What I pray for

Every Wednesday afternoon, I head down to the medical outreach waiting area with this sign. It says “Free Prayers.” I have learned during my time at Christ Lutheran that it is best to wear my collar and jeans. People see that I’m clergy, but the jeans make me approachable. It works in this setting.

The people who come to the medical outreach are so many things. A range really. They would be classified as poor. The zip code the church is in is one of the more economically challenged parts of Harrisburg, if not PA.

They are often lonely. For some people, the only human interaction they will have all day is in the clinic.

Many face a variety of physical and mental challenges. Some are homeless. There are people who check the boxes for groups of people that we could say are targeted for a variety of reasons that I’m not going to go into in a public forum.

I come down and sit in the waiting room with my sign. And wait. And while I wait, I pray. My prayers have evolved over time. I’m often praying for loved ones, for the nurses and staff in the clinic, for the church building and congregation, etc.

Lately I’ve been praying for the nation and naming specific elected officials. But I’m struggling with what to pray for. I name certain elected officials. I think it’s important to name them, rather than just a general prayer…