96 – Compass Prayer
A weekly blog of Creative Ideas for Leading Worship
Compass Prayer
Walking the World
What happens when our prayers for the world involve more than words?
Most intercessory prayers are spoken while the congregation remains seated. Physically moving can help us think and pray differently. The Compass Prayer invites people to turn towards the world, quite literally.
Before the service, place large signs marked North, South, East and West at four points around the sanctuary. When it is time for the prayers of intercession, invite people move from the pews to stand under one of the signs, and to then move from one direction to another as the prayers progress. Those who prefer to remain seated can simply turn their attention towards each direction.
There is an intriguing ancient Christian connection with this idea.
Around 180 CE, Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, was defending the growing Christian recognition of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as the four authoritative Gospels. He argued that there should be four Gospels, "neither more nor fewer". Among his reasons was an imaginative comparison with the created world. Just as the earth has four regions and there are four principal winds, he believed it was fitting that the Church should have four Gospels
His image is wonderfully suggestive. The good news of Christ faces in every direction.
Begin facing North. In Aotearoa New Zealand this could prompt prayer for our communities, government, decision-makers and the peoples of the Pacific and Asia.
Turn East, towards the rising sun. Pray for new beginnings, places experiencing conflict, and people longing for peace and hope.
Turn South, towards the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. Pray for creation, climate, oceans, threatened species and our responsibility as kaitiaki of the Earth.
Finally turn West, towards the setting sun. Pray for people experiencing endings, grief, displacement or uncertainty, and for nations and communities beyond our immediate horizons.
The subjects can be adapted to your location. A congregation elsewhere in the world will naturally face different countries and concerns.
Finish by gathering towards the centre.
The movement itself becomes part of the prayer. We have turned towards different parts of God's world and now discover ourselves together again.
Christian faith doesn’t invite us to face only inward, towards ourselves or our church. It continually asks us to turn outward.
North. South. East. West.
Wherever we turn, there are neighbours to love, creation to cherish, injustice to confront and signs of God already waiting to be discovered.
The hymn “In Christ there is no East or West” would work well with this prayer activity.
Ngā mihi
Philip