Pray Without Ceasing at Shepherd of the Hills in Minnesota
Photo by Steve Adams on Unsplash
Here at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church of Edina, Minnesota, we were early adopters of the Pray Without Ceasing (PWC) ministry opportunity. As an African-American pastor who grew up going to weekly “prayer meetings,” it felt very natural to invite my congregation into a practice that meant so much to me growing up. Recently, I interviewed four members of my congregation about their PWC experiences.
When we began PWC, we selected a time when prayerful, faithful folks were already in the building. As such, we chose to meet immediately following our Wednesday morning Bible Study. When I suggested PWC from 11-11:30am, some shared that praying for thirty whole minutes seemed like a very large hill to climb. Folks were nervous, asking, “What will we do for thirty minutes? Will there be awkward silence? Is this even Lutheran?”
Despite the legitimate concerns of some, we bravely faced the unknown. We worked hard to create safe(r) spaces for one another. We were thankful for the weekly PWC liturgies that gave us a place to start with prayers, songs, and scriptures. It felt less daunting to know that someone else had already provided us a foundation upon which to base our prayer ministries together.
Another challenge that we faced was that many in my congregation grew up in a culture where it was not okay to share pain, sorrow, or hardship of any kind. One member, Karen Vevle, stated, “Coming up you never talked about any kind of trouble. We were expected to stuff it” and put on a happy face. Furthermore, many of us learned as youngins that prayer is too personal and private to do collectively with others. Could we overcome these life lessons and learn to pray publicly and together?
As we gathered in the sanctuary each week, we experienced something beautiful. Member Virgil Peterson said, “Coming into the sanctuary lets us set aside time for prayer when the television is not blaring.” We have learned that PWC gives us space to breathe deeply. We experience the joy of sheer silence in the presence of God. We lift our voices singing Christian-Lutheran hymns that stay in our hearts all week. We carry our Bibles and “special prayer lists” into this communal time of prayer, intentionally and deliberately making space to not only pray for ourselves, but also for others. And as one of our members, Dick Schulze, declared, We have become “confident that God is listening!”
Together, we have encountered the spirit of the living God! We are emboldened by the words found at the top of the PWC liturgy: “God’s word, proclaimed and reflected upon, and the prayer it calls forth from those gathered, are the heart of this service. The Holy Spirit, who knows our needs, prays with and through us, and when we have no words, for us.”
Member Sharon Peterson said, “It’s been a special experience to pray together.” As we reflected on our PWC experiences, we recognized that God was growing us spiritually. One of the things we quickly concluded was that our hearts were being expanded and that the things that grieve God were beginning to grieve us too.
Praying together is transforming my congregation. We are less ashamed to admit when we are struggling with something or suffering hardship. We are learning to rally around one another when a job is lost or food is scarce. We are quick to offer a prayer and then an action meant to extend comfort and succor to a person in their time of need.
It was no longer enough to wring our hands as we watched our televisions, despairing of the sinfulness and pain occurring in our world. Hebrews 4:12 says, “Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (NRSVue).”
We were beginning to discern that the intentions of our hearts were to lift our neighbors close to home, and around the world, in prayer. Karen Vevle said that PWC helps us to realize “there are a multitude of needs in our world. We need to step up to the plate and do what we can and praying is a big thing that we can do!” Our vision for our ministry was enlarged as we prayed for: peace in regions experiencing conflict; swift and accessible aid to those suffering starvation in Gaza; those affected by gun violence; those experiencing natural disasters and so much more!
We are finding that it is our greatest honor to call the names of family, friends, loved ones, politicians, and others who are suffering physical or mental illness, lack of employment or underemployment, food scarcity and the like. We are learning to count our own blessings and to allow our prayers to be not only for ourselves, but for others!
And, guess what? The authenticity and transparency with which we approached God and each other in our small PWC group has spilled over into our Sunday morning worship services as well! When I began pastoring this church two years ago, silence reigned supreme during the Prayers of the People when I said, “Here other intercessions can be named silently or aloud.” Today, when this same statement is made, prayers are shouted from the balcony, and the floor, as congregants and visitors boldly and publicly pray for family, friends, and neighbors at home and around the world.
Praying together is transforming my congregation. We are less ashamed to admit when we are struggling with something or suffering hardship. We are learning to rally around one another when a job is lost or food is scarce. We are quick to offer a prayer and then an action meant to extend comfort and succor to a person in their time of need.
Additionally, we are being given God’s eyes for the neighborhood. When we leave the four walls of our sanctuary on Sunday morning, we are aware of the call to pray with our feet! We know that we are being sent by God to live out our baptismal promises in the neighborhood and to work for justice and peace in all the earth!
None of this is possible without the power of prayer. That is why we are so committed to praying without ceasing!
