"When he ( Gerasene Demoniac ) saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before Jesus." ( Mark 5: 6 )

"Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw Jesus, fell at Jesus' feet." ( Mark 5: 22 )

"But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before Jesus, and told Jesus the whole truth." ( Mark 5: 33 )

Grace & peace!

As we come to the end of July, we are embarking on a journey of prayer. Please spend some time in Matthew 6 and Luke 11 in preparation for Worship this Sunday, July 31, 2022. Remember we will have two morning Worship services: The Connection in the Ministry Center @ 8:45 a.m. and the Wesley service in the sanctuary at 10:45 a.m. ( Jeremy Little will be singing at the Wesley service )

I used three verses from St. Mark's account of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from chapter five because in these verses we find different positions of prayer/supplication in rapid succession.

Prayer is literally a way that we physically position ourselves to be in the presence of the Living God. I will try to give you a few examples over the next few weeks. Indeed our neighbors ( the world ) sees our witness when we move/journey to what many once called "The House of Prayer." 

I do my best to acknowledge your witness each time you hear me state, "thank you for your witness!"

HOW do we PLACE ourselves before the Lord?

Obviously a loaded question! Perhaps the real question is WHY do we PLACE ourselves before the Lord? I look forward to your responses!

When we wrestle with our prayer time, we are discovering our HOW and WHY.

Simple gestures can enhance our prayer time and help us understand our prayer time.

1. The gesture of placing our palms together in front of our chest has long been associated GREETING ( God ) in prayer. ( visualize the prayer emoji for this one! )
2. Folding or locking our hands and fingers in prayer. This may bring back memories of childhood. Some people think of the rhyme, "This is the church, this is the steeple, open the doors..." ( I am the Church )
3. Placing our hand on our forehead and leaning forward is a statement regarding our Baptism. We often see this position depicted in art with an individual holding their head as their elbow and arm support the head. If the person looks stressed or in anguish, they are meant to show that emotion. When we catch our body language in this position, we are usually stressed, concerned, miserable. We may be grasping our head with both hands.
4. Sitting with our hands on our lap, palms open, often indicates readiness to receive.
5. Making the Sign of the Cross is a gesture that reminds us of our Baptism or conversion experiences. This is also a doctrinal statement, we believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost/Spirit. To make the Sign of the Cross, touch your forehead with your right hand/finger ( s ), move your hand down to the middle of your chest. Reach to the left shoulder. Reach to the right shoulder. ( There are different movements in different branches of the Tree of Christianity. )
6. Make a manger using both hands. This is sometimes referred to as a creche.  When we use this gesture, our right hand supports the open left palm so that an object may be placed into your hand. ( This is the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, eat in remembrance of Christ's great love for you. ) 

I hope as you were reading this, you tried a couple of these gestures! Take a minute or two right now and pray for the Youth and the Youth leaders using one of these gestures.

We will discuss some 'larger' physical gestures in Worship and in next week's email. Please pray for the Prayer concerns that are listed in The Messenger that arrived by mail this week. Pray for, attend, and invite someone to Sunday School, small groups, Prayer Shawl ministry, or one of the ministry and missions through Brookhaven UM.

Here is the ORDER for Sunday, July 31, 2022; Pentecost/Kingdomtide 8:

8:45 a.m. The Connection in the Ministry Center

9:45 a.m. Sunday School for all ages!

10:45 a.m. Wesley Worship in the sanctuary

Youth return!

May we be found faithful!

Emmanuel,

Stacy