The Church of England has published two new prayers to comfort people made redundant, and those remaining in the workplace following a round of redundancies, at the beginning of a year in which the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has predicted that at least 600,000 people could lose their jobs.
The ”˜Prayer on being made redundant’ helps to put into words the anxieties of those who are losing – or who have already lost – their job in the wave of recent redundancies. It includes the verse: “Hear me as I cry out in confusion, help me to think clearly, and calm my soul.”
The ”˜Prayer for those remaining in the workplace’ focuses on the guilt and increased workload associated with redundancy. It asks of God: “In the midst of this uncertainty, help me to keep going: to work to the best of my ability, taking each day at a time.”
Perhaps these should be followed by a prayer to lift us from the grip of the trite and the banal, from random use of whitespace, and from junior psychology. (Well, you asked.)
A prayer for along those lines would erase a significant portion of the CofE establishment, I think.
Both of these prayers point clearly to Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life; that is more than the chief executive of the Episcopal Church is willing to say; so if it is trite and banal at least it is biblical. The C of E drafters try to put the situation of unemployment (i.e. “redundancy”) in the hands of the Lord. Not unlike Mary saying to Jesus “they have no wine” and the “do whatever he tells you.” This looks like Jesus-centered pastoral prayer. It could be a prayer useful to someone who hasn’t prayed lately using the 1662 BCP. I don’t see anything wrong with an honest conversation with God.
Brien Koehler, SSC
Baton Rouge
(don’t believe in anonymous posting any longer)
I didn’t expect to find “but not my will, but thine be done”.
If I pray those prayers does it not seem that they are all about “me”?
These prayers do not seem to rise to the minimum standard of a christian prayer in New Testament terms.
Don
My post #4 is a bit uncharitable, though true.
The last verses do point toward God and I gladly concede that. It is the first half of either prayer that makes me think that they were written by a psychologist for a group therapy session.
Don
Sometimes prayer is “me”; for example psalm 69, and psalm 22, a prayer quoted in the New Testament. They may be incomplete, unbalanced, and in some ways immature; but these prayers also may be useful beginning points for people who, for the most part (statistically) aren’t in church and don’t often pray. They mention the Holy Trinity, and they talk about Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. You won’t hear that much New Testament in most TEC pulpits on any given Sunday morning! Praying these prayers is better than reading the atheist messages on the buses and giving up hope all together. They aren’t perfect, but they aren’t bad.
Brien Koehler, SSC; Baton Rouge
My goodness, have we gotten so cynical that we can’t be glad that the Church is helping people to pour out their worries and troubles to God? Along with the prayers, the website is offering practical advice on finances and budgeting, too. I’m happy they’re reaching out.
This is going to sound harsh, but I need to say it. Sometimes I truly wonder if belonging to a church is necessary and even desirable. My faith is strong, I’ve got my Bible and prayer books, and I pray to God every day in my own way. Jesus’ express desire for “church,” for His followers to exist and grow in community, keeps me trying hard to remain affiliated. But seeing nasty comments like some of those above that criticize prayers the church is offering to help people in need is utterly discouraging.
I’m sure y’all would roll your eyes at my prayers and call them “trite,” as well. I’m glad only God hears them and Jesus, my Intercessor, makes them perfect.
It is incredibly sad that any attempt by the church to reach out to those in time of great need is cynically shot down as inadequate. Most of our prayers are inevitably flawed, but I would rather be able to put something inadequate into the hands of those who are reaching out than nothing at all.
I thought they are simple, direct and helpful to people and maybe a good template for people to consider. “Your will be done” – why not? And as for making it about “me”, why not? If we don’t ask, how can we expect to get? Why can’t those in trouble ask for help?
I think this is one area where the CofE has come up to the mark – at a parish level a number of churches are making specific provision for support of people who have lost their jobs or are worried: pastoral provision, debt counselling, but perhaps most of all offering personal support and friendship to those in trouble.
Prayers that we may be used for God’s purposes in this as the need appears to be growing.
I, likewise, don’t understand some folks vociferous reaction against these prayers. I mean, are they the end-all-be-all Anglican theology in grandiose Elizabethan prose uber-prayers? Well, no, but I don’t expect they are suppose to be. If you’ve just lost your job, you probably need something closer to home.
I admit that my response (#1) was a bit brusque, but I stand by it.
There are millions of prayers more or less banal than these offered up by individuals every day. Because the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf, we have the hope that our inadequate mutterings are brought into the presence of The Grace in an acceptable way. If I heard these prayers given extemporaneously I would offer a hearty “amen.” So, in that sense, these prayers are as good or better than any other prayer ever offered.
But, don’t they aspire to be something different than that? Aren’t they put forth by a church that has a tradition of providing powerful exemplars for contemplation and practice?
On reflection, there are parts of the prayers that do reflect orthodox sentiment, and I should be grateful for that considering what so often tumbles out of the minds of Anglican leaders and clergy these days. But, for those of us who have listened to and recited prayers composed by gifted thinkers and writers of profound faith, can we not admit that these words don’t quite measure up? Just a few days ago, we all heard the Advent prayer, “Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us…” Compare the chills you get when you read that to the sinking feeling you get when you read the words on the other side of this web link. Pardon my directness, but what came to mind were the sotto voce voiceovers you used to hear on soap operas when a character was thinking to him or herself.
Any prayer humbly and sincerely offered is a good prayer in my book. But, let’s not be afraid to ask for “power and great might” when we compose and publish a prayer for contemplation and continued use. I’m not sure what Kendall was looking for when he asked for feedback, but that’s mine. I’m grateful for the comments to the contrary–all valid counterpoints–but I think we can and should do better.