Been doing some work with students this afternoon on prayer. Tried using a bit of Charlie Parker alongside the famous “My King is" benediction from Dr. Lockeridge.
We were looking at extempore prayer and I was keen to establish that praying out of the moment needn’t be dull or banal. Also wanted to get at what it is that helps us to lead prayer effectively without having to write it all out before hand. I think Charlie and the Doc did the trick.
Parker was a musical genius. Playing a clip of him improvising showed just how inventive, moving and complex making it up on the spot can be. As did Lockeridge’s benediction.
For those that don’t know the story, as I understand it a preacher who was drawing towards the close of a service spotted the renowned Doctor in the congregation. Social faux pas or what! Such a distinguished guest should have been given a proper welcome. Thinking on his feet, improvising if you like, the preacher announced how pleased he was to have Lockeridge visiting and invited him to pray the Benediction. What followed was a tour de force. Maybe it was as much a sermon as a prayer but boy is it an object lesson in going extempore.
For those who haven’t come across Lockeridge’s prayer here it is. (Of the various versions available on Youtube I’ve gone for the unedited, unremixed, unillustrated version. It seems to me that it captures the energy and power of the original far better than some of the jazzed up (!) alternatives.)
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