Why we pray in C group

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20


It's no secret that we're big on community groups at Quest. The thriving small groups at Quest were one of the reasons I was so eager to join the church. Last year, I was mildly infamous for attending two C groups faithfully (it can be done, although I was a little less busy with other responsibilities in those days). Some of my best friends have come from those two groups, friendships that might never have come about without the weekly time of fellowship.

C groups are more than just fellowship, though. They are about learning and discussion, tough debates and 'aha' moments. It's not always comfortable, and it can be challenging to be vulnerable, to be open to other people's ideas, needs, hangups. In the Renovare group, we read things that we don't agree with, or that half of us agree with and the other half vehemently opposes. Some of our best nights have been the hardest, when we wrestled with deep, complicated topics like the nature of sin and what it means to live as a new creation.

Perhaps the most important part of C group, however, is prayer. We talked alot about making prayer a priority at the beginning of the season, and have tried to structure our meetings to make space for sharing requests and praying for each other, either in a large group or individually. We're not always consistent though, and sometimes prayer is an afterthought.

But last night was a different story. After our big Passover project we felt like taking a rest, so we decided to devote the entire night to fellowship and prayer. Jeff pulled out his Celtic Book of Prayer and took us through some directed prayer time. He would read a prayer, and then we would pray on the topic of that prayer with a partner or in a small group. We prayed for almost two solid hours.

It was incredible.

Now, I've never been really strong in my prayer life. Honestly, it is a real struggle for me to sit and pray for more than a few minutes. My mind wanders, I get restless. I more easily experience God in worship (side note: Worship on Easter Sunday was awesome). Meditation and contemplation and seven storey mountains have never been my strong suit. But last night's prayer time was intensely wonderful. The presence of God was palpable in the room.

There is something spiritually powerful in the prayer of a group of believers. Perhaps this is why Christianity is not an individual sport. While times of solitude can be necessary, and a beneficial discipline during seasons of one's life, God has said from the beginning that it is not good for us to be alone. But being in community goes far beyond sitting quietly next to each other at Sunday service. When we pray with and for each other we make space for God to move in mighty ways. We strengthen our respective faith in God's power by speaking words of hope and confidence; we bring comfort by praying over a difficult season of stress or grief. Another Christian's experiences and discoveries with Jesus can give an entirely new perspective on the issues we are facing. It is simply impossible to pray for yourself what another person can pray for you.

I felt so refreshed after that prayer time. Even today, which was not the easiest of days (my computer decided it didn't want to work anymore, which made me rather less effective in my job) I was reminded of the prayers that were said for me, and they helped me work past my frustrations. My circumstances are not significantly different than they were yesterday, but the comfort and confidence I gained from praying with my C group has given me the spiritual and emotional strength to tackle whatever comes. And I know that continued faithfulness to prayer will lead to lasting changes in my circumstances, as God works in situations in my life and the lives of those around me.

Passover

One of my favorite clients is a lawyer of Jewish heritage. Last year about this time I was helping him with his accounts and the subject of Passover came up. (Incidentally, it is interesting how my faith comes into conversations at the LUBI. In general, I have to keep pretty quiet about it so as not to seem like I am proselytizing the clients, but opportunities still arise, and sometimes clients ask me outright about my faith.) My client was surprised that I was celebrating Passover even though I am not Jewish. I explained to him that the Jewish heritage is my heritage, as I am part of Christ's family, and He was Jewish. Since He celebrated Passover with his disciples, I figure celebrating with my fellow Christians is simply part of being in God's family.

Many churches over the years have incorporated a Passover meal into their Maundy Thursday celebration. But Passover is about more than just reenacting Jesus' last few days on earth. In following the Haggadah, the telling, we are recalling the prophetic nature of the original Passover, and celebrating how Jesus' life and death so completely fulfill those prophecies. We repeat the same prayers and read the same Scriptures that Hebrews have prayed for centuries, but with the knowledge that Christ has come to fulfill the hope inherent in the Seder. For a Christian, Passover is a worship service, an opportunity to praise God for his deliverance, both for the Israelites and for us as well.

Symbolism is dominant in Passover, both in the words of the Haggadah as well as the elements of the Seder plate. The greatest symbol is perhaps the matzah itself, the dominant element in the service. This unleavened bread (and leaven represents sin) is striped, pierced, and during the service, broken, hidden, found, and eaten. It is this found matzah (called the afikomen) that Christ uses for communion (the wine of communion is also an integral part of the Seder). He tells His disciples that He is this bread, the bread of life, and as we look back at the history of Good Friday and Easter, we see that the whole of Christ's redemptive work is symbolized by this broken piece of flatbread. And as my friend Jeff reminds us, the Hebrew word for bread is also the Hebrew word for life.

It was a privilege to again celebrate Passover with my community group, and I'm grateful to Jeff for teaching on the meaning of Passover during the weeks leading up to our Seder. We are hopeful that next year we will be able to lead the entire church in celebrating the Seder on Maundy Thursday, perhaps with a depth class for the preceding weeks to help celebrants realize the depth of meaning in the elements of the Haggadah. Passover is an amazing experience for a follower of Christ, a chance to see the Eucharist not merely as a Christian sacrament, but in the perspective of God's redemptive plan through the Hebrew people. Studying and celebrating Passover has better informed my faith in Christ, and reminded me that God was seeking my redemption and the redemption of all people long before He sent His Son to this earth.

As I reflect on Christ's redemptive work on Good Friday and Easter, I am grateful for the chance to add the truths of Passover to those reflections.