On Public Prayer
One of my anxieties as a beginning pastor was praying publicly. I remember as a freshly minted minister being asked to say the prayer at the potluck for my first installation.
The pressure was on. My wife was present, mom and dad too. Area clergy, veterans of many a potluck prayer, stood waiting to hear what kind of fella the Seminary was producing these days—would he get all the words right? And the eager faces of the members, heads reverently bowed, betrayed a hopeful prayer of their own that they were getting a good one.
A lot was riding on that first prayer. Lots were listening. Great pressure to get it right for all the assembled!
Then it occurred to me: I wasn’t talking to them. There was a point of clarity in my mind that first day of ministry that has seldom been equaled since: public prayer, public as it is, is not a performance. Oz Guinness in his book “The Call” reminds us that our audience is One.
When you pray publicly, remember that you are praying for the people not to them. The thing that matters is bringing issues before God. It is great that the people are joining their hearts with your words, but the connecting with God is what really matters. This is what leads toward significance in public prayer.
Do not use public prayer to teach your people. Do not hope that they “get the message” from what you are praying. Sometimes pastors are tempted to “re-preach” the sermon during the Prayer of the Church. Don’t give into that temptation. It is fair to pray about what you preached; just keep in mind that you are addressing God for the people not making one last ditch effort to get your point across to the people.
Do use public prayer to teach your people. Kids learn to talk by listening to parents and siblings talk to one anther. Parishioners can learn to pray by listening to their pastor talk to God on their behalf. The teaching that you do in the act of public prayer is by example not as a sermon recap. Your people will learn to pray for the president if you do. Your people will learn to pray for the work of the Church beyond your congregation if you do. Your people will learn to pray for people in need if you do. This is where lex orandi, lex crendendi applies.
When you pray publicly, you have two options. You can pray a pre-written prayer, one written by you or someone else, or you can make up a prayer on the spot.
Praying “on the spot” is often misidentified as an “ex corde” prayer, one from the heart. That is erroneous. A prayer made up on the spot is not ex corde it is extemporaneous, one for that time.
Here’s the point: every prayer you pray on behalf of the people should be ex corde, whether it is an ancient prayer handed down through the centuries for the church or whether it is one you are making up as you go. If you are not praying from the heart, keep the prayer to yourself. (Technically, you do!)
One more thing: this is a good time to remember that your people are body and spirit. Watch that the length of your public prayers takes into account how long your people can kneel or stand during a service, and how long they can withstand the wafting aroma of the church potluck!