Honors community unites for liturgical prayer

It all starts with a Facebook post.

“Terce tomorrow 10:15!”

Accordingly, every Monday at 10:15, a small group of students assembles in the honors lounge to partake in a small service.

The exact substance of the intimate communion varies from week-to-week, but typically consists of prayer, confession, a psalm, hymn and benediction.

The tradition began last spring. After the death of Olivia Greenlee, Scott Huelin, director of the honors community, began gathering students to pray and worship together.

Joshua Sander, sophomore accounting major and general honors student, said, “It’s primarily different from other worship gatherings in that it’s very liturgical. The prayers to be said and the Scripture passages to be read are all written down on sheets of paper. The general order of the prayers we pray is the same as has been done by Catholics and other Christians for centuries in their daily prayers. For me, liturgy allows me to refrain from worrying about what I’m going to say next and how ‘spiritual’ it will sound to the group and focus instead on the meaning behind the words.”

Sarah Troxel, sophomore applied linguistics major and member of the honors community, said, “Liturgical prayer is different from a Bible study because it is so simple and meditative. There is no individualism or voicing of personal opinion. Rather, it is the uniting of our voices as the body of Christ as we speak truth about Him and confess our dependency in His presence. What I love most is that it trains my flesh to pray with the Spirit. ‘For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us…’ (Romans 8:26). I truly don’t know how to pray rightly, so I must incorporate scripture and writings of past believers into my prayers. I’ve noticed that the words I say in liturgy have begun to bleed into my intimate times of communion with God.”

Jordyn Neel, vice president of the honors’ SGA, usually arranges the gathering.

“For the most part, it’s just honors students, but it’s open to everyone,” Neel said. “My favorite part is how it is a good way to come together for a few minutes in corporate worship, get a good start on the week and re-focus with your brothers and sisters before going into a long week.”