Two Things

I sometimes wonder if there is much altar work done in churches anymore.  From the looks of things, it would seem that not much of it happens.  The only time people come to the altar and kneel is to receive Holy Communion and, of course, some traditions simply pass it to the folks in the pews, or provide a hurried "walk by and grab" ritual for the act of receiving the Sacrament.  And, while this is certainly a ritual which can be included inside the definition of altar work, there is another kind that used to be more prevalent than it is now.

 

This kind of altar work involved praying.  When I was growing into becoming a Methodist it was a common practice to invite the pew sitters to come to the altar at the conclusion of the Sunday evening worship service.  Now going to the altar to pray and Sunday evening worship is an anachronism.  Perhaps, retirement is a good thing for this old preacher who would likely be called old fashioned and out of touch by some within the church of today.  It always seemed that important work got done at those altar gatherings.  Some of the work would likely not have been done in another place, or at another time.

There is something important which happens when a person lifts himself or herself up, turns loose of the pew, and walks down an aisle before God and everyone else to kneel before our Father God and pray.  As someone who learned to meet a lot of folks at that kneeling place, I discovered that the needs which brought them forward were not the obvious things.  One of the things learned was not to assume, but to ask something like, "How can I pray for you?"  Asking is the only way to really know. When someone asks us to pray for them, it is always a good thing to do two things.  First, ask the question, "How can I pray for you?"  and, then, pray then and not later.