BOGO Prayer

                                

Geri Cox, Pastor Charles Daly, and me 

For this purpose of this blog, I just dove into my overstuffed Gmail account and searched on my girlfriend Geri Cox's email address. I found 1,727 emails between us reaching back to 2014. In our defense, we are sometimes on the same distribution list so that ratchets up the number but, still.  

I met Geri for the first time in 2014 when Mom and I attended Resurrection United Methodist Church on a quest to find a handicapped accessible UMC. She was the first person to greet us. The two of us eventally got yoked together to do a sermon as she was the Lay Leader at the time and I was a Certified Lay Minister. We became fast friends and she grew to be like a daughter to my Mom, helping with her care and offering my husband and I respite. God is a powerful matchmaker. Geri calls us BUY ONE GET ONE (BOGO) because when one of us shows up for a church or an act of service, the other one is sure to be around. (Go two by two, the Bible says. We take that literally!) 

In time, Geri also became a Certified Lay Minister and both of us worked together on different acts of service, but eventually fulfilling the call to care for Mary Frances. Now that Mom is kicked back reading and eating chocolate with the Saints, the time has come for us to discern our next calling. 

It was placed on Geri's heart that she nuture the prayer ministry at our church (which joined with Calvary UMC to become Elizabeth Street UMC.)  She has a number of ideas about how to make that happen but I wanted to share with you one thing we have now adopted at our church. 

As followers of Christ, we know prayer is an essential part of a faith-based life. Some of us start our day with prayers, others end it with prayer, some do both. Some folks keep prayer journals and stay very organized about who and what they are praying for. (An interesting practice that gives you a chance to really pay attention to how God works!) We have been calmed by our prayers, strengthened by our prayers, and healed by our prayers. It is an essential, beautiful, fulfilling, nuturing and meditative part of our lives. 

But I challenge you to take it one step further. 

Intersessory Prayer. That is praying on behalf of others. We all likely do it through our personal prayers, but I encourage you to approach it differently. Prayer WITH those you are PRAYING FOR. 

My sister was a member of the Church of the Later Day Saints. One ordinance they observe is the Blessing of the Sick in which members of their Priesthood visit, annoint, lay hands on their sick/suffering member and offer a prayer. Her church leadership stayed loyal to her during her many times of illness and the impact it made on spirit was always visible. It created a holy moment for her, her Brethern, and God. Their Blessings were blessings. I have seen firsthand what a powerful gift intessory prayer can be. 

When Geri roped me in  invited me to join her in offering intercessory prayer during our worship service, I happily agreed. And now when we attend worship,  during collection, she takes one corner of the altar and I take the other. Attendees are invited to join us for a personal prayer if they feel led. 

Geri and I compared notes yesterday on our experience.We are so deeply moved when asked to join with a Brother or Sister in prayer. The act of praying creates a holy and sacred space, a space of safety, for those requesting a petition to God. And we, as the ones offering the prayers. feel a sense of humility that we are entrusted to be a vessel for their prayers. We truly feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and are grateful to serve by offering solace and hope as we pray on their behalf. 

Mom taught Sunday School for 50 years and she always said that she got the most and learned the most out of preparing her lesson. And so it is with intercessory prayer. It is done for the love and faith of our church family, but also nutures our own understanding of God. 

So I encourage you to try iintercessory prayer. Instead of saying "I'll pray for you" say "Let's prayer together!" All you need is to bow your heads and God will do the rest leading you so that you can lead the prayer. Think outside the box. Pray over your preacher, your worried friend, your surgeon. Pray with young mothers, and caregivers, and relatives. Pray over meals. Anywhere two or more are gathered, just pray! I promise, you won't be sorry!

And I'm grateful God doesn't email. If I have that many emails in my inbox from Geri alone, imagine what His inbox would look like!