Friday, October 22, 2021
Nehemiah 1:1-11

Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant…

I wept when my voice joined the chorus of the congregation praying the Lord’s Prayer together for the first time after the return to in person worship. And when I say I wept, I mean I sobbed those big wet tears that don’t actually allow any words to be spoken out of my mouth. So, I just listened. I listened to the words I had heard a million times and yet they were brand new that day, bursting with emotion and Spirit-filled passion.

Do you want to know a secret?

Many pastors write down the Lord’s Prayer when we are in charge of leading it because we often forget the words when we try to do it from memory. It’s true. But you know what’s funny? I’ve never had trouble remembering the words when I was just sitting in the congregation, joining my voice with the chorus. The thing about faith, church, or spirituality, is that it was never meant to be a solo activity. It was always meant to be done in community, out loud, together, and beautifully messy. I invite you to join the chorus of the congregation in prayer this weekend. What do you hear?

Holy One, thank you for letting my voice join the chorus of this congregation. May I hear a word from the Spirit. Amen