Intercession

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for everyone

These words in the first Letter to Timothy remind us that prayer in all its forms is the first work of the Christian.  This is not some pious development of Church life, but a reflexion of Christ’s own ministry, which, the Gospels tell us, included both attendance at the Temple and Synagogue and also time apart from others in private devotion.  The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that this works continues in Heaven, where He makes constant intercession for us.

Various pressures of the modern day encourage Christian communities to play down the devotional side of their life, seeking relevance in an emphasis on the social action dimension.  Whilst the latter is essentially important, we need to recover self-confidence in the fact that at the centre of our life is prayer and worship.

In part, this can be achieved by recognising that in the Christian tradition the various components that make up our community life should not be considered as discrete units.  We should not see there to be a choice between worship or social action, but see both going hand in hand and indeed part of a network of activities that includes administration, pastoral care and fundraising, all of which are integral, one to another.

The congregations at Saint Matthew’s, probably, are less abashed than most Christian communities, taking, as we do, considerable care over the full round of worship that we offer.  From a purely liturgical point of view, the services at Saint Matthew’s are models of excellence in their way; but there is always room for development.

One way in which we could seek to move forward is by drawing in to our liturgy the concerns that beset us outside the walls of the church, principally, though not necessarily exclusively, during the course of the intercessions.

The importance of the intercessions at Mass was somewhat masked by their omission from most rites in the Middle Ages (a brief vestige remaining in the text of the Eucharistic Prayer).  Although the Book of Common Prayer had the (invariable) prayer for the Church militant, the Church of England did little better until the reforms in the middle of the last century.  Old habits die hard and there is still some feel that the intercessions are an optional extra, when, in fact they are one of the most ancient parts of the Mass.

Part of the reluctance derives from the fact that they are composed and led by a member of the laity, which suggests to some that they are an interlude in the flow of the priestly conducted liturgy.  Such an attitude fails to take into account that the priesthood of the Church resides primarily in the community of the baptized: the ministerial priesthood is a focus of that priesthood, but does not supplant it.

Prayer and intercession is a common vocation of all Christians and appropriately a role that is fulfilled by as wide a constituency of people as ever.  There are, moreover, some practical benefits.

To appreciate these, we need to reflect momentarily on the function of intercessions.  Popularly, they are understood almost as a list of requests, plead before the Throne of God.  However, in many He know all this already; the intercessions are at least as much about focusing our thoughts as they are about nudging the Divine.  This is why people nowadays are generally encouraged to stand for the intercessions, to remind us that they are directed at us as much as at God.

Clearly, when thus viewed, there is an almost infinite range of considerations that could be included in the intercessions.  The differences of perspective that a range of leaders can provide will inevitably broaden and enrich the insights that we can gain from this part of the Mass (or other service).

Obviously, this places a duty on those who lead intercessions to ensure that they reflect in a way that encourages the assent of the congregation as a whole; but it also requires people to listen carefully and think about what is being said.

There is, however, another dimension to all this.  There should be a way in which the community comes to a mind about the content of the petitions that are offered, particularly those things that come round again and again.

It is one thing to sidle up to the intercessor on Sunday and put another name on the list; but we should be seeking more broadly to draw issues into the church’s life of prayer.  To some extent, content of the intercessions is left to the discretion of the leader and this is part of the role; but equally the community can and should decide about the sorts of things that should be included.

As a first step to this, S Augustine’s Altar in the North Aisle is used as for personal requests for prayer.  Those whose names are written on the slips are mentioned at Mass on Thursday.  People are encouraged to make use of this facility, possibly in conjunction with the candles at the Sacrament and Lady Altars.

It would be good, however, to create a mechanism where concerns that weigh on the minds of members of our congregation can be woven into the round of intercessions that are offered (eg the schools at which folks teach or learn, or the hospitals in which they work).  For this to be effective, ideally a coordinator would step forward who would, in consultation with the Vicar, keep the lists up to date.

This last point is very important.  When someone asks for someone or something to be included in the list of intercessions, it implies a responsibility to remove them or update them as the circumstances change - many churches include on the list of the sick a person who has long since died.  If the intercessions are to be taken seriously, they need to refer to the real world today.

Not everyone will feel comfortable with leading the intercessions – though new volunteers are always welcome – but we can all take a responsibility for drawing the congregation’s attention to things that should be included.  As the new ecclesiastical year rolls under way, it would be good to see if 2004/5 could see us raising our game in this area.

Home page: http://stmatthewsnewcastle.org.uk/