Lord, Teach Us to Pray
I was about 7 when I first learned it. At Peace, my home congregation growing up, we had these booklets that we got in Sunday School. In that booklet were different things that we could learn about church including the books of the Old and New Testament, the Apostle’s creed, the Nicene creed, the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer (both versions). If you learned them and were able to tell them to your parents, one of the pastors and another church member then you got recognition at different levels, like learning 3, 5 and all 7. I remember when I got my booklet. I flipped through and decided to start learning the Lord’s Prayer because it was the easiest and the shortest thing in there. My people pleasing side had majorly kicked in. I wanted that recognition so why not start with the easiest and the shortest? As I have grown and prayed the Lord’s Prayer for about 18 years now, it still seems too short sometimes, but I have realized more and more that it is anything but easy.
Jesus’ disciples approach him in the gospel lesson this morning after he has spent one of his many silent moments praying in a place by himself. One of them asks him point blank “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.” I find this really interesting. Why would this disciple add in the last qualifier “As John taught his disciples”? A common interpretation is that this disciple was using John as a reference point, “Jesus, John taught his disciples how to pray. Can you do the same thing for us?” A simple request to learn to be more like Jesus since that was the disciple’s job, to become more like their rabbi. Learning to pray like him would be step in that direction. A reflection I had were that maybe the disciples knew something of the prayer John had taught his disciples and they wanted something cool too. While they were hangin out by the Jordan, John’s disciples would pray the prayer he taught them and it was awesome. So the twelve got a little jealous, anxious, or competitive because they knew that any prayer Jesus would teach them would smoke John’s prayer. It would be hands-down, the best prayer ever. But they couldn’t show it off yet because Jesus hadn’t taught them how to pray! Oh no!
Either way you look at it, Jesus teaches them a prayer that we now say every Sunday and even sometimes in between. The Lord’s Prayer. Luke’s version of the prayer is a bit abridged. If you’re looking for the one closer to the one we say it’s in the gospel of Matthew. Jesus’ model for prayer is pretty simple in its formula. It starts with praising God and acknowledging God’s work. It then asks for sustaining things (daily bread), relationship things (forgiveness), and safety (time of trial). That’s it. And that’s a wrap! Just pray like that, keeping those few things in mind and you’re golden. Sermon done! Not quite…
If we stopped there it would leave something left to be desired, especially since we’ve read that parable about the persistent friend and also Jesus’ words about asking, seeking and knocking. We’ve all had experiences where we have been persistent and shameless about asking for things from God, seeking God in those tough moments and pounding louder and harder on the door than Fred Flintstone. And we’re not talking trivial things, but big stuff like healing for friends and family, a job so we can support our family, when we’re afraid or anxious, and when tragedy, death and destruction happens. We’ve also experienced when those prayers have gone unanswered.
I don’t claim to know much of anything about unanswered prayer. There are all kinds of answers that are given in those circumstances. Some can be unintentionally hurtful like, “it was part of God’s plan.” Some are about the nature of God like, “Well maybe it just seemed like God didn’t answer, but the answer came in a different form.” Some might come from us beating ourselves up “Well maybe I wasn’t as persistent as I thought. If I had just prayed more…” What I can tell you is what I firmly believe in. I place my trust in God and not in the prayer I pray. My trust is in God and God’s unfailing love and grace for us, not in anything I can come up with on my own.
God’s love and faithfulness is present even though we may not always be able to see it. Jesus illustrates it by talking about people giving gifts. We know how to give good gifts to our children, even though we may not always be the best at it. Jesus shares God’s promise with us “If you then, who are evil (ouch), know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” God will give in abundance the Holy Spirit. Jesus doesn’t say that it will be exactly what we want or what we ask for specifically, but rather the answer is the Holy Spirit through which we receive peace, love, understanding, community and all sorts of other blessings.
What I think is one of the most captivating things about this prayer filled with trust and reliance is the unity it brings. The Lord’s Prayer is written with the community always in mind. It’s never give me today, or forgive me, or lead me not, but always us. It also unites us as the whole Christian church.
I was sitting in Starbucks the other day and it’s always interesting to hear the different drink names. Who thinks they have the craziest Starbucks drink order? The combinations at Starbucks can be really intimidating for a first timer. You can always tell who they are because they stand and stare at the menu board for a while. It’s a language all its own. This idea gets worse when it comes to people talking about theology. When theologians start talking about sanctification and justification and all of the –iations it gets tough to comprehend. At the end of the day when we get together to worship we all pray the Lord’s Prayer. Here in a little bit when we say it together millions of Christians all over the world will be saying it too. It was also said by our grandparents and great-grandparents and our great great grandparents. We teach it to our children and they’ll teach it to their children and they’ll teach it to their children. Really old or really young this is a prayer that can cut through the noise and the confusion of life to reassert our trust in God and God’s unfailing love. A prayer that brings us all together in unity. A prayer that Jesus taught us. A true gift.
I want to end with an illustration of all of this that I bring back with me from camp. It’s a participatory illustration which means you have to help or it will fail miserably. I’m asking you to do this because I believe in you and if you don’t believe in yourself, well… I don’t mind looking silly in front of you all. Here in a minute I want you to begin praying out loud. It doesn’t have to be anything special just start praying and giving God your thoughts and feelings. Then when you hear a prayer you recognize join in. I want to encourage you to listen closely as we are all praying and take your time. It’s not a race. Listen as we pray… (As everyone prays for a bit begin saying the Lord’s Prayer with everyone joining in. The final Amen is the end of the sermon).
Monday, July 29, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Sermon on Luke 9:51-62 (Proper 8C or Pentecost +6)
Home Is Where Your Heart Is
The congregation that I attended when I was growing up was Peace Lutheran in College Station. I have a lot of really good and random memories there. It’s interesting some of the things you remember compared to others. The sanctuary is set in a half circle design similar to ours. I always thought that was really a cool concept. You got to see the other people you were worshipping with. Above the altar area there is a huge dove carved out of wood. During sermons sometimes I would sit and wonder if the pastor and the assisting minister for the day would be able to get out of the way fast enough if it were to fall. And we had the red carpet. I don’t know why, but that red carpet is like a staple in Lutheran churches. I also remember vividly the Fellowship Hall. I spent lots of time there playing different games and doing different activities. There is this one triangle shaped ledge that sticks out over the office area. That was the home run porch for when we played marshmallow baseball. Every time I visit home I wonder if someone finally got up there to get those down or if there is still a stray marshmallow or two still up there. Peace was for the longest time my home congregation. There was, however, this very weird time right when I started here at Shepherd of Life where I wasn’t quite sure where my home congregation was. What will help you understand the weirdness is to understand a part of the candidacy process when someone decides to pursue ordained ministry to become a pastor. One part of the process is having a home congregation that supports you through that time. So even while I was in college I continued to refer to Peace as my home congregation. When I arrived here to follow the call of youth and family ministry, meaning I wasn’t going straight to seminary like I had planned for a while, it wasn’t as important to have a “home” congregation anymore. Shepherd of Life is now undoubtedly my home congregation, but you could see how at first it was a little uncomfortable. I had spent so much time holding on to a “home congregation” for a specific purpose that it took a little bit to transition.
Looking at our gospel lesson today it’s pretty obvious that it can be a tough thing to transition what you consider home. While Jesus is passing through a village, his face set on heading towards Jerusalem, he has three really unique encounters with people. Out of these three encounters we are given three sayings of Jesus that each resemble a soundbyte and are rapid fire. They also seem to be a bit out of character for Jesus. The first comes when someone says “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus then responds rather oddly, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” The guy didn’t say anything about wanting to settle down anywhere so the answer at first seems a little out of left field. Jesus then calls to another person using his classic line “Follow me.” That person wants to go and lay his father to rest first, but seems open to the call. To which then Jesus responds “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” Seems a bit harsh. The last person says “I’m totally down for following you just let me go say goodbye to my folks really quick” to which Jesus essentially responds “Cool, but that means you’re not really cut out for this” What do we make of all this?
What seems like some tough words from Jesus is really him just painting a reality for those he encounters, his disciples that are with him, and for us as followers years later. If you’re going to follow me and do kingdom work then things are going to look much different than you expect them to. I don’t have a place to call home, no set place to lay my head. Chances are you probably won’t either. When you go to proclaim the kingdom and listen to its call it might get in the way of plans you thought about doing…even changing the friendships and relationships you hold close to you now. If you’re concerned about saying goodbye to things now imagine what it will be like down the road when things aren’t as comfortable. This is real talk that we all understand at some level. Think about how your life is different because of your journey of faith. When we take serious the call of Christ to follow it means some pretty radical things. We have to give up and sacrifice some things, mainly ourselves, our pride, our selfishness, our need to control things and make them nice and neat. If you think back to the calling of the first disciples what did they do when Jesus called them. They dropped their nets and immediately followed. What we are seeing today are potential disciples that have potential reservations.
God has been using those sorts of people for years. Every major call story in the Bible when people have been contacted by God for a purpose have had some sort of excuse. I can’t speak well, I’m too young, I’m too old, I’m not good enough, what are other people going to say. That didn’t matter to God though. Through some discussion, sometimes not always the nicest, God has convinced God’s people to do some incredible things. So if you have some reservations like the people in our gospel text today you’re not alone. There is, however, some reality that you will have to face, but it’s not in the fine print. It’s right there for us all to see as we seek to live out and follow the way of Jesus. Jesus’ call to come follow him doesn’t guarantee a simple, straightforward life that has all of the creature comforts taken care of, but what it does speak to us is the fact that we are needed to help bring in the kingdom of God.
There is also a cautionary tale for those of us who are following whether we have reservations or not as many. We see it in the way that James and John react to those who aren’t as accepting. Before the three encounters Jesus and the disciples are going to pass through a Samaritan village. Samaritans and Jews didn’t see eye to eye on everything in Jesus’ day and it usually came out in the form of hatred against one another. For whatever reason this Samaritan village didn’t accept the messengers that Jesus had sent ahead to prepare a place for him. James and John react rather strongly wanting to call down fire from heaven to consume them. They weren’t called the sons of thunder for nothing! As if they could even do that to begin with! Who do they think they are? Sounds to me like they were a bit big for their britches as my grandpa used to say. Some folks have a habit of doing that today as well. When we are met with something different that doesn’t accept us as we are, we are all sorts of ready to call down some fire. Here’s the thing: James and John couldn’t and weren’t allowed to do it and neither are we. We are called to follow Jesus’ example and act in a way that is radically different. To respond with holy love instead of holy fire.
So if we follow on this road that will be twisty, curved, complicated and filled with radically different responses to things, what are we going to find along the way? I was reading a blog post by one of my favorite musicians Michael Gungor this past week. He and his wife Lisa along with some of their musician friends have gotten together and created the band Gungor. They create some awesome music that is different than mainstream Christian music, but talks deeply about the mystery of our faith. He was telling a story about a time that they were playing for worship at a Catholic youth festival and they were invited to participate in the evening Adoration. During this service the congregation lit candles and spent around 20 minutes in silence facing the cross simply adoring Christ. He didn’t know all of the details, but what Michael did feel and understand was the mystery of it all. Then, of course, I had to go down and read the comments… All of them were really positive, many thanking Michael for speaking positively about a church that often is the target of a lot of hate. One phrase kept popping up that really struck me “Come Home.” Comment after comment imploring Michael to “Come home” That caused a lot of questions for me namely: since Micheal didn’t grow up Catholic, how could becoming Catholic suddenly be coming home? It helped me realize a promise that Jesus talks to us about today. When we set off on the road, following his way, we may not find home in a certain place, but we will definitely find home in Jesus. That could be why Jesus reminds us that he has no home. No certain faith tradition or denomination has sole claim over Jesus. This means that who knows what we could discover from those we journey with when we set out on the road. Things might look different and we’ll never know what we could learn and appreciate about others if we call down fire upon them or are held up by our own reservations. What we can be sure of is that we have a home and shelter in Christ who calls us to journey with him. Despite our differences or our reservations we are called to journey together and do kingdom work all while residing at home in Jesus. To proclaim that God has come near. To tell of the good news of God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ. As you journey this week may you remember that wherever you are you are home in Jesus. He’s there to strengthen you with his grace and love. May you also remember that despite your reservations you are called to proclaim the kingdom. May you also learn something different from someone else this week as we journey down the road together. Amen
The congregation that I attended when I was growing up was Peace Lutheran in College Station. I have a lot of really good and random memories there. It’s interesting some of the things you remember compared to others. The sanctuary is set in a half circle design similar to ours. I always thought that was really a cool concept. You got to see the other people you were worshipping with. Above the altar area there is a huge dove carved out of wood. During sermons sometimes I would sit and wonder if the pastor and the assisting minister for the day would be able to get out of the way fast enough if it were to fall. And we had the red carpet. I don’t know why, but that red carpet is like a staple in Lutheran churches. I also remember vividly the Fellowship Hall. I spent lots of time there playing different games and doing different activities. There is this one triangle shaped ledge that sticks out over the office area. That was the home run porch for when we played marshmallow baseball. Every time I visit home I wonder if someone finally got up there to get those down or if there is still a stray marshmallow or two still up there. Peace was for the longest time my home congregation. There was, however, this very weird time right when I started here at Shepherd of Life where I wasn’t quite sure where my home congregation was. What will help you understand the weirdness is to understand a part of the candidacy process when someone decides to pursue ordained ministry to become a pastor. One part of the process is having a home congregation that supports you through that time. So even while I was in college I continued to refer to Peace as my home congregation. When I arrived here to follow the call of youth and family ministry, meaning I wasn’t going straight to seminary like I had planned for a while, it wasn’t as important to have a “home” congregation anymore. Shepherd of Life is now undoubtedly my home congregation, but you could see how at first it was a little uncomfortable. I had spent so much time holding on to a “home congregation” for a specific purpose that it took a little bit to transition.
Looking at our gospel lesson today it’s pretty obvious that it can be a tough thing to transition what you consider home. While Jesus is passing through a village, his face set on heading towards Jerusalem, he has three really unique encounters with people. Out of these three encounters we are given three sayings of Jesus that each resemble a soundbyte and are rapid fire. They also seem to be a bit out of character for Jesus. The first comes when someone says “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus then responds rather oddly, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” The guy didn’t say anything about wanting to settle down anywhere so the answer at first seems a little out of left field. Jesus then calls to another person using his classic line “Follow me.” That person wants to go and lay his father to rest first, but seems open to the call. To which then Jesus responds “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” Seems a bit harsh. The last person says “I’m totally down for following you just let me go say goodbye to my folks really quick” to which Jesus essentially responds “Cool, but that means you’re not really cut out for this” What do we make of all this?
What seems like some tough words from Jesus is really him just painting a reality for those he encounters, his disciples that are with him, and for us as followers years later. If you’re going to follow me and do kingdom work then things are going to look much different than you expect them to. I don’t have a place to call home, no set place to lay my head. Chances are you probably won’t either. When you go to proclaim the kingdom and listen to its call it might get in the way of plans you thought about doing…even changing the friendships and relationships you hold close to you now. If you’re concerned about saying goodbye to things now imagine what it will be like down the road when things aren’t as comfortable. This is real talk that we all understand at some level. Think about how your life is different because of your journey of faith. When we take serious the call of Christ to follow it means some pretty radical things. We have to give up and sacrifice some things, mainly ourselves, our pride, our selfishness, our need to control things and make them nice and neat. If you think back to the calling of the first disciples what did they do when Jesus called them. They dropped their nets and immediately followed. What we are seeing today are potential disciples that have potential reservations.
God has been using those sorts of people for years. Every major call story in the Bible when people have been contacted by God for a purpose have had some sort of excuse. I can’t speak well, I’m too young, I’m too old, I’m not good enough, what are other people going to say. That didn’t matter to God though. Through some discussion, sometimes not always the nicest, God has convinced God’s people to do some incredible things. So if you have some reservations like the people in our gospel text today you’re not alone. There is, however, some reality that you will have to face, but it’s not in the fine print. It’s right there for us all to see as we seek to live out and follow the way of Jesus. Jesus’ call to come follow him doesn’t guarantee a simple, straightforward life that has all of the creature comforts taken care of, but what it does speak to us is the fact that we are needed to help bring in the kingdom of God.
There is also a cautionary tale for those of us who are following whether we have reservations or not as many. We see it in the way that James and John react to those who aren’t as accepting. Before the three encounters Jesus and the disciples are going to pass through a Samaritan village. Samaritans and Jews didn’t see eye to eye on everything in Jesus’ day and it usually came out in the form of hatred against one another. For whatever reason this Samaritan village didn’t accept the messengers that Jesus had sent ahead to prepare a place for him. James and John react rather strongly wanting to call down fire from heaven to consume them. They weren’t called the sons of thunder for nothing! As if they could even do that to begin with! Who do they think they are? Sounds to me like they were a bit big for their britches as my grandpa used to say. Some folks have a habit of doing that today as well. When we are met with something different that doesn’t accept us as we are, we are all sorts of ready to call down some fire. Here’s the thing: James and John couldn’t and weren’t allowed to do it and neither are we. We are called to follow Jesus’ example and act in a way that is radically different. To respond with holy love instead of holy fire.
So if we follow on this road that will be twisty, curved, complicated and filled with radically different responses to things, what are we going to find along the way? I was reading a blog post by one of my favorite musicians Michael Gungor this past week. He and his wife Lisa along with some of their musician friends have gotten together and created the band Gungor. They create some awesome music that is different than mainstream Christian music, but talks deeply about the mystery of our faith. He was telling a story about a time that they were playing for worship at a Catholic youth festival and they were invited to participate in the evening Adoration. During this service the congregation lit candles and spent around 20 minutes in silence facing the cross simply adoring Christ. He didn’t know all of the details, but what Michael did feel and understand was the mystery of it all. Then, of course, I had to go down and read the comments… All of them were really positive, many thanking Michael for speaking positively about a church that often is the target of a lot of hate. One phrase kept popping up that really struck me “Come Home.” Comment after comment imploring Michael to “Come home” That caused a lot of questions for me namely: since Micheal didn’t grow up Catholic, how could becoming Catholic suddenly be coming home? It helped me realize a promise that Jesus talks to us about today. When we set off on the road, following his way, we may not find home in a certain place, but we will definitely find home in Jesus. That could be why Jesus reminds us that he has no home. No certain faith tradition or denomination has sole claim over Jesus. This means that who knows what we could discover from those we journey with when we set out on the road. Things might look different and we’ll never know what we could learn and appreciate about others if we call down fire upon them or are held up by our own reservations. What we can be sure of is that we have a home and shelter in Christ who calls us to journey with him. Despite our differences or our reservations we are called to journey together and do kingdom work all while residing at home in Jesus. To proclaim that God has come near. To tell of the good news of God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ. As you journey this week may you remember that wherever you are you are home in Jesus. He’s there to strengthen you with his grace and love. May you also remember that despite your reservations you are called to proclaim the kingdom. May you also learn something different from someone else this week as we journey down the road together. Amen
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