Liturgical Prayers for Christian Athletes
I was first introduced to the concept of sport as worship at an Athletes in Action summer project. As a student athlete, this unlocked a whole new world. However, learning the intellectual concept was not enough. For years, I trained as though God was absent from sport. Simply learning a new concept was not going to completely change my well trained mindset overnight.
Matthew Kaemingk and Cory B. Willson, the authors of Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Our Liturgy assert that “Integration is more a habit to be practiced than an idea to be learned.”
A habit to be practiced.
I understand what this means within the context of sport. As a kid from the time I finished my homework until I was called inside for dinner, you could find me outside kicking a ball against the red brick of our house. After learning how to pass and receive at soccer practice, the red brick wall became my practice partner. The repetitive and rhythmic pattern of touch, pass, touch, pass was meant to transform my soccer ability. I devoted myself to this daily practice until it became muscle memory. It worked. Over time, the ritual translated into the ability to connect passes on a soccer field without much thought or effort. The practice transformed my game.
I learned through sport that developing any new skill for competition requires a habit of practice.
For centuries, Christians have used a different word to describe the idea of “a habit to practice” as it relates to training and growing in our faith.
It’s called liturgy.
And we see liturgical practice all over the Bible:
In the Old Testament, it was common practice for Ancient Jewish people to recite the “shema” prayer twice daily. The shema is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” This prayer was expressed every morning and evening as a reminder of their allegiance to God and purpose in life. It’s still practiced by many today.
The Psalms are a collection of songs, poems, and prayers that are used to guide worship. They were meant to be read and sung regularly as part of a community ritual that aligned hearts with the character of God.
In Matthew 6:7-13, Jesus centers his most famous teaching (the Sermon on the Mount) with the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus instructs his followers to pray a specific way as a means of reflection, supplication, and communion with God the Father.
The Lord’s Supper, as instructed by both Jesus and again by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, is a liturgy. Participating in the liturgical practice is a physical reminder of The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Christian faith continues to use liturgies to form, order, and focus worship. For example, The Book of Common Prayer, originally written in 1552 then adapted for modern times, is still commonly used today as a liturgical prayer guide. Liturgical prayers are thoughtfully structured prayers based on Scripture meant to shape us and mold us. At best, it’s a discipleship tool. When emotions, disappointments, or the drive to achieve distract us, liturgical prayers refocus our attention on worship.
The following liturgical prayer guide calls forth the promises of God so that we may be emboldened to integrate faith and sport. The prayers reflect Scripture as we call for help, communion, and wisdom for specific moments in sport. Each line serves as a reminder of God’s presence through it all.
We hope the habitual rhythm of reciting these prayers will become a common practice for you so that faith and sport integration becomes muscle memory. By God’s grace, over time you may just find your minds transformed for worship in sport.
