This morning I helped lead a local arrangement service at my link church. It was one I had put together a few weeks ago, exploring what it means for us to take part in building God’s Church in our communities.

As with other similar services I have prepared, it didn’t include a sermon or reflection. There was space instead for discussion and interactive prayer. Of the two prayer options, the church chose the Lego prayer, partly because they run a Lego Church and have rather a lot of Lego around.

I am the youngest person in the church by a good few years, so it was great to see how well the prayer was received and that everyone took part.

Our discussion followed two readings:

Ephesians 2:19–22
1 Corinthians 12:4–27

One of the main themes that emerged was tiredness and discouragement. Several people spoke about children and grandchildren who rarely come to church. They see a world around them which often doesn’t seem to need or want anything the Church has to offer.

They also spoke about their encounters with people who use the church building. This led to the suggestion that perhaps the church needs to meet at a different time, so that people aren’t forced to choose between children’s activities and church, or even the rare chance of a lie-in.

The part that really grabbed me came during the hymn after our discussion. We sang Brother, Sister, Let Me Serve You (StF 611), and the middle two verses stood out:

3. I will hold the Christ-light for you
   in the night-time of your fear;
   I will hold my hand out to you,
   speak the peace you long to hear.
4. I will weep when you are weeping;
   when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
   I will share your joy and sorrow,
   till we’ve seen this journey through.

When a congregation is tired and uncertain about the future, it can be difficult to see what it is building. These verses reminded us of what churches are already doing in our communities, often in ways we rarely recognise.

We hold out the Christ-light when people are afraid. We offer prayer, companionship and words of peace. Our churches are also present at times of joy and sorrow through baptisms, weddings and funerals.

Many of our churches have few or no young people, and their impact can be difficult to see. We don’t know what difference their presence is making or how God is moving through the relationships that already exist.

But what about the prayers?

Several kinds of Lego were used. Against my initial instinct, we left in all the odd characters and pieces, so people could choose anything to add to the prayer.

I noticed that we didn’t build any doors or a roof. Even the pieces that didn’t quite fit together still had a place.

With all the Lego available and an actual plan, we could probably have built a reasonable model of the church. What emerged was playful and open, and it felt right for the prayer.

After everyone had added something, we prayed:

God our builder,
you take what is small, ordinary and easily overlooked
and make it part of your holy work.

We thank you for the gifts you have placed among us,
including those already recognised
and those still waiting to be seen.

Open our eyes to what you are already doing.
Help us to notice where your Spirit is moving
in this church and in the community around us.

Show us how to join in with humility
and resist the temptation to take over.

Teach us to build with love and patience,
trusting you when we are anxious.

Take the gifts we offer today
and join them with the gifts of others.

Build us together in Christ,
so that our life may point beyond ourselves
to your Kingdom of grace.

Amen.

For anyone interested, the full service plan, including an alternative prayer focus using stones, is available HERE. If you use it, I would love to hear how it goes.