Prayers for Ukraine

Just as I am finishing getting Treasures in the Sawdust in Ukraine ready for publishing, 

we keep hearing rumblings about the escalating tensions between R u s s i a and its neighbor Ukraine.

There were more than one prayer this morning in church for Ukraine and for God's hand to be over everything happening over there. 

We have personal friends there, including a special pastor, Pastor Roman and his wife Nadia and family. Roman had just called Jonathan a week ago.

Last Sunday, Jonathan and I and three of our children had the privilege of visiting a Slavic church near Denver. Back in October at the Denver Airport on our way to Salem, OH, we met several men from this church. After hearing them talking in Russian and seing one praying over his food,Jonathan had greeted them in Russian, and of course, they clustered around and we got just a bit acquainted before they had to leave for their flight. But we had asked them about their church, given them one of my new books, and now we finally had a chance to visit the church.

 

Inside we were welcomed and told that it was a "special service," i.e. the monthly communion service. I thought that most Slavic churches have communion the first Sunday of the month, which is one reason we picked this last Sunday of the month to go up. I knew communion services are extra long!

The church provides ear phones for guests who need someone to translate. So we were led up to about the fourth row of seats from the front, and then given 5 sets of ear phones. This church has a choir which filed in just before service.

There was a beautiful shiny black grand piano, and wonderful musicians, as well as singers. You can pretty much count on beautiful music at a Slavic church of any size. They sang with piano some, and some a capella. Two songs were familiar, including "Near the Cross," which was familiar enough that Jonathan and I were able to follow the Russian words on the screen and sing along. I was transported back to Kiev where we used to sing that song a lot in Ukraine, especially on communion Sundays. Carrie noticed the minor chords in most of the Russian songs. The two choir songs were beautiful.

But what brought tears to my eyes was when the congregation, after praying aloud together (they all lifted in prayer together rather than one praying while others were quiet as was typical in Ukraine) began to quote the Lord's prayer together in Russian. All of a sudden, I understood the words and was able pray along with most of it, if I could stop crying long enough. It was so precious to hear our dear brothers and sisters in Christ praying in our beloved (albeit difficult)  Russian language.

 

There were at least four or five men who spoke in some way up front, usually with prayer and a song in between. Hannah counted that we prayed nine times! The pulpit was over to the side, as usual, in Slavic churches. One leading man came back and let Jonathan know that if our hearts were ready, we could participate in the communion service.

 Anyway, then there was a final prayer, and I thought the service was over, but  then everyone sat down. There was more speaking, and more singing, and then there was another prayer, with everyone kneeling, facing forward instead of burying their heads in the chairs, just as they did in Ukraine. At one point there was a benediction, but then we sat down again. Then there was a long, long, long list of announcements. And then anyone who had greetings to share from other churches or people could do so. Then  final prayer. And then FINALLY, about 12:30, we were actually dismissed.

 The three children who went with us got a real taste of what a Russian-speaking service is like.

And I got a little taste of my beloved Russian-speaking brothers and sisters in Christ once again.

Pray with us for the safety, courage, and peace of our brothers and sisters in Christ in these Slavic nations.