This Sunday (3rd August) we will be starting our new series of talks which will be exploring some different ways in which we can pray. These will all be things that Christians have found helpful in deepening their relationship with God for hundreds of years. As prayer is above all something we do, there will be a short talk introducing each form of prayer and then some opportunities to try it out for ourselves. We hope that we will learn some new ways of spending time with God which will help us now or in the future.

Practising Prayer

Sunday 3rd August Praying with the Lord’s Prayer
readings: Matthew 6.5-15 and Romans 8.14-17
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he gave them the Lord’s Prayer as a model to use.

Sunday 10th August Praying with our bodies
readings: 2 Samuel 6.16-22 and Psalm 134
We are people with bodies so movement can help us pray, especially if we are activists or find being still distracting.

Sunday 17th August Praying with the Bible
readings: 2 Thessalonians 1.3-12 and John 17.20-end
The Bible teaches us what to pray and how to pray; we can also turn what we read there into prayer by using the words or entering into it through our imaginations.

Sunday 24th August Praying with others
readings: James 5.13-18 and Exodus 17.8-13
Praying with others and for others is an important part of us being the Body of Christ; this is why intercessions and prayer ministry take place during our services.

Sunday 31st August Praying when we can’t
readings: Psalm 42 and Philippians 4.4-9
All of us have times when we find praying difficult; at such times, using the Psalms or written prayers can be extremely helpful in giving us the words we need to say to God.