Dear People of Faith,
While in college in 1986, I had a experience where I came to understand my relationship with Jesus a little better. Some traditions call this experience a “born again” experience; I would say that Christians are “born again” every time we repent and return to God. I was living in Mid-West (Southern Missiouri / Ozarks) region of the Bible belt and spent time talking to a trusted pastor and friend at the time. He recommended that I keep a prayer journal. Maybe you have done this too. It’s the writing down of prayer requests and then when they are answered, you again write about how the prayer was answered. This practice helped me keep Jesus at the forefront of my new found relationship with God’s Son, my Companion.
A few days ago, I was informed of a different tack on the same idea of creating a prayer journal. This activity was done in a preacher’s congregation (so not my idea) to illustrate the impact of Jesus in our individual lives and as a corporate body of worship. A single colored pebble symbolic of the prayer is offered to the Divine and is placed in a glass container once the prayer has been answered. The idea is to carry that polished pebble in your pocket similar to a Twelve Step sobriety coin so that you can be reminded to pray.
This spiritual practice is scripturally sound, for the Apostle Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” For a moment in the day, it is a pause to reflect and to pray and to maintain a continuous attitude of prayer and connection with God throughout their daily lives.
This prayerful practice go me to thinking. What if there was a glass container placed on or near the altar and we (our membership) take a colored pebble on Sunday and pray for a week, or two or more, till that prayer is answered. When it is answered, it is placed in the container.
This Sunday you will find a glass container filled with colored pebbles on the ledge by the sliding glass window looking into the office as you walk into the church. Take a pebble and when your prayer is answered, leave that pebble in the glass container near the offering basket so it can be brought forward each week with thanksgiving.
Take a pebble and leave a pebble – let us see the answered prayers accumulate as Jesus and our Lord God Almighty answers our prayers.
Blessings,
Rev. Anne