July 29, 2007
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 12, Year C)
Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19); Luke 11:1-13
Last week the gospel was a rather brief account of Jesus’ visit to the house of Martha and Mary. The sermon centered on doing and being, on how we are called to serve one another in Christ’s name, to “do,” but at the same time to set apart time to listen to God, to “be.” But very importantly the point was made that we are called to recognize and to honor that we are not all doing the same thing at the same time.
This week’s gospel is, you might say, moving right along. Having left that house where he had been “doing,” Jesus found a place to pray, a place to “be.” And when he was finished, one of his disciples approaches him and says, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” It was not uncommon in those days for leaders of their communities to teach their followers a particular form of prayer, and John had apparently done just that. It was their signature, what identified them, set them apart from other groups. It makes me think, among other things, of how our communities, our individual churches/parishes often formulate a mission statement, something that distinguishes each one from the other, not significantly, maybe, but just in the particular mission we emphasize, the particular way we want to share and “do” our faith.
Jesus responded to the request immediately with what has become, of course, the signature prayer of our faith, our Christian faith. Join any Christian worshipping body anywhere in the world and you will probably hear some form of what we call the Lord’s Prayer. I think even if it’s being said in a foreign language, you will know what the community is praying and therefore can feel part of that community.
Jesus responded with a prayer that is simple, straight-forwarded, and yet all encompassing, from praising God, to looking for help with basic needs, to seeking forgiveness of sins, to asking for protection and guidance in times of trial. In a few words he expressed all that was necessary for a daily prayer that covers the basics. Can you imagine what we would be saying had a committee been responsible for providing such a prayer, especially today with all the political correctness such a body would worry about? “ Our Father?” – we need something gender neutral, you know. “Daily bread?” – what about grain allergies? “Sins?” – what is sin? Let’s not offend anyone! Who’s to judge? Etc. Jesus, by his ready response, saved us from all that!
It was very tempting at this point to launch into an educational discourse on the meaning of the various parts of the Lord’s Prayer or even to talk about the forms of prayer. But instead I think it’s more appropriate to speak of why we should pray or why we do pray. And, of course, built into those questions are when and where and, maybe even, how.
First off, prayer is central to our life as Christians. As we have established, we have been taught to pray by Jesus, and we have been taught by him to expect answers to our prayers. That is not to say that we should expect the Red Sox to win the World Series again – and I’m sure there are some out there praying for that! Rather we should be aware of the fact that sometimes the answer we will receive may be a long way from what we were looking for, especially, I think, when it’s a question of how to serve. Too often we try to guide, I won’t say “tell,” God what it is we need to be doing or what someone else should be doing and would he, God, please hurry up and do that.
We pray because and as Jesus taught us. Jesus taught us that it is the way to talk with God, to praise God, to thank God, to petition God on behalf of ourselves and others, even a way to meditate on God’s word. He taught us that prayer is the way to confess our wrongdoings and to ask for forgiveness. He taught us even that we can argue with God in our prayers. Such prayers do not have to be elaborate. Whether they are quick arrow, to the point, prayers, short in time but long in meaning, or rambling, detailed reports on the state of the world, and, please, what are we to do about it, matters not to God. What does matter is that we keep prayer and praying in the very center of our lives. And may I remind you that when we join together in the baptismal covenant which we did last week at the later (at this) service, we pledge just that, that with God’s help, we will continue not only in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, and in the breaking of the bread, but also in the prayers. (BCP, 304)
So then what of when and where we pray, “do” prayer? Given our life style it’s really not possible or even practical to pray at all times and in all places. Throughout the ages there have been religious figures who spent their lives in isolation or in communities praying, but most of us are in and of the world in our work and in our homes. Like many of us, I’m sure, as a child I learnt to say prayers when I went to bed. And so in due time I taught my children. I attended a Convent school and we always said grace before lunch. A few years ago I went on record suggesting that praying while driving would be a good use of that time, but I’m more hesitant to prescribe that now because of the hazards of the road – maybe a prayer at the beginning of the trip, even if it’s just to the store five miles away, and then a Thanksgiving at the end, is the best thing to do these days. Individual prayer time can be anytime, anywhere, while walking, doing the laundry, riding the T. But the important thing is that we take time on a daily basis to pray, to “do” prayer, to check in with God on how we’re doing, what we’re doing, and very importantly to listen to what God may have to say to us, to spend a little time just “being” with God.
When we come together each week as a community, it is to worship and to pray – as a community. Just as Jesus took time to join with others in worship, so we need also to be in community worshipping and praying, hearing God’s word, partaking of the Sacrament, sharing our togtherness, rejoicing, supporting one another.
The words of Paul in his letter to the people of
Although Jesus withdrew on numerous times to pray alone, by his life he taught us that praying is as much “doing” as it is “being.” Praying is powerful and we who pray better believe that. So what an understatement it is to say to someone, “I’ll pray for you; it’s the least I can do.” Think on that for a moment: isn’t it really in truth the most one can do? Through the power of prayer we can find answers; we can help others to find answers. Through the power of prayer we can find peace; we can restore relationships. Through the power of prayer we can turn to our neighbor and say, “I love you; I may not understand everything, why we differ about politics or root for different teams or prefer different music or have other differences, but our common life in Christ is what matters. I love you.” Through the power of prayer we can move mountains.
So, I am going to suggest today that in this coming week, when you pray, do not pray just for the those persons or things that you hold close to your hearts or for those persons or things you have been asked to pray for, but also pray for us, for this community, for its strengths and its weaknesses, for what it is, and what it might be, for its mission, its work in spreading the gospel through word and deed, and pray for how you can bring yourself and, by extension, this community into a closer relationship with one another and with God. God is waiting for you to knock!
Amen.
Sonia F. G. Stevenson, M. Div.
Church of the Good Shepherd