Sermons for the Month
Prayer Opens the Door of Discipleship
DATE: July 29th, 2007
SERVICE: 9th Sunday after Pentecost
TEXT: Luke 11:1-13“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
A quick, simplistic reading of today's Gospel lesson might create more questions about prayer than are answered. For example, if God is like someone who responds to the persistent demands of a friend only because those requests have become annoying, then is it true that God is worn down by our nagging? Or, if God is like an indulgent parent then is it true that God gives us what we ask for, especially if it's in the "good" category? And, what if this is not your experience when it comes to prayer? Does that mean that you are not persistent enough? Or perhaps it implies that God chooses not to indulge you, which then puts your status as God's child OR God's reputation as a loving parent in question. Do you see what I mean? A simple analysis of this text may cause us to remain in the dark about prayer. Yet, prayer is one of those topics that captures people's attention, but is not easily defined. I'm reminded of the movie that was out four years ago titled "Bruce Almighty". In it actor Jim Carrey played Bruce, a news reporter for a television station, who was frustrated with his life and proclaimed that he could do a better job of running the world than God. So, he's given the opportunity to do so. At first he uses his power in petty and selfish ways, but then he gets more serious and attempts to give people that for which they prayed. Of course his generosity backfires as the desires expressed by some people are in direct conflict with the needs of others. It's a mess, so he seeks advice from God. He describes how there were so many prayers, and he just gave them all what they wanted. And God's response to this is a simple but profound statement, "Yeah, but since when does anyone have a clue about what they want." The point is that we think we know what we want, and need, but God sees the "big picture" in our lives and the world. So, it's only with God's help that we can gain the wisdom to pray as we ought. Prayer is not about giving God orders, or presenting our list of desired outcomes. I read this week that prayer, in its most pure form, is to engage our body, mind and soul with God, not only sharing with God what is on our hearts, but listening deeply to better understand and acknowledge what is on God's heart. (1) With that in mind, let's take another look at today's Gospel lesson. It begins with the disciples asking to be taught to pray. They probably wanted a specific prayer, which Jesus did give them. But, he did more than that; he taught them that prayer is not just about asking that finite needs be met. There's a bigger picture that the prayer we call the "Lord's Prayer" encompasses. It gives us a model for prayer, reminding us to acknowledge the privilege of intimacy with God, who we can address in the same way a child does an earthly parent. Remember that the Greek word we translate as Father is really closer to "Daddy". In our prayers we worship God and announce our desire that God's will and way would be a reality among us. We pray for enough food for each day for every person. We acknowledge our need to be forgiven, and to forgive others. And, we ask for Divine protection from, or in the midst of, the trials of life. To pray in this way constitutes a prayer from the heart; it is wise, that's the first lesson we learn about prayer. Then, moving on in the Gospel lesson we have the story of the midnight request for bread. Offering hospitality was a big deal in first century Palestine. If visitors showed up at midnight, feeding them would have been required. And, if your pantry was empty going to a neighbor for help was the norm. In fact, the man who asked for the three loaves of bread in the middle of the night could expect to receive it without question. The neighbor would get up and hand over the bread, if not because of friendship, then because it was unthinkable and shameful for him not to do so. But what does that teach us about God? The point then is that God would no more think of not hearing our prayers than a Jewish man, bound by a code of honor, would have not answered the door and handed over the bread. Just as responding to the request for help can be expected of the neighbor, it can be expected of God - only more so. If a person perseveres in asking, then God perseveres even more in responding. When we ask, seek and knock with wise prayers, we will hear and see in new ways and doors will open. God's love is always reliable. That's the second lesson we learn about prayer. Then there is the comparison of God to earthly parents; the point is clearly made by Jesus. If people who are imperfect have the ability to give their children good gifts, then imagine what God can do. The problem is that we have a narrow point of view when it comes to defining good gifts. It's about more than bread or eggs, or any other finite thing. God will impart the best gift, the Holy Spirit, who actually prays for us when we are at a loss for words. That's the third lesson about prayer. The fact is that when we pray out of our deepest need, with wisdom, we can trust that we will be heard. We can trust that the Holy Spirit searches our hearts and provides what is required for us to face the challenges and imperfections of this life. We can trust that the people of God will be inspired and empowered to be the answer to prayer. Human experience can be transformed when we knock and the one who opens the door to offer support has been prodded to do so by the Spirit more than by the pounding on the door. And if discipleship is about anything, it's about the "big picture" transformation of human experience. Did you notice how today's Gospel lesson fits with what we've been talking about for the past two weeks? The story of the Good Samaritan challenged us to show radical love to those in need. The story of Mary and Martha challenged us to pause and to discern the better way in any situation, including choosing how to be in relationship with Jesus. These are examples of how we love the Lord with our whole selves, and our neighbors as ourselves. And, guess what? It's not easy. So, we need to pray, and to view prayer not as a quick fix but as the means by which we receive what we need to be disciples. The 9th verse of today's text would be clearer if this is what it said: "So I say to you, Ask for what you need to be my disciple, and it will be given you; search for the gifts of discipleship, and you will find them; knock on the door of discipleship, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks, receives, and everyone who searches, finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." Prayer is not about getting what I want when I want it. Prayer is about seeing the world with God's eyes, and becoming who God wants me to be. When we pray about anything we should address three questions. WHO is God? Think about what we know about our Creator and how God interacts with us. Acknowledge God's power and presence among in our lives. WHAT is God's will? We strive to understand what God desires for us individually, but also in the big picture of this life and the next. And, finally, HOW am I to live, knowing what I do about who God is and God's will? We pray to understand what it means to be a disciple and to be empowered to do it. So, if someone we love is ill, we ask these three questions in our prayers. If we are making a decision about a job change it's the same three questions. Or, let's just say for the sake of example that our church is holding a Capital Campaign to raise funds for a church building project, we ask: Who is God? What is God's will? How do I live it out? And, the reality is, if we focus on prayer as a source of discipleship, then suddenly any other prayers are no longer needed. AMEN
(1) Lectionary Homiletics, Luke 11:1-13, pg. 9, www.goodpreacher.com