Prayer and Praise

Sometimes it's the strangest verses which strike us - no more so than this verse which I was reminded of during last night's "Prayer and Praise" event (although perhaps "Pizza and Poker" might be a more accurate description).


Jesus is having a final meal with his friends. He knows he's about to die, but he takes time out to explain one or two more things to his disciples before he goes to the cross. They share the Passover together, and you can practically hear the sound of the twelve choking on their unleavened bread as Jesus says "one of you will betray me - one who is eating with me." He goes on to explain that the person who is to betray him would be better of having "not been born". Bit of a mood-killer, eh?


It's not these verses which have caught my eye though - it's at the end of Mark's description of the event, in chapter 14 and verse 26: "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."


After such a serious conversation, and at such a key moment in his mission, Jesus still fits in some time for a bit of a sing-song. Despite approaching the very end of the work he came to do, he and his friends still have time to praise God through a hymn.


When we do our P&P evenings, it's great to see that even Jesus wasn't beyond giving praise to his Father, and worshipping him through the medium of song. Last night we prayed for a couple of our CU members who are heading home to Germany and Holland over Christmas, and us singing songs and praying together - whilst to people on the outside it may look odd - it's a fantastic way for us to remind each other about the real reason we were all in the same room. Nothing could have united the diverse bunch of people there other than Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

We have a God who had individuals in mind when he went to the cross, and to share life with people who have accepted Jesus sacrifice for themselves is a privilege, and a constant reminder of a God who reconciles people to himself, and to each other.




For me personally, singing Christian songs at social events is still quite a new thing, and it's not everyone's cup of tea, which is fine. I guess what struck me about the above verse is how normal it was to be singing together, and encouraging one another with truth about God. Paul re-iterates: Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Why? Because it helps us keep going. I've been challenged by the fact that even Jesus wasn't above wanting that kind of motivation.