Prayer Shawls

My pastor called the other day. He was “in the neighborhood” and wanted to know if he could stop by.

I was in my pajamas. I was unshaven. My hair was combed, but in its natural (not gelled or glued down) state, which is just plain scary. But, my teeth were brushed and I was out of bed, so I told Mike that it would be just fine if he came over. How could I refuse his offer when I have visited countless parishioners in their sick beds?

I have been in a lot of pain lately. An MRI and X-rays confirmed that I have a herniated disc in my back. The most common question I have had is, “What did you do?” I wish I could blame it on something that I did, but I didn’t do anything. The pain specialist said something about “wear and tear” associated with age. Ouch. As if I didn’t hurt enough already!

I have been assured of the prayers of many. I am blessed with wonderful family, friends, colleagues and people throughout this synod who are willing to pray. I deeply appreciate each and every prayer offered on my behalf. Even so, I have found that I have had a difficult time sensing those prayers in the midst of the physical pain. My recovery promises to be slow and the Lord has never chosen to bestow upon me the gift of patience or, for that matter, an especially high tolerance for pain.

Pastor Mike came over and did exactly what I would expect. He listened. He empathized. He prayed with us. He did not look upon my pajamas with horror or my hair with pity. He also placed a prayer shawl around my shoulders, representing the prayers of Zion Lutheran Church.

I am well acquainted with prayer shawl ministries. I think they are a great idea. My wife has been knitting prayer shawls for a number of years. In fact, she currently knits for two congregations and Pastor Mike had to make sure that he wasn’t bringing me one that my wife had made. Sometimes prayer shawls are presented with a prayer pinned to it. Some congregations will pray over the shawls in Sunday morning worship before they are distributed.

I don’t suppose it is very masculine to be sitting around with a shawl around the shoulders. Too bad. When I need to feel all those prayers, the prayer shawl is a tangible sign of that support.

So, to the anonymous person who knit my prayer shawl, thank you. It meant a lot to me that our pastor could wrap me in the prayers of our church. If you are part of a knitting group in your congregation, keep knitting! If you are a knitter and your congregation does not have a prayer shawl ministry, consider starting one.

There are prayer shawl knitting patterns readily available on a number of Web sites. I try to never volunteer my wife for anything, but I am sure she would be willing to share her pattern and the resources that she has used. You may contact her through my email or by commenting on this blog post. I would appreciate hearing your stories of prayer shawl ministries. Comment on the blog site at http://niselca.blogspot.com/ or on Facebook. --JC