Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Applause

They clap when you finish a prayer or sermon in Cambodia
So what’s next? Marks out of 10?

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to X-Factor
The Very Rev Simon Cowell will now give feedback:

‘Good prayer, but at 27 minutes a tad too long for me’

‘A powerful sermon on social media; I particularly liked the way
You stayed in bed and spoke via a 3D hologram’

‘In your prayer you used the word ‘just’ 39 times in three minutes’

‘I recommend next time you pray in tongues.
It’s more intelligible than your Belfast accent’

I think God applauds us just for trying.
The best prayers are usually
Inarticulate groans of the heart.
The best sermons are the ones you live out.

So when things are getting tough
Listen hard and imagine:

The angels whoopin’ and hollerin’
The saints shouting out encouragement from the sidelines
And Jesus, giving you the big thumbs up,
With a card in his hand
That simply says ’10.’
by my friend Peter Barratt on a trip to Cambodia