Minister’s Musings – Humans & Prayer 9/14/22

What a wonderful feeling it was to be in a room with so many of you on Sunday!  I’m committed to continuing the virtual option as a way to keep widening our circle of “belonging,” and at the same time, I have to acknowledge that our connections feel so much more palpable in person than they ever do over Zoom.  Even though I’ve become a deeper introvert since March 2020, it seems I do still need the presence of other humans! 

Here’s this week’s question and response.  Remember that you can listen to the questions and responses from the August 28 question box Sunday service here.

Do you pray to anything; if so, what?

When I pray out loud, I often start with the words “Oh Holy Spirit of Life and Love, that arises within and between us…”  But because I don’t believe in a personal or personified God, I’m not actually addressing anything; I think of these as centering words.  Words that help me remember I’m connected to everything around me by biological, chemical, and energetic processes, and that help me locate my own body and spirit in those processes.  Often I’m praying publicly when I pray out loud, so by extension, I’m hoping to help the people listening or praying with me remember their own connections, no matter how they understand those connections.  Personal prayer, for me, is a lot like Anne Lamot’s “Help. Thanks. Wow.”  Although not in the same order- I tend to to go more like “Wow. Thanks. Help.”  Which are expressions of wonder, gratitude, and vulnerability.  Like my public prayer, those expressions aren’t directed at a being- they’re for me, to help me ground and then open myself to the possibilities within me or around me.

In faith and love,

Karen