Our spiritual practice this week is Vigils. The definition of Vigil is: a period of keeping awake during the time usually spent asleep, especially to keep watch or pray. We can recall a time in scripture when the disciples did not keep awake as Jesus prayed, so this would be the exact opposite of that! Vigils are ways that we watch and pray. We sometimes see vigil held for those who have died or who are lost tragically. We keep vigil on Easter Saturday with prayers and candles. We at times have kept vigil through prayer chains and texts. Right now, we have a prayer vigil outside at the church building where you can spend time in prayer and even add yours to the fabric and strings. It is a time of sacred space set aside for community or a time of sacred space that an individual sets aside for themselves.
As I reflect on the theme for the week–When Humans Unravel God’s Plan for Justice–I believe this Psalm and the practice of Vigils can help us to walk in the path of Jesus and to get on board with
God’s justice. When we watch and wait, pray and let the candles burn, keep coming back together in our lifted prayers, we are opening our hearts to being led in the ways of the Spirit and she so much so loves us and wants us as part of the movement of God’s love in the world. In a way, keeping vigil is being intentional each day to what it is that God is presenting and how to remain persistent in your following.
This week we will offer ways for you to keep vigil. To begin we invite you to find a time this week, maybe set it aside with your household or with a friend and come to the worship entrance of the church. It is important that even as we cannot all gather together at once, that we gather in our prayers and in our keeping watch. At this prayer vigil you will find a prayer prompt if you would like to use one. You can pray for those suffering in this time of pandemic, you can pray for a heart that has been harden in you or in someone you know, you can pray for loved one or for another part of the world. The prayer vigil is for the prayers of the people, the prayers that we are watching and waiting for at this time. We hope you will bring your heart and your prayers here to be joined and knit together as one sometime this week. If you cannot come to the building, email Pastor Leta at leta@our-saviours.org with your prayer and I will write it on the fabric and add it to our prayer vigil.