurt she experienced as a child affected her most of her adult life. She spoke of God’s gift of healing and wholeness, discovered through prayer, which led her from “fear to freedom”. Before the close of the Thursday and Friday services, a time of anointing and individual prayer was offered. This was not the norm for the denominations represented, and it was amazing to see how many people were moved by the Holy Spirit to leave their comfort zone and come forward to experience this blessed opportunity.

Thursday and Friday mornings, a Lenten coffee study was held, and then a men’s and women’s breakfast on Saturday morning. Each morning, a guest speaker presented different perspectives of prayer. A taize service was offered on Saturday night.

Sunday morning, our church hosted the other churches as our executive presbyter from Pueblo, Reverend Gary Weaver, spoke on the subject of “the patient prayer”. After the service, he sold and autographed copies of his book, Gentle Words in a Raging Storm: Prayers for All Occasions.

Throughout the week, a praise team regaled parishioners with an inspirational selection of contemporary music that delighted the ear and brought joy to the soul.

The event concluded with a pot luck where a wide variety of delicious foods were enjoyed by all. Members of the community churches feasted together as they shared ways in which the past few days of praise, prayer, and worship had touched their hearts and lives.

Tomorrow, I will share the most inspirational moments I experienced during the prayer event and what I learned about prayer.

Thanks for reading my blog.