I agree with you, Rhonda, that the same thing is happening in singing-worship and in recitative prayer. I don't often experience a song or hymn (or somebody else's prayer) 'becoming my prayer' - Although I have experienced it, and I understand that it's valid. (My own prayers tend to be more like answers to the question: "If you had the Omnipotent God of the Universe here before you, and you could say one thing to Him, what would it be?")

As a matter of fact, my own church sometimes does repeat-after-me prayers, but mostly as a sort of cherry on top of the main service. I think that we feel like saying a prayer that you didn't make up yourself is like sending a letter you didn't write yourself (a form letter). There are times when it's appropriate (doing taxes, applying for a job) but it's impersonal. When we do it we feel like we're in the waiting room filling out forms (after all such prayers are formal) when we want to speak to the Doctor personally.

And we spend so much time in this modern world filling out forms, sending people words that we didn't make up ourselves. It feels un-genuine. The point of having forms like that is to make each letter the same so that the secretary can deal with a great number of them more easily. The point is to spare the secretary the burden of keeping track of so many individual personal relationships. Jesus is not such a secretary. We want an individual personal relationship with Jesus.

I guess we didn't know the theory behind it - That such things are merely to teach us how to pray, rather than to be our whole prayer life. That's better - It's like reading a book on how to address the Doctor as opposed to filling out a form and mailing it to the Doctor. We didn't know the theory before we decided to feel that way about it. Thank you for teaching me about it, Rhonda. I guess we're also scared that some other people won't understand the theory either, and the recitative prayers will turn into magic words for them. There are such dangers in all practices, though.

As for the Birthday-Wish prayers, it brings up an interesting thought that I've been mulling over for probably 2 or 3 years. Here it is:

God the Father created the world, and all the riches in it. Everything you could wish for for your birthday, He made. He made it, and He gave it to Adam (and you by birthright) to rule over, protect, and enjoy. He did this because He loves you. He wants you to enjoy these good things, and He is pleased by your prayers asking Him for them. Doesn't he know how to give good gifts?

Jesus Christ came because the world is broken, irrevocably so. It needs to be destroyed, and in the end it will be. He had to be destroyed to save me from being destroyed. He asks us to put our treasure in heaven, and tells us that it's very hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. From a Christ and sacrifice point of view, it's good to be poor. The less worldly goods you have, the more focussed you can be on spiritual things.

It's funny that there should be two sides to this. I think I would say it this way:

Praying for material riches to distract oneself from the Gospel and numb the pain of death: Bad.
Praying for material riches to enjoy them as a blessing from God: Good.
Praying (and working) to become materially poor out of bitterness and hatred for the world God made: Bad.
Praying (and working) to become materially poor in order to put your treasure in Heaven and to be more like Jesus Christ: Good.

I find myself dividing everying into two categories: Son-oriented and Father-oriented, and I think that as long as Birthday-Wish prayers are Father-oriented (i.e. acknowledging that all good gifts come from God and giving thanks to Him) they are good.

Thoughts anyone?

(Sorry to go on so long. I thought this was better as a post than in the comments section.)