The stories we have been sharing from Luke these past few weeks are part of a whole picture
about what it means to be members of God's family, to be the people of God.
Remember the last two Sundays' Gospels? First, we heard the parable of the Good Samaritan. That story reminded
us that it's through our actions, our works, the way we treat others, that we show we understand we're living in
the kingdom of God. We do things in a certain way because we understand the lessons Jesus taught about how those
who claim to be his followers ought to act toward one another in his name.
Then last week in Bryan's sermon we heard the story of Martha and Mary, and were reminded that Jesus was not putting
one sister above the other, but was pointing out the variety of experience in terms of the ways that we encounter
God, both in acts of contemplation and service.
In today's Gospel, Jesus is continuing his teaching on what it means to be his disciples. These disciples have
heard Jesus teach others; they may have heard him speak to Martha and Mary. Now they want Jesus to teach them to
pray, too. Here's where things get interesting. Our English translation says, "When you pray, say . . .. "
But remember that what we read this morning is a translation of the original Greek text. If we go back to it, we
find that this verse could be translated, "When you pray, you are saying . . .. " That gives us something
more to think about.
First, it is clearly not about the position we assume or the attitude we take. There is an old poem about a gathering
of learned clergy who are debating that fact. It goes like this:
"The proper way for a man to pray," said Deacon Lemuel Keyes,
"And the only proper attitude,…is down upon one's knees."
"No, I should say the way to pray, " Said the Reverend Doctor Wise,
"Is standing straight with outstretched arms, with rapt and upturned eyes."
"Oh, no, no, no," said Elder Snow, "Such posture is too proud;
A man should pray with eyes fast closed and head contritely bowed."
"It seems to me one's hands should be austerely clasped in front,
With both thumbs pointed toward the ground," Said the Reverend Doctor Blunt.
"Last year I fell in Higgin's well head first," said Pastor Brown.
"With both my heels a stickin' up, and my head a-pointing down;
An' I made a prayer right then an' there-- Best prayer I ever said,
The prayingest prayer I ever prayed, Was a-standing on my head!"
Truly that sense of need is an important key for unlocking the doors of prayer, but it is not the only one. We
learn from Jesus' additional instructions following the mantra that we should obnoxiously persist, ask,…seek,…knock
and know that you'll get it. And that what we'll get will be something really good!
Unfortunately like those first disciples many of us are thinking about a new car, a cruise, or a visit from Publisher's
Clearing House, when in fact Jesus was talking about the gift of the Holy Spirit and a deeper understanding of
our relationship with God and one another. What a let down! And that's the second key.
These petitions are not intended to change God, but to change those who pray them. And in changing those who pray
them the Kingdom of God draws ever closer.
We grow in our understanding that God truly does work in mysterious ways. There was a cute illustration in Homiletics
magazine a few years ago about a pastor who discovered a cute little kitten up in the branches of his willow tree.
He tried his best to coax it down, but it wouldn't budge. His ladder wasn't tall enough to reach it, so that was
out. He even prayed that it would come down, but to no avail. Finally he decided that if he threw a rope around
a lower branch, and attached the rope to the bumper of his car, by driving forward very slowly he could bend the
tree low enough that he would be able to get the cat.
Well, he pulled forward a little, and it seemed to be working. A little more, and he could almost reach it. A little
more…and suddenly the rope snapped. The tree went flying back up, and the little kitten went flying over the top
of his fence. He searched everywhere…but couldn't find a trace of it. So he decided it was God's will and said
a little prayer for the soul of the departed cat.
A few days later he was in the grocery store and ran into one of his parishioners who was so excited to see him.
He noticed she had a cart filled with cat food and cat litter. She told him a truly amazing story about how her
daughter had been pestering her to get a kitten and she figured she could put it off by teaching her something
about God's will. She suggested they sit down at the picnic table and pray that if God really wanted them to have
a cat God would send them one….and low and behold right out of the sky, a little kitten paws spread out in front
of him…came flying into their back yard.
Now isn't that a miracle?
I think Jesus had a smile on his face when he taught his friends this prayer. I think he wanted them to know that
prayer is about relationships, not wish granting. He wanted them to understand that we, like God, are obligated
by necessity to both the one who comes in need at midnight, as well as by love to our children who ask for something
to eat.
Even those children who try our patience, especially those for whom the world has "no pity", and those
who some say are "not my people."
Walker Wink many years ago in Sojourner Magazine reminded us that the "future belongs to the intercessors."
"We are called to haggle with God." We must command God to be God .….. that is what it means to be covenantal
partners. As Christian people we are called to transform the world and we do that by becoming the very prayers
that we pray. And through prayer we create an island of freedom in the midst of the unholy necessity in which we
live, giving God room to act in our lives. Indeed, prayer is at the heart of a living faith."
The final key is discovering that true praying is praying in relationship…feeling the presence and power of God
when the ability to form the words has ceased. I have discovered this is often the case with those faithful people
who in the aftermath of a stroke are no longer able to form words or express them, but who still recognize the
comfort of faithful friends, and the spiritual bond of a sustaining fellowship wrought by shared faith. The words
are wonderful…but so much less important.
I want to end this sermon today to remind you of the paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer found in the service of Compline
from the New Zealand Prayer Book (p181) which I think is particularly beautiful:
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and for ever. Amen.
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