Monday, April 4, 2011

Phrases, Prayers,

One Sunday as the opening prayer was offered, the worship leader prayed that our words would be a “fragrant offering” to God. I smiled internally. You see, she and I have had previous conversations about ‘praying the scripture’. I thought of the phrase and how it reminded me of so many scriptures.  In Ephesians (5:2 ..and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma),  in II Cor. 2:14 (the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place NASB)and 15 (For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ…NIV). And I was reminded of Rev. 8:4. It mentions that the prayers of the people are offered to God on the altar with much incense and of course, incense is a pleasing aroma and a fragrant offering.

Later as we sang, I wondered if others also were familiar with those verses and were encouraged as I was, in hearing them, even fragments of scripture, included in prayer.

When our pastor prayed ‘traveling mercies’ for those who are on Spring Break, I was reminded of a prayer I voiced several years ago. I was serving as a missionary, teaching at a small college in Kenya. My neighbor was a Peace Corps Volunteer. Because we (in a duplex) had cold running water most times, electricity when it didn’t rain and a gas cooker, other PCV often came to her home for R&R. I had a bit more discretionary income so I would invite them to my apartment for a meal. Many of these young, American  PCVs were not Christians and had not been brought up around “Christian lingo”. Lonie would give them a quick etiquette lesson before they came next door for the simple but American meal of hamburgers, baked beans and chips---a veritable feast after months of sucumawiki and ugali (greens and grits). They were to wait until Patricia had prayed before they began eating. A very simple lesson but one that was new to them.

One particular evening, before I asked God’s blessing on the food and our visit, I thanked Him for “traveling mercies” for these PCVers had traveled by the notorious matatus to get to our village. After the prayer, one gal asked blithely, “so do you read Anne LaMott?” I do but wondered where that question came from. “Oh, she wrote ‘Traveling Mercies’ and I wondered if that is where you got the phrase that you said in your prayer.

How interesting our table conversation became. I was able to explain that all good things come from God and that gratefulness for His care should be expressed. She wondered at what she called naiveness and I call faith but was respectful.

In our Sunday service, I was reminded of that evening meal. I was blessed by hearing bits of scripture in prayer and reminded that Christians do have a different language…one that can lead to opportunities to share about the goodness of God.