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The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Luke 11:1-13 |
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IF I WERE TO ASK YOU THE QUESTION, “HOW MUCH DO YOU PRAY?” I ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER: NOT ENOUGH. THE EXACT SAME RESPONSE WOULD BE MY ANSWER. NO ONE EVER PRAYS ENOUGH. SOME PEOPLE SAY A LITTLE PRAYER AT EVERY MEAL; OTHERS DO THAT AND INCLUDE A PRAYER AT RISING AND AT GOING TO SLEEP. SOME OTHERS MAKE TIME DURING THE DAY FOR A CONCENTRATED TIME OF PRAYER, AND, YET OTHERS DON’T PRAY VERY MUCH AT ALL. MARTIN LUTHER, WHILE LEADING THE REFORMATION, TRANSLATING THE BIBLE INTO GERMAN, TEACHING AT THE UNIVERSITY, AND PASTORING A CONGREGATION REMARKED THAT HE WOULD NEVER GET ANYTHING DONE IF HE DID NOT SPEND AT LEAST THREE HOURS A DAY IN PRAYER. WHILE THAT MIGHT SEEM A BIT EXCESSIVE TO SOME, I WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT HE WAS ON THE RIGHT TRACK. THE PROBLEM MOST PEOPLE HAVE WITH PRAYER IS THAT THEY REALLY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. AS A PROFESSIONAL CLERGY PERSON, I CAN BE CERTAIN TO BE ASKED TO PRAY SHOULD THERE BE AN OCCASION WHERE SOMEONE THINKS A PRAYER IS APPROPRIATE. WHAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR IS ARTFULLY ARRANGED WORDS DELIVERED IN TONES THAT EVOKE A SENSE OF SPIRITUALITY. TO BE HONEST, I USUALLY HAVE A PRAYER TUCKED AWAY IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD WHEN I GO TO ANY GATHERING, JUST IN CASE. THIS IS PUBLIC PRAYER, AND, THE MORE FORMAL THE EVENT, THE MORE FORMAL THE PRAYERS; WHICH IS WHY WE USE WRITTEN PRAYERS IN THE LITURGY TO MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT LEVEL OF RESPECT AND REVERENCE IN OUR WORSHIP. PRIVATE PRAYER, HOWEVER, IS ANOTHER MATTER ENTIRELY. PRIVATE PRAYER IS OUR TIME ALONE WITH GOD, AND THIS IS THE KIND OF PRAYER WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE NEGLECT, SHY AWAY FROM, OR FEEL SO AWKWARD ABOUT DOING. THIS IS THE KIND OF PRAYER THAT THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS ASKED HIM TO TEACH TO THEM. ALL OF THE DISCIPLES KNEW HOW TO PRAY PUBLICLY; AFTER ALL, THEY WERE OBSERVANT JEWS. THEY PUT ON THE TEFFILLIM EACH DAWN AND SAID THE MORNING PRAYERS. THEY KNEW THE PRAYERS OF THE TEMPLE SERVICE AND THAT OF THE SYNAGOGUE SERVICE. ALL THIS THEY KNEW AND DID, YET THEY OBSERVED SOMETHING ABOUT JESUS THAT WAS DIFFERENT. HE PRAYED A LOT. HE PRAYED NOT JUST AT THE APPOINTED TIMES FOR PRAYER, BUT WAS ALWAYS GOING OFF BY HIMSELF TO PRAY. NOW, EVERY RABBI WHO HAD DISCIPLES HAD A PARTICULAR STYLE OF PRAYER, AND JOHN THE BAPTIST TAUGHT HIS DICIPLES TO PRAY IN A CERTAIN WAY, SO THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS, SEEING HIM PRAY SO OFTEN, ASKED HIM TO TEACH THEM HOW HE PRAYED. SO JESUS GIVES HIS DISCIPLES, AND US, THE PATTERN OF PERSONAL PRAYER. IT IS WHAT WE KNOW AS THE “LORD’S PRAYER.” IT REALLY SHOULD BE NAMED “HOW THE LORD TAUGHT US TO PRAY.” THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS OF THIS PATTERN OF PRAYER, THIS ONE IN LUKE AND THE OTHER, SLIGHTLY LONGER, VERSION IN MATTHEW. THE DIFFERENCES DO NOT MATTER, BECAUSE THE PATTERN IS THE SAME. REMEMBER, THIS IS THE PATTERN OF HOW WE ARE SUPPOSED TO PRAY IN PRIVATE, ALTHOUGH WE USE THE PATTERN FORMALLY IN WORSHIP, AND ALMOST EVERY OTHER TIME WE MEET. IN FACT, WE HAVE INSTITUTIONALIZED THE PATTERN INTO THE FORMAL PRAYER WE USE IN WORSHIP, AND, IN SO DOING, MAY HAVE LOST THE MEANING OF THE PATTERN FOR OUR PERSONAL AND PRIVATE PRAYER. WHEN YOU PRAY, JESUS SAID, SAY, “OUR DEAR DADDY IN HEAVEN.” THE WORD HE USES IS “ABBA,” WHICH CAN ONLY BE TRANSLATED AS “DADDY” OR “DEAR DADDY.” THIS IS THE TERM OF ADDRESS OF A SON TO HIS LOVING FATHER, INFORMAL AND FULL OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A LOVING FATHER AND A LOVING SON. GOD INVITES US, THROUGH JESUS, TO COME TO HIM AS HIS BELOVED AND LOVING CHILDREN, OPENLY AND INFORMALLY. THIS IS BOTH THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF PERSONAL PRAYER, AND, FOR MOST PEOPLE, THE MOST DIFFICULT. TO KNOW GOD LOVES US IS SO DIFFICULT FOR SOME PEOPLE TO ACCEPT, BUT THIS LOVING RELATIONSHIP IS THE KEY TO THE PATTERN OF PERSONAL PRAYER. ALL OF THE REST OF THE PETITIONS IN THE “LORD’S PRAYER,” EXCEPT FOR ONE, ARE ABOUT THE DEEPENING OF THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THE FATHER AND WITH ALL OF HIS CHILDREN. WHEN WE PRAY, “HALLOWED BE THY NAME,” WE KNOW GOD’S NAME IS HOLY, BUT WE PRAY THAT IT WOULD BE SO TO US; THAT WE, BY OUR EVERY WORD AND DEED, WOULD LEAD LIVES THAT REFLECT THE HOLINESS OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. WHEN WE PRAY, “THY KINGDOM COME,” WE KNOW GOD’S KINGDOM IS COMING WITHOUT OUR HAVING TO PRAY IT IN, SO TO SPEAK. WHAT WE ARE PRAYING FOR IS THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD WOULD BREAK INTO THIS WORLD IN MY LIFE, AND SHINE THROUGH ME TO OTHERS. WHEN WE PRAY, “THY WILL BE DONE,” WE KNOW GOD WILL ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSE BOTH IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, BUT WE ARE PRAYING THAT WE WOULD BE AN INSTRUMENT OF HIS WILL IN A LIFE OF SERVICE TO HIM AND TO OTHERS IN THIS LIFE. WHEN WE PRAY, “GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD,” WE ARE PRAYING THAT WE WOULD RECOGNIZE THAT ALL THINGS COME FROM THE HAND OF OUR FATHER, AND THAT HE PROVIDES ALL THAT WE NEED, SO OUR LIVES SHOULD BE LIVES OF THANKSGIVING FOR EVERYTHING. WHEN WE PRAY, “AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US,” WE KNOW THAT, FOR THE SAKE OF JESUS, HE HAS FORGIVEN OUR SINS, BUT WE ARE REMINDED THAT WE ARE TO FORGIVE THE SINS OF OTHERS AS GOD HAS FORGIVEN US; COMPLETELY. WHEN WE PRAY, “LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION,” WE KNOW THAT OUR FATHER DOES NOT TEMPT ANYONE. WE ARE PRAYING THAT GOD WOULD GUARD US AND LEAD US AWAY FROM ALL THOSE THINGS TO WHICH OUR SINFUL NATURE INCLINES US; LIKE GREED, LUST, FALSE BELIEF AND DESPAIR. WHEN WE PRAY, “DELIVER US FROM EVIL,” WE ARE PRAYING THAT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD WOULD BE SO CLOSE THAT HE WOULD PROTECT US AND SAVE US FROM ALL THE SNARES OF EVIL IN THIS LIFE, AND, AT THE END, TAKE US TO HIMSELF IN HEAVEN. THE PATTERN OF PERSONAL PRAYER IS SIMPLE; KNOW THAT GOD IS YOUR FATHER, WHO LOVES YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN EVER REALLY GRASP, AND TURN TO HIM WITH YOUR CARES AND CONCERNS IN ALL THINGS. THE PARABLES THAT JESUS TELLS FOLLOWING HIS INSTRUCTIONS ON PRAYER SIMPLY UNDERSCORE WHAT HE GIVES US IN THE PATTERN FOR PERSONAL PRAYER. FIRST; BE PERSISTENT IN PRAYER, AS PERSISTENT AS THE NEEIGHBOR BANGING ON THE DOOR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. KEEP BANGING AWAY IN PRAYER, BECAUSE IF YOU ASK, YOU WILL RECEIVE; KNOCK AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED; SEEK FOR THE LORD AND YOU WILL FIND HIM. YOU DO NOT EVEN HAVE TO BE SPECIFIC IN WHAT YOU PRAY FOR, OTHER THAN A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. GOD ALREADY KNOWS WHAT WE NEED AND WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR LIFES; IF WE KNOW WHAT IS BEST TO GIVE TO OUR CHILDREN, SO MUCH GREATER IS THE CARE GOD HAS FOR US. SO MUCH GREATER, IS GOD’S CARE FOR US THAT WHILE WE CONCERN OURSELVES WITH THINGS, GOD’S GIFT TO THOSE WHO TURN TO HIM IN PRAYER IS THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. TO THOSE WHO SEEK TO BE CLOSER TO THE HEAVENLY FATHER, HE SENDS THE GIFT OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT, AND BECOMES A PART OF US, AND WE BECOME A PART OF HIM THROUGH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD. THE PATTERN OF PERSONAL PRAYER IS SIMPLE. LOVE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER, AND PRAY FOR A CLOSER, DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, WHICH WILL AFFECT THE WAY YOU RELATE TO OTHERS IN THIS LIFE. YOU CAN DO THIS ANYTIME OF THE DAY, PERHAPS EVEN MORE THAN LUTHER’S THREE HOURS A DAY; IN FACT, WHEN YOU GET INTO THE HABIT OF TALKING TO YOUR FATHER, YOU CAN PROBABLY DO IT CONSTANTLY. IN THE LIFE OF CONSTANT PRAYER IS FOUND THE JOY AND WONDER OF THE GIFT OF GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT INFORMING AND ORDERING EVERY ASPECT OF OUR BEING. THIS IS THE OBJECT AND THE PURPOSE OF PERSONAL PRAYER; TO BE ONE WITH GOD, AND JESUS SHOWED US HOW TO DO JUST THAT.
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