Online Arts Ministry During COVID-19: Intercession with Movement

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Interceding Together while Physically Apart

Though it may separate us physically, the Covid-19 crisis sparks new ways to creatively connect virtually with each other, with God in unison, and with the sacredness of our own bodies through Intercession with Movement.  All of these are helpful now as we face an indefinite period of disembodied communication, and, with restrictions on travel and closing of businesses, potential dormancy of own bodies.

We all know the benefits of physical movement on health and wellness. But it can have great spiritual significance, as well. In the Bible movement is frequently incorporated in worship (2 Sam. 6:20-22, Luke 15:10) spiritual warfare (Psalm 149), and intercession. When we intercede–together or alone–using physical movement it adds force and empathy to our intercession.
Intercession with our Bodies
Intercession, praying on behalf of others, is a Christian privilege and a unifying joy. But in troubled times like these, done without the correct perspective intercession can sometimes feel like an overwhelming burden. We might even begin to turn our prayers into a form of worry and actually store anxiety in our bodies. Intercession with Movement can help us release and align with God properly.
It’s helpful to view intercession (and really most prayer) is an EXCHANGE. We bring our requests to God and release them to him. We exchange concern, worry, and fear for his peace and joy (Phil. 4:6-7), trusting that he has heard us and is acting. This is the essence of faith. There is place for persistence in our prayers, and we may be prompted to offer a particular request to him many times, but always in faith exchanging our request for his peace.  Physical movement can be very helpful in feeling, processing, and demonstrating that exchange.
Palms Up, Palms Down Prayer

Author and Worship Ministry Pastor, Jody Thomae (see link below), suggests one way to do this with “Palms Up, Palms Down” movement.

This can easily be done together online, even as part of an online worship service.

A leader might invite the congregation participating online to stand at home, then follow a process similar to this.

1. Invite them to relax and get into a prayerful attitude for a moment. Then ask them to open their palms, at waist height, facing up.

2. Invite them to imagine the situation or the people they want to intercede for, their losses, putting themselves in their shoes. Feel the weight of what those people might be going through in their own palms. The leader may want to speak some things out, or invite people to speak out their prayers.

3. Then direct them to turn their palms down and release that weight completely, not retaining it in themselves. 

4. With palms still down, pray for God’s blessings on those people or situations. Take a moment to imagine God’s answers to their prayers.

5. Then turn palms up again, and bend down and scoop up that person or situation, and lift it to God as a prayer of intercession, releasing it fully to him. Spend a few moments releasing and worshiping while your hands are raised.

This exercise can be done multiple times consecutively for individual prayer requests, a single time for several requests together, or any way you like.

God created us as beings who need spiritual and physical nourishment and attention, and who crave connection with him and each other. This crisis is just another opportunity to discover creative ways that God will not only fulfill our needs, but enable us to bless others through our actions.

Over the next weeks CreativeChurchArtsIdeas will offer multiple ideas for online arts ministry and creative online church services. Subscribe to be updated on new releases.  And as always, if you have a creative arts ministry project, practice or idea to contribut, please contact us HERE.
Here is a link to Jody Thomae’s site, were you can find some good material on embodied faith: https://jodythomae.com/category/creative-spiritual-practices/embodied-practices/

 

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