Monthly Message (December 2009) - Growing in Prayer

Dear Friends,

With the dawn of Advent, four Sundays before Christmas, the Christian Calendar of ideas for reflection and readings in worship, reaches its turning point, its ‘new year’. Advent marks the time of waiting for the coming of God in Jesus ... the longing for the beginning of the Jesus story, which builds to the celebrations of his birth at Christmas. Waiting, longing, hoping, looking deeply and carefully for the signs of God’s future breaking in to our lives and the life of the world.

At Trinity-Henleaze URC we are taking part in the “Vision 4 Life” programme. A three year project of the United Reformed Church, Vision4Life is about calling us all to explore and enjoy more deeply the fundamental building blocks of our Christian faith, for the refreshing and renewing of our faith and the life of the Church.

Advent this year is the beginning of the Vision4Life Prayer Year - when we are called to think about, practice and tend to our prayer life both as a church and as individuals.

Prayer is a funny old thing! Someone, with great wisdom, once said, “There are as many ways of praying as there are people who pray.” It is a deeply personal and private thing - and the ways in which we try to reach from the heart and soul of who we are towards God, will be many. But the problem, often admitted, is that many of us somehow don’t feel that we get it right! ... whatever ‘right’ may mean... and yet, unable to believe that it can be difficult, we rarely let anyone else into our questions and struggles with praying.

In this Prayer Year, I hope that we will find ways of accompanying one another in growing our prayer lives both for ourselves and for the life of our church. The Elders have already started to talk about us holding prayer breakfasts, prayer walks, and looking at what the Bible has to teach us about praying, and exploring different styles and traditions of prayer. This conversation will continue at the Church meeting where we’ll plan our Prayer Year together.

We already have a healthy Friday Morning Prayer meeting where, with readings, stories and thoughts shared by the people who come along, we pray for people we know, situations we’re concerned about and for the life of the Church. This gathering for Prayers is open to all, at 10:30 am on a Friday, and is alongside the coffee morning that runs from 10 until around 11:45 am. You would be welcome to come along and share in prayer here whenever you are able.

So, new opportunities ahead .... but meanwhile, as Advent dawns and we wait, hopefully, for the presence of God in the birth of the Christ child at Christmas .... maybe we can all pray, opening our hearts and minds and souls to hear the God who comes to us, works among us, and longs for peace and healing on earth.

Wishing you all the peace and hope of God with us this Christmas,

Yours,

Tracey.