Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2023 Blog #44
November 6, 2023
Trick or Treat for Prayers
I remember loving Halloween when I was a child. Costumes were fun and collecting candy was even better. All the kids on the block would go Trick or Treating together so we were safe but that really wasn’t a concern. We never left our neighborhoods. We knew the neighbors and the neighbors knew us.
Of course, there were holiday parties sponsored by local organizations. Church youth group always had a party as did the cub scout troop and we had a small party at school. We even were allowed to wear costumes to school which was a welcome change from our usual dress code.
Now I see fewer Trick or Treaters than I did in past decades. Most towns in my area now hold “Trunk or Treat” events. I rather like them. They have turned Halloween from a kid event into a family event. For two years now, our congregation has participated in the Bergenfield Trunk or Treat. It has been a wonderful experience as I met people I would not have ordinarily met. It has been a chance for our congregation to get outside of itself and interact with the broader community.
This year, we participated a little differently than we did in past years. This year, instead of just giving out candy, we held prayer cards and asked those with whom we interacted to write down prayer request. Elder Tina, my partner in the event, passed out candy while I passed out church literature and prayer cards. Several people quickly filled out prayer requests and seemed grateful for our prayers. One man had eyes welled with tears as he asked me to pray for his family. His family lives in Gaza. My heart was broken when I read his prayer request.
I am happy that our congregation is participating in this community event. I also am happy that we are giving out more than candy. One of the best things that we can give to our community is our prayers. Do we as Christians do this enough?
The people that I approached asking for their prayer requests seemed genuinely surprised. I wonder if anyone has offered to pray for them before.
It reminded me a bit of an old song by Billy Joel,
“You said your mother told you ‘All that I could give you was a reputation.’ She never cared for me but did she ever say a prayer for me?”
If we who are faithful are not offering to pray for people, we are not doing our jobs very well. The prayers of God’s faithful are powerful and are among the most important things that we can give to people in the world. Are we doing that job well enough?
Our Trunk or Treat was a real opportunity for us to get out of our buildings and engage with people and learn of their real concerns. I hope that none of us wait until next Halloween to do it again. Maybe this is what we ought to be doing every day of the year.
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#Prayer #CanWePrayForYou?
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