Arthur Boers - Take Our Moments # 2: An Anabaptist Prayer Book Advent through Pentecost

Do we need yet another? And why an Anabaptist-Mennonite one? Although some Anabaptists centuries ago compiled prayer books, developing such resources now may seem a departure from our traditions and priorities. But we have discovered that many Mennonite pastors, church leaders, spiritual directors, scholars, and other believers are vitally interested in this form of prayer and now use prayer books from various sources. They are tapping into a time-honored practice of Christian daily prayer, and some are looking for resources that reflect the strengths of the radical reformation tradition. This growing Mennonite interest in morning and evening prayer practices provided the initial impetus for this project. As we began posting on the Web site www.ambs.edu/prayerbook earlier drafts of the prayers collected in this and the previous volume, we were amazed and humbled to discover the extent of interest in Anabaptist-Mennonite prayer resources among Christians of other traditions. Repeatedly, we received messages from people of many denominations around the globe, expressing enthusiasm for the project and telling us about their experiences with this way of praying.

Grassroots users of the draft first volume of the prayer book, for ordinary time, provided helpful insight into what worked well and what needed more refinement. We weighed carefully their thoughtful responses and shaped these prayers for the seasons of the church year, Advent through Pentecost, accordingly. Most of all, respondents words of appreciation provided much encouragement for our labors and sustained our sense that the project addresses a vital need. We offer this second volume of prayers as a gift to fellow Christians. Our desire is that use of these services will enrich the prayer of the church and its members. In the words of the old hymn, we pray that God will take our moments and our days and let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Finding biblical clues The Psalms include frequent references to praying morning and evening. But the psalmist does not intend that believers limit their praying to those times of day. Rather, praying at certain times fosters being prayerful all the time. Consider the repeated phrase in the first chapter of Genesis, And there was evening and there was morning This shorthand denotes not just evening and morning but the passage of the whole day. In like manner, the psalmists words, From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised (Ps 113.3), indicate an aspiration to perpetual prayer. Jesus made a similar recommendation.

His parable about the persistent widow may puzzle us, but one point is plain: the story addresses his followers need to pray always and not to lose heart (Lk 18.1). The New Testament epistles pick up this theme. Paul urges believers to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5.16-18). We are told to pray in the Spirit at all times (Eph 6.18); devote yourselves to prayer (Col 4.2); persevere in prayer (Rom 12.12). Praying without ceasing The biblical counsel to pray without ceasing is clear, but how we do so is less apparent. A few believers have tried literally to live on prayer alonewithout working, eating, sleepingbut Christian tradition sensibly cautions against such distortions.

Christians today are more likely to say that our work or service is prayer. This approach to unceasing prayer may have more to commend it, but is it adequate? A few Christians live and work with steady awareness of God, but most of us need help to do so. Saying that everything we do is prayer may mean that in fact we rarely pray with conscious intention. Our Sunday giving reminds us that all we have belongs to God; offerings make us mindful that all the ways we use money and other resources express our faith. In a similar way, morning and evening prayers remind us that all our time belongs to God. Morning and evening prayer is not about praying only at those times of day, any more than tithing is about granting Gods ownership of just ten percent of our money.

Morning and evening symbolize all time. They are key daily moments when we set our direction, remember our purpose, review how God is at work, and recall where we missed Gods priorities. Regular, disciplined prayers at particular times encourage us to be prayerful always. Supporting one another in prayer Many Christians struggle with prayer. We may not know how or when to pray, what to say, how to start, or when we are finished. Some have never settled into habits of prayer.

Others have ceased to pray for a variety of reasons. Because challenges of busyness are pressing spiritual issues today, we may have trouble finding time for prayer. Patterned prayer helps many of us prayor pray again. Some who learn this way of praying report, Until now I was not able to pray. Prayer books can give us the encouragement of praying with others. Here as elsewhere, we experience the truth of the Anabaptist conviction that we need the body of Christ.