Cluttered Prayers

Update: While I was beginning to upload this blog post, the pronouncement came that Joe Biden has been elected the 46 ^th President of our nation, and Kamala Harris, the Vice President.  Thanks be to God for resolution. Let us continue to pray for our nation and its leaders, both current and transitioning. Let us pray for all who rejoice, and let us pray for all who feel despair. Especially, let us pray for restored unity and shared purpose.

Perhaps the words below are now moot, or perhaps they retain some relevancy, if not for today, maybe for a future period of waiting. Peace be with you, People of God. ~PC

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I have started to write this post at least seven times. I sputter and stutter my way through a sentence or two before, ultimately, hitting the delete key. The contents of my mind seem to be strewn about like the contents of an overturned kitchen junk drawer, each item potentially useful but not linked in any meaningful way to any of the other items in the collection. I am scattered. Disconnected. I try to pray my way through, but I can’t seem to string words together.

I ask myself quite seriously, “Is this what it feels like to live with Attention Deficit Disorder?”—a condition which has never gripped me before.

“No. That’s not likely,” I tell myself. A snippet of an article surfaces, though. “Brain fog is a symptom of stress,” I recall. “It’s also a response to grief,” my memory whispers. Mentally, I step back and take a survey: the protracted election that hasn’t resolved easily; the sharp rise in Covid-19 cases all around us; the life shifts and personal losses I’ve experienced over the past year. Indeed! They do add up to stress and grief.

I suspect there are very few folks whose math works out differently. Stress and grief are as abundant as fallen leaves raked into piles on everyone’s tree lawns these days. If you find yourself resonating at all with what I’m describing, here is a bit of inspiration for you:

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8: 26-28

Let us be hopeful, even when it’s difficult to sort through the clutter of our thoughts and feelings.

Decluttering mind, body, and spirit,

Pastor Chris

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Join us in the parking lot of College Hill Moravian Church every Sunday morning where you may praise God from the safe bubble of your own vehicle. The service, broadcast from the church sanctuary and transmitted through your car’s radio, begins at 10:00 a.m. and lasts approximately 40 minutes. Attendants are on hand to make sure you have worship materials, receive your offerings, and help you find the best place to park. Smile and wave and worship!

Virtual Fellowship Time on Zoom – Sundays at 11:30 a.m.

This casual online gathering has taken root over the last few months and become a wonderful way to keep connected. Whether you’ve become a “regular” at these gatherings, or you’re thinking about dropping by for the very first time, please use the Zoom link and password provided below, or join by phone if you do not use a device with a screen.

And if Zoom is new to you and you’d like to be coached on how to get started, please email me at  moravianpastorchris@gmail.com  or call me at 484-894-9077.

To join by computer, tablet or smart phone, please go to:https://zoom.us/j/99831347702?pwd=Vk1VWDk0RkdlUXJacWtCRGEvNFpnZz09

Passcode: 789162

To join by phone (no video), dial:

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

Meeting ID: 998 3134 7702  

Zoom Prayers–Sundays at 6:30 p.m.

We are also continuing to offer Zoom Prayers on Sunday evenings at 6:30. We come together to share simply in intercessory prayer on behalf of our congregation, community, and world. We usually conclude by 7:00 p.m. All are welcome! 

To join by computer, tablet, or smart phone, please go to: https://zoom.us/j/91961743369?pwd=S3FYVG1NSFBrb1BoaTl0dnV5ZmNFUT09

Passcode: 073131

To join by phone (no video), dial:

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

  Meeting ID: 919 6174 3369