This is a summary of the sermon which was delivered by the Rev'd John Benson on Sunday 7th September 2008.

Prayer is a mystery, but it need not be mysterious. Many assume that real prayer is reserved for the seriously “holy”, and requires learning complicated techniques. But prayer is for normal people; it should be a part of normal life. In fact, researchers reckon that some 80% of Britons pray at one time or another.

Christianity is all about having a relationship with the Living God and prayer is at the heart of that relationship. Prayer is sharing our life with God and getting to know Him and his loving concern for us. Like all good friendships or families, this requires good communication, which operates on four different levels.

First, there is the “just getting on with it” level; the awareness of love and acceptance in the rough and tumble of ordinary life. There is no conscious thought of God’s presence, but we can know, deep down, that He is there with us in the midst of life; as we do the washing up, see the children off to school, drive to work; God is the constant backdrop to life and that awareness makes all the difference!

The second level of communication in a friendship is “chatting”, vital in the running of any home. “Can you put the bins out, please?”, “what shall we have for supper?” and more conscious sharing of our concerns like, “I hope Jimmy does well in his maths test?” So with God, He is concerned about everything that concerns us, and we can be confident that He listens when we share our thoughts, worries and cries for help with Him, however big or small. I find that I am often praying brief “Arrow Prayers” when I lose my keys or some vital piece of paper! We can also pray to God about the really big problems facing people and the world. And, of course, it is right to thank God for His help too.

But thirdly, there is a need for times of deeper communication; time to concentrate on the other person in the relationship. A recent study showed that the average married couple spent two minutes day in this kind of deeper communication. However, in any real friendship we need to find the time to talk over things; our feelings, our hopes and fears, and to work through problems and other deeper issues.  Likewise, in prayer, we need to set aside some “quality time” to be with God. How this works will vary with each person, just as it varies with each human relationship. We should not feel that we have to pray in ways that don’t suit us...“Pray as you can, not as you can’t” is wise advice. Just be yourself with God. It is worth exploring various methods to see what you find helpful.

Finally, the deepest level of communication may not even involve words. We all need to be loved and to give love. This deepest level of human communication is reflected in some forms of prayer, like Christian meditation, silence and “praying in tongues”, which allow us just to be in God’s presence and love Him and experience His love in a way that is beyond words.

Bishop John Taylor said that “Prayer is being present to the presence of God”. What could be more wonderful! To help us explore the possibilities of Prayer we have arranged an Away Day on Prayer on Saturday 24th January, to which all are welcome.