A Tradition of Prayer
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From the Prayer Room
of First-Plymouth Congregational Church
Lincoln, Nebraska
A Resource for Everyone Seeking Spiritual Growth Through Prayer
Welcome
We welcome you to First-Plymouth Church's Prayer
Room. The devotional materials you will find here are provided to give you a
chance to spend a few minutes in prayer and meditation. This session
introduces you to an ancient, yet recently "rediscovered", form of
prayer: Centering Prayer.
Centering
Prayer is drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative
heritage, notably
John of the Cross, and St. Teresa of Avila. In
more recent times, this form of prayer was reintroduced into general use in the
Christian church in the 1970’s by three Trappist monks, Fr. William Meninger,
Fr. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating at the Trappist
Abbey, St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts.
C
ENTERING PRAYER
The Power of a Single WordI wait for GOD; my soul waits
and in God’s word I hope…--Psalm 130:5
Centering prayer, traditionally called "contemplative prayer", is a simple, meditative way of praying that has gained widespread usage throughout the world in the past few decades. Although the name may be new, the actual practice of this way of praying goes back to at least the fourth or fifth centuries when many in Christian monastic communities prayed in this way. For example, St. John Climacus wrote in the mid-600s A.D. "Let your prayer be completely simple…Let there be no studied elegance in the words of your prayers…One word alone spoken by the publican touched God’s mercy."
Centering prayer is a prayer of presence. Our intention is to be present with and in god, basking in the warmth and generosity of God’s love for us. Usually, the prayer time begins with a brief verbal prayer, which is followed by our simply being silently with God. While our individual thoughts, feelings, and concerns surface during the prayer time, when we become aware that we are distracted, we simply return to God’s presence through use of a word or phrase (e.g., Jesus, God’s peace, come Lord Jesus, merciful Creator, loving God). As the prayer time ends, use the Lord’s Prayer or other verbal prayer as a gentle conclusion.
In whatever ways possible, keep the time of centering prayer simple and free of effort. Relax. Thrust. Let God hold you or be with you. Let yourself savor God’s presence.
Father Basil Pennington, a well-known author and teacher of centering prayer, is often asked, "What if I fall asleep during the prayer?" It is not unusual for Father Basil to respond, "Maybe God is letting you know you need to sleep." Remember, the mother does not love her child any less when the child is sleeping than when the child is awake. Don’t struggle to stay awake or to meditate on a particular person or concern.
Relax. Trust. Let yourself be with God in whatever state you are. Minimize any expectations or hopes you may have of the prayer. Simply come seeking God.
Typically, centering prayer is practiced for twenty minutes at a time. People who use the prayer twice a day note increased presence of the fruits or benefits of the prayer. Some of the fruits noted are increased spontaneous joy and a healthy sense of detachment from things that previously had consumed their attention, energy, and emotions.
However, centering prayer is not about what we can get out of our prayers. Instead, it is about allowing God to fill the time we have together in anyway God chooses.
Relax. Trust. Let God hold you or be with you. Let yourself savor God’s presence.
A Short Guide to Centering Prayer
Set aside 20-30 minutes at least once a day for prayer. Take a moment to review the steps of the prayer as outlined below. Then, when ready, begin.
1. Allow yourself to become comfortable in your seat. Relax. Trust. Let yourself be with God.
2. Offer a brief opening prayer. Often this is one which invites openness to God’s loving presence.
3. Let go of the distractions and demands of the world. Simply be in faith and love to God who dwells in the center of our being.
4. Take up a prayer word and let it be gently present, supporting your being to God in faith-filled love.
5. Whenever you become aware of anything, such as a distracting sound or a thought about something, recognize its presence then gently return to your centering prayer with the use of the prayer word.
6. As your prayer time nears its end, let the Lord’s Prayer slowly begin to pray itself aloud, phrase by phrase. Allow some tome for silence between phrases.
Prepared for First-Plymouth Congregational Church United Church of Christ, Lincoln, NE. Adapted from "Ways of Praying" by Charlotte H. Still, provided by the United Church of Christ’s Office for church Life and Leadership for use in local churches of the UCC © 1998.
The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ n the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
If you would like to have a special prayer request added to First-Plymouth Church's prayer list, or if you have a concern you would like to share with our staff, please e-mail us through the Rev. Nancy Erickson.