Lord, Help us not to talk too much
by Elsa Marshall
In youth ministry it is important to leave room for listening and prayer. Youth today have busy and active lives, fully stimulated by a culture of computers, text messaging, cell phones, blackberries, virtual on-line lives, MTV and every other form of media. One of the gifts that youth ministry can offer our young people is a space for quiet, a space for listening, a space for conversations with each other and with God. Many of our youth have no other place in their lives where praying is part of their life and the way they live it.
Helping prayer to be “written upon their hearts” is a great gift. Dallas Willard writes, “Prayer is, above all, a means of forming character. It combines freedom and power with service and love.” Through prayer our desires become more about participating in the love of Christ and less about getting what we thought we wanted. It is important that our youth understand that the church believes that to pray in Jesus’ name means that we partner with Christ. In that sense as “we get to know who Jesus is, so we find ourselves drawn into Jesus’ life and love and sense of purpose.” (T Wright, John for Everyone)
Each month you could offer a different form of prayer or a different prayer practice. An example would be to focus on intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer can be a work of love and transformation. Explain that intercessory prayer is a not about pleading for what “I want” or to have God “patch up” someone. Intercessory prayer is intended to pray about the other and their connection to the very heart of God, or an oneness with God. Instead of asking God to do what we want done, we ask God, “What do I need to do regarding………..?” “How might …………. connect with me?” “How can I let go of ……………?” “ Healing from the pain of …….. and strength and direction for…………….”
The first week, have them picture in their mind someone that they wish to offer an intercessory prayer for and to hold that picture in their mind while they pray for them.
The second week, invite your youth to write on a sheet of paper the name of someone they find difficult today. Scripture teaches us to pray for our “enemies” – defined as someone our youth find difficult or hard to deal with, live with, endure etc. This week offer these sheets of paper into an intercessory prayer time during closing worship. The youth don’t share the names on the sheets, only the folded sheets are offered into a basket during the time intercessory prayers praying phrases from Jesus and or Paul such as “that they be rooted and grounded in love,” ( Eph.3:17), “that Christ be in them and they in Christ,” (John 17:23), “that they be strengthened in their inner being with power through Christ’s Spirit,” (Eph 3:16) etc.
The third week, use the newspaper to focus your intercessory prayers. Break the community into small groups and give them sections of a newspaper. Have them read articles in the paper like the Iraq war, about the murder of someone by a gang, homelessness, etc. Ask them which stories they would like to offer intercessory prayers for and then have them write them encouraging the youth to write intercessions that are inclusive and prays for oneness with God for all involved in each story. An example would be if they choose to pray about the war, make sure the prayers include the soldiers, the civilians, the children, the political power makers, etc. Pray together all of their intercessory prayers before your youth gathering ends. Ask them each to take one home to pray daily until you meet again.
The fourth week, invite everyone to share how praying all week one intercessory prayer was for them and how and if that changed? Invite discussion and reflection on all the practices that were experienced during the past month. Which was most difficult? Which felt most natural? Did these practices transform them? Did it help them to see the world God so loves and discover how they are to partner in loving that world too?
|
