Sharing Of Joys And Concerns

[MOW]

This is an issue that I've been concerned about for awhile, and is addressed primarily to those who attend church regularly, both liberal and conservative.

 

Over the last couple of decades a practice has emerged in Protestant churches, where the service stops , and members of the congregation can stand up and share their joys and concerns. This usually occurs right before the Pastoral prayer. I have to admit that this part of the service makes me uncomfortable and I've never really liked it. People get up and sometimes share things that ,I feel , are quite personal , IMO and would be more appropriate in a private meeting with the pastor.

 

I'm also concerned that this practice could perhaps put a church in legal jeopardy. I'm speaking of people getting up and asking intercessory prayers for, relatives co-workers and so on. For example " I'd like to lift up , in prayer, my co-worker who is going through a divorce " . It might be that the co-worker doesn't want that information known , and if they find out it was spoken out loud in a public setting there could be issues of invasion of privacy.

 

I'm also interested in the opinions of any clergy on the board in regard to this issue

 

MOW

Edited December 20, 2005 by MOW

[October's Autumn]

I think as long as they don't name names or give specifics that would identify the person they are okay. If someone were doing this I would hope someone would take them aside and help them understand they need to be more discreet when asking for prayer.

 

I think there is a great deal to be said about silent prayer requests, too.

[Cynthia]

Christians don't gossip.... they just have prayer requests.

 

I agree, many won't find the appropriate boundaries, but legally they're probably safe. Unless they know through their job or make slanderous comments... While many think HIPPA increased the security of private records..... well, preaching to the choir here

[MOW]

Christians don't gossip.... they just have prayer requests.

 

I agree, many won't find the appropriate boundaries, but legally they're probably safe.  Unless they know through their job or make slanderous comments... While many think HIPPA increased the security of private records..... well, preaching to the choir here 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"Christians don't gossip.... they just have prayer requests" that's a good one. I'll have to share that with my choir.

 

What is HIPPA by the way?

 

MOW

[Cynthia]

Health Information Privacy Protection Act straight from Orwell. Y'know the papers you have to sign at your Dr, dentist, pharmacy, etc saying you understand your privacy rights? The 8000 notices from each bank, account, etc??? That's HIPPA

[flowperson]

Thanks MOW and Cynthia for clarifying the stuff about HIPPA.

 

I thought it might have been a quite large, lumbering, and voracious wild animal that dwelled in dark, swampy regions of the old world. Glad to know it's just another nameles, faceless, bureauracracy that was invented to minimize our importance as individuals in a "free" world.

 

flow....

[Cynthia]

I'm fond of the Heffalump, myself.

[flowperson]

I'm fond of the Heffalump, myself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Don't know that one. Pretty please? Is it about a smaller portion of sugar?

 

flow....

[Cynthia]

It's a Winnie the Pooh classic tale! Pooh and Piglet are going for a walk in the woods. They become lost. As they search for the way home, they come across footprints and are sure that the Heffalump is after them with malice aforethought. Eventually, after they have paralyzed themselves with fear, Tigger comes to the rescue and shows them that the Heffalump prints are their own as they have been walking in a circle. Too good!!!

[AletheiaRivers]

Oh yeah! I love that particular Pooh story. I'd forgotten all about it.

[des]

BTW, the joys and concerns part bothered me in a different church because the pastor and congregation would say something of the effect "God hear our prayers". I always thought this was so wierd as a. God hears our prayers, I don't believe we have to ask God to hear them. And b. It is so an the intercessory end.

 

I never thought there was any legal thing to it as last names usually aren't mentioned.

 

 

--des

[flowperson]

des

 

This a cultural and historical aspect of Christianity and it goes way back to the beginning.

 

When Jesus became enraged at the money changers at the Jerusalem Temple, it was because they changed money for worshippers who were buying small animals and birds for burnt sacrifice at the brazier altar which was always in the forecourt of the Temple.

 

This was also an ancient thing among the Jews and the tabernacle in the desert featured a bronze or iron brazier-altar in the courtyard before the tent of the tabernacle in which sacrfices were burned, and which had upward curving horns at the four corners of the altar. This was a throwback to the pagan custom of offering burnt sacrifices to the animal spirits to assure future bounty after animals were sacrificed for nourishment in ancient times. Native American tribes had similar ritualistic practices that were an integral part of hunting activities.

 

At the founding of Christianity the faithful substituted "word" offerings for the animistic offerings of the past and thereby broke a mostly unbroken cultural chain of living offerings that went back to the dawn of humanity.

 

So this is where we all are today in our prayer activities whether they are ritualistic group prayers or personal and silent prayers. We believe that they are a medium of direct communication with God; and, it is the most important thing that we may offer Him/Her because they come from our minds and hearts.

 

flow....

[Cynthia]

Cool - thanks Flow! That makes a lot of sense, I hadn't thought of it that way.

[October's Autumn]

The God Hear our Prayers I *think* comes from Judaism... I don't really think the prayer is for God but for us. Saying "God, hear our prayer" fulfills a human need, perhaps to reassure ourself that God indeed is hearing.

 

 

I have a friend who was relaying a story about telling her mom about a difficult student. Her mom suggested she pray. She said she had been. She has prayed for patience etc., etc. Her mom said, no, pray for him. How much her attitude has changed toward that student!