4. Prayer Bookends

"Brother So-And-So, please open us up with a word of prayer."

How many times have you heard that phrase at the start of a committee meeting? Or in a Bible study class? Or some other Baptist gathering? The opening prayer is like the starting pistol in a 100-meter sprint, or a marathon, as the case may be. It indicates that the meeting has officially begun. All other statements, questions, and conversations were outside the realm of the official gathering and therefore not "covered" by the opening prayer. It doesn't matter if the meeting was scheduled for 7:00 and the prayer is not offered until 7:06. Even those six minutes of happenings are not official, because they weren't blessed with an opening prayer.

And what about that phrase, "Open us up with prayer?" Open up? Isn't that a phrase used to describe something as frightening as going to the dentist or as mundane as getting into a can of corn? Hopefully, on the meter of drasticness, the Baptist gathering in question falls somewhere in between those two extremes.

The opening pray-er will usually thank God for the day, the leader, and the leader's preparation and dedication. God is then petitioned to "be with us as we meet." Wow, I thought God is everywhere (that's "omnipresent" for you theological types). Do we really need to ask Him to be with us? I believe He already is.

After the "amen" the function can officially begin. The presence and blessings of God have been invoked, so everything that happens has to be God's perfect will.

Then at the end of the function another member is asked to "close us in prayer." Ah, the closing prayer. This is where we thank God for the gathering that just took place, the attendees, and ask God to bring us back safely. The gathering is now officially over with the last "amen," usually followed by several of the attendees echoing the amen.

For extra credit, one will pray using some King James English during either prayer. Words like thee, thy, dost, thine, and blessed (that's two syllables "BLESS Ed" not "blest"). God smiles longer on the gathering when using these words. I don't know what non-English speakers do for extra credit for Baptist gathering.

If only one prayer is said at a Baptist function, then most likely it will be the beginning prayer. Maybe we're afraid that a closing prayer will cause God to cease the outpouring of his presence and blessings.

Be on the lookout for prayer bookends at your next Baptist function. If you are called on to pray, please consider abandoning the bookend formula. Try something new, something daring! Pray from the heart.