7th Day Prayer Lunch
his blurry photograph is the latest example of my “every picture tells a story” credo. So, yes, I admit to pulling out my iPhone and “snapping” a quick photo-op during a mid-day prayer service down at the Presbyterian Church of Bloomingdale.
Every month, on the 7th day (unless it’s a Sunday), the Presbytery of Tampa Bay offers a noon-1:30 prayer gathering at rotating locations throughout the region.
REFRESHMENT: What’s super-cool about this is the idea of pausing, gathering, and receiving refreshment from God and from one-another. The 7th day, of course, is God’s traditional pause in the ongoing act of creation, and it’s been the template for the sacred rhythm of life ever since.
Francis of Assisi
One part of yesterday’s service – as you can see from the photo (above) – involved moving over to the aisle to view a half-dozen mounted photographs, each with a classic prayer/meditation on a card we could take with us. So we walked, contemplatively, looking at inspirational images and reading the words of saints such as Mother Teresa, Francis of Assisi,Reinhold Niebuhr and more.
PRAYER: The point of the monthly event is to stay connected with other Presbyterian leaders, to pray for the ministry of the 70-plus churches, and to encourage one another in an approach to life and faith that incorporates this kind of pause that refreshes as a regular discipline.
JUST DO IT! So I’ll conclude today’s short post with this encouragement to pause with intention, and to allow God to refresh your faith and your life sometime around the noon hour.
Today, try the following for at least 15-minutes (rather than one of the “drive-by” prayer experiences we all tend to limit ourselves to more typically).
  1. Find a quiet(ish) space.
  2. Ask God to enter your present experience.
  3. Read this short verse of scripture – “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:10-11)
  4. Meditate (let your thoughts settle on and around the words in the scripture) for around five minutes.
  5. Hum a verse or two of a favorite hymn.
  6. Close your time by thanking God for refreshing you.
  7. Go on your way rejoicing…
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.