Lighting Candles and Saying Prayers in the Darkness Together

Lighting Candles and Saying Prayers in the Darkness Together

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night,’ darkness is not dark to you, O Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike.”—Psalm 139:11-12.

At the five o’clock contemporary service every Sunday night at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church, the darkened nave is illuminated only by tealight candles on the altar in front of a large icon. After the usual Prayers of the People with a Leader and a Congregational response, the celebrant invites members of the congregation to come forward and light a candle in front of the altar as they offer a silent prayer of intercession. Tonight’s pianist plays music from the Taizé community or Celtic tradition, as almost all the members of the congregation come forward. 

While I remain seated behind my harp, I experience the scene as a Spirit-filled synthesis of corporate and individual intercessory prayer. I watch men and women, and sometimes children, walk silently up to light their taper and put it in an enormous earthenware bowl filled with sand. I know a few prayers that may be on some hearts. There are many people I do not know, much less what they are praying for, but I see faces displaying heartfelt emotion and sometimes silent tears. Even when I do not perceive their prayers, I can feel their power and maybe even their connection. There is a stream of people connecting to God in prayers for others, and sometimes for themselves.

The light from the many candles now brings brighter light to the church’s nave. The scene has become its own icon for teaching us what happens when we pray. Prayers germinate from the darkened nave and are born to transform the darkness into light. I remember that C. S. Lewis once wrote he “prayed not to change God, but to change himself.” These silent prayers being transported by candlelight are changing the appearance of the church and the pray-ers, and indeed, they are changing me.

Joanna  https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Letting Go and Turning Each Day Over to God

Letting Go and Turning each day over to God

“Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.”—Romans 8:26.

In a past post about this Daily Lectionary reading from Romans 1, Trent Palmer reminds us how this passage from Romans changed his prayer life. He is trying to wait for the Holy Spirit to lead him in prayer, knowing that God is doing far more for all of us than we can pray for or imagine for ourselves.2 I need to hear this from The Daily Lectionary, Romans, The Book of Common Prayer, and Trent each week.

My prayers, especially for others, are a way to step out of my own orbit and recognize that something is happening that is more significant than my mind, my feelings, and my world. The space I live in is only a minor piece of God’s world, perhaps like a grain of sand. But still, the God who loves us so much cares deeply about us, each grain of sand, each hair of our head, and loves us beyond what we can imagine.

It is comforting to know that, regardless of what we pray for, the Spirit is present to guide our prayers. Sometimes, I try to remember this by leaving a period of silence in prayer, followed by a few sighs of my own, hoping they will catch up with the sighs of the Holy Spirit!

Friends tell God, “I turn this day over to you for your care.” I admire them. I take more than nine words to turn over my day and those I care for and pray for. That is why intercessory prayer has become so important in my life. Of course, I aim for the shorter versions, but I am praying in long division today.

1Trent Palmer, “Morning Reflection” from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Monday, July 9, 2018.

2 “Prayer for Those We Love,” Book of Common Prayer, p. 831.

Joanna  https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Angels

 “My Grandfather, My Angel”

Rarely do I not think about my grandfather at some point during the day. He taught me about unconditional love. No, my grandfather was unconditional love. In addition, I know he also saved my life on at least three occasions.

My grandfather saved my life for the first time when we were swimming in the Mattaponi River beside his farm. He had taught me how to swim, and I knew I was a good swimmer because I would later spend hours swimming along the shoreline. This near-miss tragedy occurred when I was in primary school. I suddenly could not stay above water. I think it was high tide, and I had unconsciously gone out beyond the dock where the water was now over my head, and panicked when I could not touch the bottom. My grandfather quickly rushed to my side and swam me to shore. I remembered much later how that best described the depth of his love for me.

Want to read about the other two times Joanna’s grandfather saved her life? You’ll have to get the book and read her essay, as well as the many different essays and poems (and one short story) inside.

ALL NIGHT, ALL DAY: life, death & angels was released June 20, 2023, at a fantastic party at Novel Bookstore, Memphis, Tennessee. I was thrilled to meet and hear from the other authors.

About the Book

There is something mystical about holding a person’s hand, “crossing over.” It can be heartbreaking, of course, but also very holy and beautiful. Some pieces in this collection share the experience of personal loss following the death of a loved one. Often, the presence of an angel or another mystical experience is shared. But not only in death–there are also stories of the way the mystical world interacts with us in daily life. And not only angels but also mothers, fathers, sisters, grandfathers, and friends.
All Night, All Day is an inspirational collection of personal essays, stories, and poems by outstanding women authors who write about the appearance of the divine in their lives. Some angels come to save a life or change a flat tire. Some appear to warn people, tell them what to do, and suggest more vegetables and maybe better shoes.
Contributors: Cassandra King - Suzanne Henley - River Jordan - Sally Palmer Thomason - Natasha Trethewey - Sonja Livingston - Johnnie Bernhard - Frederica Mathewes-Green - Angela Jackson-Brown - Christa Allan - Renea Winchester - Jacqueline Allen Trimble - Mandy Haynes - Wendy Reed - Lisa Gornick - Jennifer Horne - Ann Fisher-Wirth - Averyell Kessler - Lauren Camp - Cathy Smith Bowers - Nancy Dorman-Hickson - Joanna Seibert - Susan Cushman - Claire Fullerton - Julie Cantrell.

I will always hold dear the friends and authors who attended the release of All Day, All Night at Novel Bookstore in Memphis that June, and especially Susan Cushman, who planned it all.

Joanna. joannaseibert.com

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