Prayer

"Prayer is acknowledging that we are always in the presence of God." -Desmond Tutu

Bishop Tutu's reflection is simple and yet deeply thought-provoking. As we began our consideration of prayer, group members shared understandings and experiences. here are some of the notes:

The experience of prayer involves:

--getting in touch with inner conflict

--Having a conversation with God

--Listening

--Seeking Guidance

--Discerning Direction

--Release (innermost thoughts, "confession," honest communication, expression)

--God's careful listening

--Authenticity (Prayer is not a performance)

--Making space; having space made for possibility

--Sense of deliverance

--No grasping

--Getting better acquainted with self

--awe and gratitude

We gave initial consideration to two texts:

"In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place and there he prayed." --Mark 1:35

We noted that in Mark 1 Jesus has spent much of the night healing people and attending to their needs. Early in the morning he goes out to a "desert-ed" place to pray. We are reminded of his time in the desert wilderness, a time of clarification and discernment. When his disciples come, complaining ("Where have you been? Everybody in Capernaum is looking for you!) Jesus instead tells them they will be moving on to other towns. He has come to proclaim the good news of God's love to everyone--this is his primary mission. The time of prayer has recentered him in the will of God.

"He was in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of the disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray . . ."--Luke 11:1

What follows is the prayer we call "The Lord's Prayer." We will consider its substance further.