Church News PRAYERS WITHOUT WORDS

TS Eliot, the American-born British poet, was one of a group of poets who radically but carefully analysed the social scene in Europe during the first half of last century.

His Four Quartets are considered to be some of the finest philosophical poetry ever written.

In the Dry Salvages Eliot speaks of the ‘unprayable prayer.’

This is a thought-provoking idea. Sometimes our feelings are so deep that we simply fail to articulate these emotions in our prayers. We cannot find words adequate to express our feelings

The story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, is one of my favourite Bible story. It speaks eloquently about wordless prayers, our‘unprayable’ prayers. She was unable to have children and was mocked for being childless.

We read, in her distress,‘Hannah was speaking in her heart, only her lips moved, her voice was not heard’(1 Samuel 1.6-18)

This Bible story is so relevant for our current Covid-19 crisis.

In order to retain social distancing, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, we are obliged to stay away from one another.

We cannot visit our relatives, especially in care homes and in hospitals.

Worst of all, many of our loved ones are dying alone.

To add to this distress, the last acts of remembrance and respect in our funeral services are denied. Like Hannah,we pray from our heart. Our prayers need no words, often our prayers can find no proper voice. Many heartbroken souls are praying‘unprayable prayers’

‘If only’has been repeated in many families from many broken hearts.

If only we could have been with our loved one, if only we could have visited and comforted them, if only we could have held their hands in these last hours.

There is one moving‘if only’story in the Gospels. Jesus was always welcomed at the home of Lazarus and his two sisters Martha and Mary. Lazarus had taken unwell but when Jesus arrived Lazarus was dead and buried.

We read,‘When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went out to meet him. Martha said to Jesus,‘Lord, if only you had been here my brother would not have died’(John 11.20-21)

I started my ministry as a probationer in Rutherglen and Cambuslang.

One night I returned to my digs to find my landlady in a terrible state. She had to break the news to me that my father had dropped dead from a heart attack.

I never did have the chance to express any final farewells. How often I repeated ‘if only’. But this distress of interrupted lives has been with us all the time. It is not confined to this period of Covid-19.

There is the innocent visit to the doctor because of that persistent cough, only to discover something more sinister, sometimes a terminal illness.

How often we try to express that unprayable prayer because we find ourselves lost for words.

At this point the Christian faith has such a strong and encouraging message for everyone. Easter speaks of the Cross and Emptied Tomb.

Pentecost brings these God events into our own experience. I believe there will be a meeting of souls and a reunion of broken hearts. I believe we will change bitter tears of sorrow into sweet tears of joy. Otherwise our Christian faith offers nothing and certainly provides no hope.

Otherwise all our efforts in this life are in vain. One hymn speaks eloquently to us.‘Be still my soul, the hour is hastening on, when we shall be forever with our God. When disappointments, grief, and fear are gone. Sorrows forgot life’s deepest joys restored. Be still my soul, when change and chance are past.‘

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last. Until then keep praying for your people because our Father God gathers us together when we are separated and comforts us when we are alone.

Our Father God uses our prayers to bless our loved ones. Even more, our Father God understands our broken petitions and hears our voiceless prayers.

Remember Paul: ‘God in the Spirit helps us. Often we cannot pray as we ought to. But God in the Spirit prays for us with sighs too deep for words.’

(Romans 8.26-27)

HOLY TRINITY & ST BARNABAS’CHURCH In common with many others, we have now suspended worship in our churches – but we have made alternative arrangements.

The Scottish Episcopal Church has started broadcasting video coverage of Eucharistic services via its website, social media channels and YouTube channel.

The web page for the broadcast is located at www.scotland.anglican.org/ broadcast-sunday-worship.

These services will be broadcast at 11am on Sunday, to coincide with when many people would normally be worshipping in their own churches.

In advance of the broadcast of each service, the Liturgy will be available to download from the SEC website.

The next Sunday service is at 11am tomorrow and marks Trinity Sunday.

Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three persons of God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

There will also be a Service of the Word on Thursday at 6.30pm.

The website will also contain a downloadable video and audio format of the service.

We are conscious of the need to offer as much assistance as possible to those who have no access to the internet, and we encourage people to distribute the video/audio recordings and the Liturgy widely within their own personal networks.

In households with no internet or playback capacity, people who can be helped by others through the provision of printed materials will have the opportunity to read the words of the Liturgy to themselves close to the appointed time, praising God along with others in the church.