The Church

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This time, I would like to talk about prayer, and where we pray. I was watching a TV program. I was shocked that in one city, a lot of money was used on who the had the highest steeple in the town. Was it the Muslims? Was it the Christians or Jews? The town kept rising their steeple to show pride or who had the best place of worship. To me this sounded like a the Babel Tower. It made me laugh at how stupid humans can be. It made me also sad at the image of God we have. Does he really care who has the nicest church. The Vatican is one of the nicest Religious centers in the world, and is an image for millions of people. But how many died during this prestige project. How many were fooled by indulgences. While The Vatican was being built, we have seen how low a religious organisation could go. Is this something that God is proud about, or is it something we are proud of? Lets hope not that the Vatican or any other church is not because of pride, as pride is one of the seven deadly sins.

I must admit, when I enter a church. I feel a special presence and atmosphere. I honestly do feel the presence of God. I blame my grandmother for this, It was her that took me to churches and we always lit candles. The thing that I think about is this because I was together with my Grandmother? I tried passing this tradition to my children when they were younger. I do not think it had the same effect. There is no doubt that we feel the presence of God in churches, but is this because of the building or the people in the building?

I remember once that I tried to get some local scouts to work with a local priest on making an open air service. It was not Catholic, It was the Church of Denmark. It took a lot of persuading to even get the event off the ground, and there were a lot of guidelines. These Open air services were one of the best religious experiences I had. The only thing I regret is that I could not sit with my wife at that stage and my children. She and I both had responsibilities so we were busy. But the main thing is when we were praying in the middle of the forest, you could look up at the sky. You could look at the small flowers swaying in the air. You could feel the rustle of the trees. It would be a mistake if we could not feel the presence of God here. The trees acted as steeples, that could stand higher than any prestige project. I had no problem with that, as the trees were Gods prestige that he done himself.

Jesus says, "Where two or three are gathered in my name." that they can pray. Has 2,000 years of tradition and practice made us forget this? Do we have to pray in churches. Is our prayers confined to Bible reading, meeting in a church, or kneeling besides the bed?

This article is about is where we pray, and how we pray, and why we pray. To answer this, we would ask what prayer is. Prayer is another word for communication. It is us talking with God. It could be giving praise, or thanking him for something. It could also be saying what you have experienced today. This is communication.
Do we have to communicate in a church? No! It is actually rarely that I go to church anymore. I will explain this in the future. But a while ago, I was walking my dog, and this leaf hit me straight in the eye. This was once that I wished I was wearing glasses. While my dog was smelling everything that could be smelled, I thought back to my school days, when I heard how leaves fell to spread their seeds. Then the childhood realisation came back that God was ultra cool and smart when it came to organising how things worked. I suddenly found myself thanking him for nature and the work he put in it. This was a prayer. A prayer in the middle of a field with some trees. I also asked him if´he could make it so that leaves will not blind me in the future. But maybe this was a wake up call.

Jesus visited Synagogues, but most of his praying and preaching was done in the open. Remember when he preached from the sea? He did not need a cathedral to pray and preach. He did it where he wanted. Why then are we restricted?
I will be honest. I pray in the toilet, when I am on my scooter, when I hear bad news about a friend, when I am worried about my children or their mother. When I lie in bed and could see the stars out of my window. Not that that is too often in Denmark.
It is important to remember that there is a difference between a church (small c) and Church (capital C). A church is just stones and bricks, built by man. A Church is the people itself that follows Jesus. Which is more important, people or bricks. We as a Church do not have to pray in a church. We can pray where we want and when we want, even though it is in nature, which is God's temple.

So next time you are in a traffic jam, try to communicate (pray), Maybe another person behind you is doing the same.