Opening and Closing Sabbath Services With Prayer

It can create almost unbearable fear and anxiety in grown men. Just the prospect of being asked to perform this service for the first time might make them weak in the knees or cause profuse sweating. Some try to avoid it, making themselves “scarce” prior to the start of services, hoping to avoid notice. They might stand behind someone—anyone—who will prevent them from being seen. What could this possibly be?—What could cause such dread and fear? Being asked to open or close services with prayer!

Conversely, there are some men who seemingly cannot wait to be called on. They try to be noticed, hoping to be asked. For them, this is their opportunity to give the prayer of prayers, their moment to shine. If this is their motivation, it could well be their first and last time of opening or closing services with prayer. Thankfully, such cases are rare.

But again, being asked to give a first-time opening or closing prayer can be a traumatic experience. But, as an opportunity to serve the brethren, it need not be this way.

Why Open With Prayer?

Why do we have an opening prayer for services? Is it to make services feel more religious? Does it make any difference if there is an opening prayer? Is it a useless exercise void of meaning? Or is it an important, integral part of the Sabbath service? Does it really matter?

When assembling together on the Sabbath, we are coming before the great Creator God, the originator and sustainer of all that is. Since His Word clearly instructs us to pray without ceasing (I Thes. 5:17), it is only right and fitting to open His services with prayer. Yet, this prayer should not be vain repetition (Matt. 6:7), meaningless or simply the mouthing of words. For some, it is all too easy to repeat “our Father” or “Father” more times than an opening prayer should contain. Doing so clearly turns the prayer into “vain repetition.” Think of it this way: If you were talking to your physical father, would you repeatedly say “father” or “dad” in every other sentence? Of course not! So strive to avoid doing this when talking to our spiritual Father.

Of course, this prayer does not need to be—nor should it be—very long. A short prayer can be very effective if it is done in earnest, believing faith. There are many biblical examples of short prayers that yielded powerful miracles and intervention from God. A prayer of about 45 seconds in length is all that is needed. However, you should expect the prayer you give to make a difference in the service that will follow.

What to Pray For

The main purpose of this prayer is to ask God to guide and inspire the entire service. This includes both the speaking and the hearing. It also includes the hymns that are sung and the announcements that are given.

Every opening prayer should contain three important overall elements. After all, it will set the tone for the service.

Start by briefly praising and honoring God. As Ruler and King of the entire universe, give Him the credit and glory He is due. Acknowledge that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all life. He alone gives us each beat of our heart and every breath we take. Without Him, we would not even exist! Notice I Timothy 1:17: “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” But, do not over do it!

You would also want to thank God for the opportunity to meet in peace and safety. Express gratitude for the Sabbath day, the meeting hall or home where services are being held, perhaps the weather or any other favorable conditions the Church, local congregation or the brethren around the world have been blessed with. Recall what Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:20).

And of course, you will want to ask for God’s blessing on the service. It is important to ask God to inspire both the sermonette and the sermon. Ask that He guide and direct the proceedings through the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask God to speak through His human instruments and give them the words that the congregation needs to hear. You usually would also ask that the congregation’s hearing be inspired, for their growth, edification or correction and that they would receive the spiritual food that has been prepared and put those principles into practice.

As the end of the age draws near, and as Satan’s wrath increases and intensifies, the world will become darker and darker. For now, we enjoy relative peace and safety, with little interference from the outside world. But we can expect violence, hatred, intolerance and religious persecution to increase—especially upon the true Church. As this happens, it will be ever more necessary to ask for protection for God’s people around the world.

Other things might also be mentioned, depending on events in the world or each local situation.

How to Pray

The purpose of the opening prayer is not to “put on a show” before a live audience. When giving this prayer, you are praying to God, not to the congregation. Completely avoid using religious or “righteous” sounding expressions (such as King James English) or speaking like a soft, syrupy Protestant preacher using melodramatic tones! Also, be very careful of being overly emotional. It will not make the prayer any more effective—rather, it tends to render it “holier-than-thou.” Contrary to what some might believe, Jesus never spoke this way. Also, do not pray to Jesus Himself. Some men slip into talking to or thanking “the Lord.”

Be sincere. Do not give a canned or prepared prayer. Deciding ahead of time what you will say in your prayer prevents God from being able to inspire it. You need not worry about giving the perfect prayer. After all, you are not up for an academy award. A sincere, heartfelt prayer is more important—and more effective!

Remember that it is the opening prayer, so be sure to stay within that purpose. Be careful not to digress into things that have nothing to do with services. It is also not the time to give a sermonette; nor is its purpose to give a “witness” or “testimonial” or anything of the sort.

Avoid presenting a false humility.

Of course, humility is vital, but it should be genuine—from the heart. Be careful not to bow your head so low that you bang it on the microphone—or worse, the lectern. You don’t want to come away with a headache! When there is a microphone, speak into it and not into your tie bar. In the absence of a microphone (as will be the case when meeting in homes or in smaller congregations), be sure to speak loudly and clearly enough for the brethren to hear. Be crisp, confident and bold. Remember this instruction from Hebrews “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (4:16). 

If they cannot hear or understand the prayer, it can hardly be effective, nor will the brethren be able to say “amen” to it. Keep your mind off yourself and simply say what you have to say. Use a normal, clear tone of voice, without any theatrics. Be straightforward and sincere, having godly confidence, but without vanity.

Be sure to close out your prayer by asking what you have prayed for in Jesus Christ’s name. However, avoid using the Protestant-sounding phrase “in our Lord and Savior’s name.” While Christ certainly is our Savior, our focus should be on His Second Coming. But do not “pile on” to the ending trying to outdo other prayer men. It is sufficient to close your prayer with the phrase “in Jesus Christ’s name.” Remember, we are coming to the Father by and through Christ’s authority, which the closing of the prayer should reflect. His purpose was to point us to the Father. The purpose in closing the prayer is not to praise and extol Christ, but rather to acknowledge we are coming to God by Christ’s permission. Consider the following: If your mother sent you to speak with your father, in talking to him, would you endlessly extol your mother? Of course not!

Also be sure to end the prayer with a crisp, clear and audible “amen.” Some men end their prayers with their voice trailing off so quietly, the congregation cannot hear that the prayer is over. Sometimes the only way they know is that they hear the prayer man walking away from the lectern!

When called upon, do not try to make a “grand entrance.” Noise and commotion should be kept to a minimum. When meeting in a home (which is the case for most brethren), move to the front of the seating area or where the song leader might stand and, facing the brethren, firmly deliver the prayer. Of course, this procedure might need to be adjusted, depending on the size of the meeting area and the number of members present.

When meeting in a larger venue or a hall—such as at headquarters or at the Feast—rise from your seat during the last song and move quietly to the outside isle. Make your way toward the speaker’s area, stopping at the front row of seats. As the last verse is concluding, make your way to the lectern as the song leader is speaking your name. This will ensure that you are ready and that a minimal amount of time passes between the announcement of your name and the beginning of the prayer. As the song leader steps aside, take his place behind the lectern and deliver the prayer. When you are finished, leave the area promptly and quietly.

The Closing Prayer

When giving the closing prayer, follow the same procedures as outlined above.

As in the opening prayer, give praise and honor to God. Be sure to express real gratitude for the spiritual food provided. The prayer should indicate that you understood the messages and have benefited from them. Some closing prayers seem totally unrelated to the messages that were given just prior to them. You could perhaps mention one or two points given in the messages and briefly ask God to help all in attendance to apply them in their lives.

However, do not in any way summarize, recap or editorialize the messages or add any additional points to them. As with the opening prayer, the closing prayer is not the time for a sermonette. It is intended to ask God to help you and your brethren achieve the main purpose the speaker had in mind. It might be to educate, encourage, motivate, admonish or correct. Sermons are not all the same. Each is intended to bring about a specific purpose or result in the lives of the listeners. Your request in the closing prayer should show that you basically understood what the speaker had in mind.

Remember to acknowledge the sermonette when closing services with prayer. While it may be easily overlooked, due to the sermon overshadowing it because of length and impact, it is still part of our spiritual food every Sabbath, and we should thank God for it.

There may have been news of a very sick person, a crisis or inspiring news concerning God’s Work or Church during the announcements. This may certainly be mentioned in the closing prayer.

It is appropriate to ask for God’s dismissal and for his protection on the brethren traveling home from services. Some may have a long distance to travel or the weather could be hazardous. You could also ask God to be with those who could not be in attendance. However, when doing this, be careful not to say “for any reason,” because some reasons that people have for missing services are simply not valid.

If the messages have greatly inspired or moved you, it is not wrong to express this in your prayer. But to avoid creating an embarrassing scene for yourself and the brethren, be sincere and balanced—not overly emotional. As with the opening prayer, the closing prayer should be limited to 45 seconds in length.

What If No Baptized Men Are Present?

The end of this age presents many unique challenges for God’s Church. Our congregations tend to be smaller, with brethren somewhat isolated and scattered around the world. Much like the first-century Church, many of them meet in members’ homes. This could mean that services are being held where there are no baptized men present to perform the opening or closing prayer.

Since women (I Cor. 14:34) and (as the established tradition of the Church) unbaptized men are not permitted to give opening or closing prayer, what should be done in these situations? In these circumstances, those present should remain standing after the hymn, and, in their minds, quietly give the opening and closing prayer. In the case of an unbaptized man meeting alone for services, he could ask the prayer out loud.

Remember, these guidelines are primarily intended to help baptized men in the Church give the opening or closing prayer. They contain the principles around which a short, effective prayer can be constructed. Sincerity in the love of God and the brethren are the key ingredients that make our prayers effective.

Recall Christ’s words: “But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).

Opening and closing prayers are an integral part of our formal Sabbath services. The prayers are a verbal offering to God and should be offered to the glory of our Father and His Son.

If you are called upon to open or close services with prayer, look on it as a blessing and an opportunity to serve. And be sure that your prayer is one to which the whole congregation can sincerely say, “Amen.”