Public Prayer

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:5-8, NIV)

Recently, at one of my community's non-profit board meetings, a member had made the suggestion that we begin our meetings with prayer. Taylorsville is a community that is largely protestant Christian, with Southern Baptists, Fundamentalist Baptists, and Lutherans, both conservative and moderate, making up an overwhelming majority of the religious landscape. Because of that overwhelming majority many in our community fail to seperate church and state issues. Rather, we meld them into one. It is another example of how we use the state to secure our religious agenda.

Be all that as it may, I was a little struck by this. In fact, the other non-profit that I serve does open its meetings with prayer. The other non-profit board is smaller and we know that everyone is a Christian. However, I cannot say that is the case for this particular non-profit.

However, I guess I am not concerned about public prayer as a political issue per se. I really could care less, though I will stand up for a minority if I could tell they were uncomfortable or intimidated by such a request. Yet, I want to talk about this as an issue for a follower of Jesus Christ. Would Jesus request that we begin a meeting in prayer? If so, why? If not, why not?

Citing the scripture above in regards to public prayer, I must say that Jesus probably would wish that we would not begin our civic meetings in prayer. However, I doubt that it would be a big deal to him if we did. May I explain?

Jesus offered his teaching on prayer in contrast to two groups. We know that he is taking a jab at the Pharisees and other religious leaders or would-be exemplars of his day. We fail to recognize that he is also taking a jab at the pagan culture, that prayed to many gods.

First, the religious leaders prayed so that others could hear. They preach a sermon as they talk to God. They pray so that others would hear them, and be marveled by their prayer lives. They pray so that others would hear and submit to their understanding of the will of God. They pray for show.

In contrast, the pagans pray so that their gods would hear them. Their gods did not love them but rather used them for their own gain. If their people would pray loud enough, long enough and fervent enough, then they would answer by providing for their needs. Think of the Native American rain dances as an example. They believed that they must offer the divine their passion and souls so that their gods would provide something that Jesus had said the Father provides for the just and the unjust - rain.

For the first group, Jesus said that they had their reward in full. They were motivated by recognition of their spiritual resume and fame before the masses. In response to the hypocrites, we are to pray privately. That means were are to do business with God privately. Our quiet times with God, in which we speak to God and hear from God, are not meant to become fodder for Facebook posts. Nor are they for others to recognize us as spiritual masters. As Jesus reminds us, we are known by our fruit. The real test of prayer is whether or not prayer is transforming our lives into lives that are focused on God's kingdom agenda.

For the second group, prayer is a superstition. Jesus said that they do not believe that God is benevolent, but distant and apathetic towards human needs. When we pray to God, we simply make our petitions known to him, like children to their parents. Jesus then instructed his disciples to pray a prayer that petitions God for everything humanity needs, and to trust that God would provide it as a good parent would for a child. Prayer can be brief.

If we Christians (not Americans) are to pray publically at a  civic meeting, it need not be for the purpose of a witness. Our character, not our religious practices, is the only witness others should see. May our lives be such that, like those at Antioch, who were so reminded of Jesus in the lives of the Apostles, that they received the nickname Christian. As Stanley Hauerwas said recently in an interview, "I am a  Christian because my friends say that I am." If we Christians are asked to pray publically, may it be brief and well thought out, pertaining to the well-being of those we serve or the purpose of such a gathering.  May we be Christians in ways that others identify us, through deeds that are the outpouring of our character. May we never need T-shirts or public displays of religious ritual to identify ourselves. May the prayer be to the Father of Jesus Christ, whose Spirit is with us and creating in us the character of his Son.

Furthermore, may we never pray to generic creator God (like the one who blesses America). If the possibility does not exist to pray to the God we worship who is Trinitarian, the Father of Jesus, whose Spirit calls our heart His temple, and who is the author of the Christian narrative we call the Bible, then we, as Christians, should abstain from such a prayer. And, if we are the leader of such a meeting, or a Christian who votes at such a meeting, we should never put a minority in a position of discomfort or intimidation. Christians forget that at one time we were the persecuted minority. Baptists forget, that at one time we were the minority in Christian nations that persecuted us for our dissension. American Christians forget that in many nations today that our brothers and sisters are persecuted for their faith in Jesus. May we never persecute anyone for the sake of expressing our faith. May we never condone persecution, bullying or even the act of shunning those of different faiths or different denominations of our own.

So, I would prefer that we do not pray at the beginning of a civic meeting. For me, such prayer is meaningless and vain. However, I am not worried in instances that we do. The real test is whether or not I have prayed through the agenda, the minutes, and the responses to each issue in a way that is faithful to God's kingdom agenda, and the means by which he works according to that agenda. Then, and only then, will prayer bear fruit that testifies to the Trinitarian identity of our God and his saving work.