Hands Wide Open

At camp we learned that one posture for prayer is with our hands open

This Summer at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp we learned about prayer. Each person was sent home with a wristband printed with Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We had the opportunity to practice different ways of holding our hands while we prayed. What I learned for myself was how a physical posture can change how I experience a connection with God as I pray. This coming Sunday August 30 a couple of our youth will be sharing about their experiences at camp. Singing and praying, eating and sleeping, hiking and doing KP are all part of the experience.

There's an amazing thing that happens up in the mountains.We are unplugged from technology. We get to have the experience of the G. O. D (the Great Out Doors) time to revel in the beauty of creation. It's a time of a deep connection with nature along with silly songs and games, good food including lots of homemade bread at dinner.

There are prayers that are offered before meals, as well as prayers lifted up after meals. Morning watch starts each day with a song and a bible verse and we are each invited to take some quiet time. There's morning worship. There's evening worship. And in all of it, there's lots and lots of singing.

When I was in middle school and in high school, those camp and retreat experiences were extremely formative. I don't remember much of any particular Bible study or even a camp theme. What I do remember is how I felt when we prayed together, when we sang together, when we ate together, when we worked side-by-side doing KP.

Thanks to the generosity of our congregation everyone who wanted to attend camp got to have their own experience of the great outdoors. As the seasons change and we move into that time in which school schedules and work schedules, sporting events and after school activites make for particularly busy times I am grateful for the memories of long days at camp from First Watch at 7am to our last evening and worship that often wasn't over until 9:30pm as our days were bookended by hands wide open in prayer.

When you join us at our 10am worship we will be singing some favorite camp songs - we hope you will join in the singing and in the praying. And perhaps you might just try this week to see what it feels like for yourself to pray with hands wide open. And remember Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.