Pew Polishing!

I’ve been up at St Giles Church Pew polishing! Yes, I know you are surprised. Polishing anywhere is not really one of my strong points. Sometimes I polish my furniture on the first really lovely spring day, or just before Christmas, or, maybe, when I am expecting visitors!! But it seemed a pleasant way I could help especially as I seem to be failing on the Church Yard clearing jobs these days.

It was warm and quiet, a haven from the cold snow and real danger of the outside world. I enjoyed reading the plaques on the walls commemorating fallen parishioners; I admired the poppies left at Remembrance time and the flowers so beautifully arranged. I sat down to read the papers left on the table in the North Aisle, a little box holding prayer requests. There was a ladybird inside the box. Was she praying for those mentioned? I helped her.

Then I got on with the job. I found a stone maybe left behind from the Meditation we had at one of our 10 am Sunday Services. Whose stone was this? Why was it left here? I prayed for the person as I polished and dusted. One pew was sticky with sugary deposit. Was it left by the sticky fingers of a child comforted with sweets at one of our services? I thanked God for the children and young families we have in our congregations. So many churches I go to are only filled with older people. I prayed for all our children, those who come to our children and young people’s groups and those we hope will come. Then I found a red earring under a cushion. How had this come to be here I wondered? Maybe the person who was wearing this earring had slumped in her seat, head in her hands in despair praying for God’s help. Maybe that was how the earring had become dislodged and fallen to this dark corner. I prayed with her, I prayed for an answer to her prayer. God’s will be done.

Soon the congregation will come for the Thursday Service. They are usually older people, members here for many years. Maybe they came as children and now are still here in their retirement. Perhaps they will be glad when they smell the polish. I hope their experience here today will be good and that they will return home strengthened and empowered for another week. I prayed for them too.

Then I dropped my duster down behind a pew. Oh, dear. I stopped work. Any excuse!! I sat down to rest and thanked God that I had been able to get to church today. I prayed for myself, for my family, for my dreams.

That’s how I pray.

It’s not really like Abraham, or Jacob, or Moses, or Job.

It’s just me.

How do you pray?