A silence in which another voice may speak…. which suggests that prayer might be understood more as an act of listening, not necessarily requiring a lot of speaking on our part. What if prayer is the movement that takes us into a stillness of being, where our internal clamouring is quieted? The needs and neuroses, the distractions and daydreams, the fears and worries and the long list of things to do… what if these were surrendered into a holy silence where we became alert, open and even vulnerable; where another voice might speak and be heard? Some might call it intuition, deep wisdom; or that which is of God arising from within. I would suggest that perhaps it is the time when we are connected with Holiness, which, yes, lies within us, but also comes from beyond us. Prayer creates the space and the time when we can listen carefully, thoughtfully, waiting, still… and then, almost like a deer cautiously stepping out of the woods and into the meadows, God comes to us – is glimpsed, felt, experienced and heard. Perhaps like sunflowers turning to the sun, shifting, tilting, aligning, prayer is our way of turning towards Holiness, aligning ourselves so that we might receive the outpouring of Divine Energy.

There are many techniques and practices; read any book on Christian prayer, and you will find descriptions of Christian meditation, Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, Taize worship, walking the Labyrinth, and often this comes with the suggestion of how a Spiritual Friend or Director might help one to discern and interpret the holy whispers.

I wonder if it is in this space and out of this centredness that we are most able to speak the truth of our hearts… our fear and guilt; our pain and brokenness; our dis-ease and anxiety, feeling lost and meaningless; our grief and sickness of body and heart. Maybe out of the silence we can be honest about what is really happening in our lives… and we can seek, ask, and knock on the door…trusting that there will be a word for us…. Maybe a word of forgiveness and reassurance; of acceptance and love, of direction and purpose; of comfort and healing… seeking we shall find; asking, and it shall be given, knocking, and the door will be opened.

Perhaps we will discover that prayer changes us.

Let’s take another moment of silence… let your heart be quieted; and then out of this stillness let the questions of your heart be silently spoken; and listen…. maybe this will be a silence in which another voice might speak. ………………………………………………………………………………..

Prayer can change us; I know this to be true. But often, there is another question floating in our hearts – does prayer change God? That is, all those prayers of concern that we offer up every Sunday – God help the sick, the troubled, the hungry and the homeless, with that long list of hurting individuals, often including ourselves – do they accomplish anything? Prayers of supplication and intercession we call them, the “please help” prayers -- are they only a source of comfort for ourselves? Or perhaps a means of inspiring us into action, to be the change that we pray for? -- like the little girl who was convinced that her prayers to God to protect little animals from her brother’s traps would be answered, and when challenged by her brother, simply smiled and said, “Well, I decided to help God, and I kicked all those traps and made sure that everything would be safe.”

I remember some years ago that one of my daughters needed a break from family, a little space and freedom, and so instead of heading off to university, with scholarship assistance, she decided, instead, to take off and see the world. Well, I was worried, but felt somewhat reassured when we had all decided that she would travel to Israel and join a kibbutz, one that was particularly receptive to North Americans, where she would have a chance to learn Hebrew – that felt like a relatively safe adventure. Well, she lasted about four months, but then was hungry for more challenge. In due time I received a post card that simply said, “Am floating down the Nile in a felucca with my skin-head South African boyfriend. Lots of love.”

Well, I called my Mum… “Help!” Well, my Mum has a lot of wisdom, and she talked about some of my youthful adventures, and how she had worried. And she told me about how she had prayed for me… not for specific outcomes; no, she said, “I simply held you up to God. That was all I could do.” And then she turned the conversation back to me: “Do you believe that God is active in your life?” “Well, yes, sure.” “Do you believe that God is active in your daughter’s life?” “Well, most of the time… but sometimes I think my worry helps God pay more attention.” “Maybe all you can do is pray for her – and simply hold her up to God; give up on your worry, because it’s not going to accomplish anything any way. Maybe all you can is lift her up into God’s love and care.”

Well, I did; at least, I tried. A lot. And some days it felt okay. It helped not being obsessed with specifics… “Dear God let her dump the skinhead boyfriend; don’t let the felucca tip over; don’t let her get hepatitis” Well, some nights I had a very long list. But it felt a lot like “magic prayer”. Because I don’t believe that God acts like Superman, occasionally zapping into dire situations to provide rescue and succor. That’s simply not how the world works, at least in my experience. Natural law seems to go rolling on; and far too much pain and suffering continues to occur despite faithful prayer.

And yet, I keep on praying for other people. And it feels important. I have read some of the studies about people in hospital who have been prayed for, where they are compared to those who have not been prayed for. And it would appear that those who are being prayed for heal more quickly – even when they don’t know they are being prayed for. Are there things I don’t understand about the way the world works? Sure! Do mental activities like prayer have power? Perhaps.

Theologian John Shelby Spong, noted for his deconstruction of traditional Christian thinking, wonders whether prayer releases energy into the world, and that in small, infinitesimal ways it will have an effect. Maybe.

I wonder what happens to the way we approach intercessory prayer if we have a different understanding of God’s power? What if God’s ability to “act” is limited by the very nature of being? There is a radical freedom that is inherent in creation… not just in human beings, but in all being. What if God doesn’t have a monopoly on power, but must deal with this freedom, so that God’s will can in fact be thwarted by the “recalcitrance of actualities, person or cancer cells…” ? (from “On Providence and Prayer” by Jack Keller)

God’s power is never coercive; can’t be. It is, instead, persuasive, offering possibilities, hope, luring all creation into a holy dream, the best possibility that can emerge from the reality of past choices. Prayer then becomes an offering of our freedom, (“not my will but thine”) so that we are joining forces with God, not reversing divine direction, but cooperating with it. (more from Keller’s article)

Now here’s an idea that sustains me: “God’s power is not irresistible in the short run, but is inexhaustible in the long run. God’s steadfast love endures forever.” That resonates, makes sense, and offers hope and comfort. When I light a candle and offer a prayer… for my daughter, for this congregation, for peace… I am aligning my energies with God’s passion. I am responding to the vision that God is offering, and I am contributing my power, both physical and mental, so that this Holy Will might come to pass.

When this service ends, I invite you, if you wish, to come forward and light a candle, and offer a prayer. Perhaps a word of thanksgiving; maybe a moment of silence when the cry of your heart is lifted up, a moment of seeking and asking, when the doors of grace might open and you will be filled with all the fullness of God; or possibly a prayer for others, when you offer up your energy on behalf of someone else, and join your being with creative love of God.