Sermon given at United Church of Beloit, July 28, 2013

 Lord, Teach Us to Pray 

Psalm 138

Of David.

1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord is great.

6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever―
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Luke Chapter 11:1-13

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

-----

I love the humor Jesus uses in the latter part of this passage. Jesus was of course an excellent speaker and humor is a tool speakers use to help people be put at ease, feel comfortable and remember things! “if you son asks for fish would you give him a snake?” that's hilarious! I think people were cracking up, but they were also remembering what He said!

The prayer is similar to the longer prayer in Matthew ch. 6, part of the Sermon on the Mount. Luke's version is shorter. There has been a lot written comparing the similarities and differences between Matthew and Luke's passages. Among those differences, is the intended audience for the original writings. Matthew was writing to Jewish people, people raised to worship Yahweh, the One True God, to help them know that indeed their Messiah had come, Jesus was the One! So there are many references to their faith, to their scriptures and prophecies.

Luke's gospel is written to people who are not Jewish, have not been brought up hearing the Hebrew Scriptures, so Luke's gospel is for people with a vastly different background and spiritual values. Also different concerns in their day to day lives.

So, Jesus' disciples say, “Lord, teach us to pray as John did.” (some of the disciples had been followers of John the Baptist before they met Jesus)

Teach us to pray. They were Jewish, they were already men of prayer! But there was something different, something special about Jesus' prayers, there was some connection there. (well OF COURSE! He was God's SON―we know that, we read the end of the book already!) They just knew there was something profound and they wanted it! So Jesus gave them this model prayer, that now has been prayed daily for 2000 years! We say it in church, many of us say it at home every morning or evening. Because it is so familiar, it can become routine, as anything can that we do or say over and over. It's a good reminder to read these Gospel lessons again to see the context, the connections with other texts and to remind ourselves of the depth of this prayer.

I'm going to touch on the highlights of this passage and the Lord's Prayer, but not go into a lot of depth...tho I could! I would suggest that you spend some time with it. Take your Bible or a written copy of the Lord's Prayer and spend time just reading, and thinking about the prayer, meditating on it and see what comes to you in that quiet time. “be still and know that I am God” scripture says...it's sometimes hard to find true quiet time in this day and age. But we reap benefits when we do!

So what is prayer? There are many types of prayer, thanksgiving, adoration, petition, confession, intercession. First and foremost though, Prayer is expression of our relationship with God. We are created to be in relationship with God and with others. Which comes first? Yes, God does! That's easy to say here in church isn't it. Once we are out the door, however....it's still SUPPOSED to be true, but it's a lot harder to keep God First. Especially in a day & age that is increasingly noisy, rude, materialistic, self-centered. That's one of the reasons we pray! To help us not be all those things, but to be more God-centered.

There's a little prayer that gets posted online now and then: Dear Lord,

So far today I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. I'm very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and I'm probably going to need a lot more help. Amen

Ok so back to the text...Jesus said pray this way, Father, some translations say, Our Father, or our father in heaven. Notice the plural pronoun. It's not MY Father, my parent, --ours! We pray in community-which literally means with together, we pray together with Christians everywhere!

Hallowed be your name...we revere you, God! We pray that you are revered everywhere, always. Knowing the promises in the bible that one day ALL people will bow before God, that all of God's creation will rejoice! Isaiah says even the trees will clap and the mountains will sing!

Give us this day our daily bread.... we pray for our daily needs. We can pray about seemingly simple things! You are not 'bothering” God with simple prayers. Yes God has big things going on, but God is detail oriented too, Jesus said not one sparrow will fall to the ground without my father in heaven knowing. That's detail! God cares about every aspect of God's creation, including, especially US and our lives! Our Psalm talks about this too, that God is exalted, yet is personal, intimate! God within, that is what Jesus is, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. So God is intimate, closer to us than anything or anyone. We can share anything with God even our anger, our despair...all our junk!

As Author Richard Foster writes:

..what I have come to see is that God is big enough to receive us with all our mixture. We do not have to be bright, or pure, or filled with faith, or anything. That is what grace means, and not only are we saved by grace, we live by it as well. And we pray by it.

We are to pray for our daily needs. Because God's kingdom is a kingdom of provision, of shalom, of Peace, wholeness and healing, protection. Forgiveness, for ourselves and others. That's part of Shalom too. God's perfect love and mercy help us to find forgiveness and to give it. One author says God is FOR-giving, in favor of giving, but also FORE giving -giving ahead of time, that's why God forgives, why we are to forgive, because God is all about giving. (God so LOVED, God GAVE...) to be loving means to be giving and forgiving.

And I believe that part of this prayer is that we are to recognize how blessed we are, that we have our daily bread, and clothing and shelter, and we are to help bring these things to those who do not have enough. That we are to BE part of God's provision in this world. In our corner of it, at least. So when we pray, we are grateful for our own blessings and asking to be shown how to help others.

A book was given to me by a friend, is called Transistioning, Leading Your Church Through Change. There's stuff in that book that I disagree with. HOWEVER there are some gems. The author reminds us that healthy churches are open to change. Change is part of life, every living organism goes through change, change is normal in life and in church life!

That challenges us doesn't it, because most people are uncomfortable with a lot of change, we like our routines. Maybe we like to drive the same road, to park in the same spot, sit in the same pew...we have our routines. And routines can be helpful. But we need to be able to recognize if a routine is no longer working well or needs to be updated. That's where our relationship with God comes in. Our prayer time can help us discern when change is needed.

Some people say that change is the only constant in life. I would argue that, because I am a person of faith-a Reformed Tradition Protestant-a person of the Bible. God is constant! The God who is and was and ever shall be does NOT change. However.... God is always moving forward, always leading us forward to new things, so...to change. So the only constants in life are...God and change.

So our prayer life can help us discern where God is leading us, individually and as a church. This week, the Pastoral Search Committee will publish a survey in the newsletter. The committee asks that everyone think about it and fill it out to help the Committee know what YOU all are thinking about the qualities and goals for our church and for the Sr Minister that needs to be hired. Think carefully, Prayer-fully, about this survey and think about what is on YOUR heart for where God is leading our church this year, next and beyond! Don't be afraid to think and dream BIG! We have this incredible opportunity as a church, a leader in both denominations! Think and pray for BIG -GOD-sized dreams for this United Church! Next month we will also have our Lay Leadership retreat, and keep thinking and praying for those big dreams for all of us!

So we can pray for personal, intimate stuff, daily needs, and we can pray for BIG things, for vision, for God's view of our future! Prayer is versatile, can be many things. Richard Foster again:

The primary purpose of prayer is to bring us into such a life of communion with the Father that, by the power of the Spirit, we are increasingly conformed to the image of the Son.

Communion...to be together with the Father, by the power of the Spirit, to be more & more like the Jesus...this is the life of faith. This is prayer.

This is a true story from Brennan Manning in the book, Abba’s Child

Once a woman asked me to come and pray with her father, who was dying of cancer. When I arrived, I found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. I assumed the old fellow had been informed of my visit.

“I guess you were expecting me,” I said.

“No, who are you?”

“I’m the new associate at your parish,” I replied. “When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up.”

“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bed-ridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?”

Puzzled, I shut the door. “I’ve never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man, “but all my life I have never known how to pray. At the Sunday Mass I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head.

“I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” he continued, “until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, ‘Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here’s what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky because He promised, “I’ll be with you always.” Then just speak to Him and listen in the same way you’re doing with me right now.’

“So, Padre, I tried it, and I like it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d send me off to the funny farm.”

I was deeply moved by the story. Then I prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the rectory.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell me that her daddy had died that afternoon.

“Did he seem to die in peace?” I asked.

“Yes. But there was something strange. In fact, beyond strange―kinda weird. Apparently just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside his bed.”

We can rest on Jesus. We can talk and listen, just as with our dearest friend. Even if we don't have the right words, we can count on Jesus knowing because we have been given the Holy Spirit to help us, to put the deepest sigh and groan into words. We can lean on our Loving Lord to help us be together with the Father, becoming more like the Son through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray and dream together for ourselves, for our church and for our world!

Holy God, thank you for the gift of prayer. Thank you for teaching us to pray. Thank you for the gift of Jesus Our Lord. Amen.

Let's close by singing together What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

Traveling Heavy

Sermon given at United Church of Beloit July 7, 2013

Psalm 66:1-9
66:1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
66:2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.
66:3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
66:4 All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name." Selah
66:5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him,
66:7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations-- let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah
66:8 Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
66:9 who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.

Luke 10:1-11
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

(humorous story about traveling in Florida...)

Gospel lesson today is from Luke 10. starts off “After this...” so I looked to see what was before this! Chapter 9 has stories of healing and miracles. And Jesus has determined to go to Jerusalem, knowing the fate that awaits him! The next several chapters have more stories of healings, miracles, people questioning and challenging Jesus and He responding, and challenging them, especially for their lack of faith. This particular section, chapters 9-11 are all about the Kingdom of God, putting God first, and everything else comes after.

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus sends out a large band of his followers. He had the 12 disciples, but as time went on in his ministry, more and more folks began to follow along with the 12. Here we learn there were about 72 and he sent them out to the towns where he would travel next.

READ Gospel lesson

Jesus sends out his followers to minister to folks, telling them, “The Kingdom of God is near!” Did you notice that Jesus sent out the 72 in pairs, 2 by 2? It's practical. It's safer, you are company for each other. You can care for each other. And it's what we are created for. We are created to be in relationship with God and each other, aren't we? And Jesus stresses that relationship with God aspect. Tell them the kingdom of God is near....and that kingdom of God brings healing, brings other things too, enough to eat and a place to stay while traveling. And Jesus tells his folks if someone rejects the message, just move on. It's not personal, it's that they are rejecting God. If they accept the message, they are accepting God. yet he says even if they reject you, shake the dust off your shoes and move on, but tell them, the Kingdom of God has come near you. You may not want to see it, hear it or be part of it, but it's near you and it will affect you one way or another.

I read this passage was while we were in Florida, the morning the National meeting started. I knew I would be preaching this Sunday, and at these meetings, there is worship, music, many speakers, and I make notes to report back to you, but also stuff that I can use preaching or in Bible study. So I read through these texts beforehand. And being away from home, reading this, really spoke to me. Especially that part about 'do not take a purse or a bag or sandals...” I took all of those things. And a lot more. I do not travel light. I prepare for any eventuality. I may even pack a few of my favorite chocolate bars--one never knows where there might be a shortage!

So reading this challenged me. And I was thinking about this in terms of the big picture. We as a culture -Americans in the 21^st century, do not travel light. We travel heavy. People today, our culture, we love our stuff. We love to shop for more of it, we watch commercials to see what we should shop for next. Not just the big stuff either! We go to the grocery store, there are umpteen varieties of bread, lunch meats & hot dogs, ketchup even! There is spicy ketchup, no salt added, no high fructose corn syrup, and oh yes, there is plain, regular ketchup too. In about 10 different size bottles. There is so much stuff from which to choose! We are so accostomed to having SO many options, so much food, so many things, we don't even realize how heavy all this stuff is in our minds and our lives.

We have gotten so far away from the culture Jesus lived in.

at the national meeting, one of the missionary groups represented is called Bread of Life. It's a mission in Florida, serving needy families to provide basic needs, education for adults and children and to share the word of God. Their help for folks includes shoes and school supplies for children, assistance with food and clothing. This is the group the Youth were working with during the meeting and they had a project that the adult folks helped with too. It was to make blankets to give to needy folks. You see in Florida most of the low income folks don't have central heat...a mobile home or small home may have a heater, but it's small, because, well, it's FLORIDA, they don't need heat but a few nights out of the year. But when they do, it's a huge challenge, especially for needy folks. So there were blankets made to give out to families. They were precut fleece and we cut and tied on colorful tassels. 90 blankets were made, and money collected as well.

I admit, I don't often think about blankets. at home I have light weight blankets on the bed, and heavier ones in the closet. And a few of those inexpensive fleece blankets in the tv room to get cozy while we watch a movie or a game...i don't really think about blankets because I have several. It was a good reminder to help those who don't have even one blanket. That's a good reminder of the real meaning of the Kingdom of God coming near!

We Americans and we Protestants, especially Congre--terians (Presby-Gationals?) LOVE our independence. We love our individuality. I mean We in general, in this country, not just this church and not anyone in particular, but each of us has an aspect of this feeling, don't we! We may want everything to be JUST the way WE like it, the way we are used to doing things. We want it comfortable, familiar.

But God's ways are not our ways. God's plans are far beyond the scope of our plans, and beyond our perception. We may have to allow God to lead us when we can not even see the next step! We have to keep on, even when we are feeling uncomfortable.

We have to do this as a church, don't we? We are in yet another transition. Someone said last week, “well, we were comfortable for about 15 minutes there!” We don't know what's next. And that can really challenge us. It makes us grumpy when we don't have control and changes happen.

We as a church family need to focus every single day, what brought us together. Our love of God, of coffee and a meal together, of reaching out to those in need....helping to bring the Kingdom of God near to people who need help. and we can keep on doing those things day by day while the big picture gets sorted out. God has the big picture. God is waiting for us to lay aside some of that heavy stuff-the burdens, the worrying, the 'we've always done it like this” attitudes so we can focus on the Kingdom. God will keep taking care of us, we have to pay attention to see it!

The Kingdom of God doesn't weigh one down, it enlivens and lifts us! It doesn't travel heavy, it's light.

“come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”

in the book Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, the authors tell that during the Jewish Sabbath liturgy every week, is a recalling of the Exodus story, the deliverance from slavery in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea so the people could cross on dry land. This is told every week! God's mighty power reached down and intervened with the natural world and saved his people. That is what our Psalm is referring to. There were other instances of water parting in the Bible too, that echo the Exodus story. The Jewish people remember the Exodus story in every worship service.

We do too, in our Communion liturgy. Jesus, when he took bread and broke it, was at a Passover supper. This meal commemorates the Exodus story. That was another time God told people to travel light, not heavy. Prepare the meal quickly, eat it quickly with your shoes on and your robe tucked into your belt because you are going to leave right away! Jesus was retelling the story of the Jewish people and making a new story for all people. His body, his blood, would become new life for each of us, for all of us. We don't need anything else. We can lay down all our stuff, all our attitudes, all of our heaviness... lay it at the cross. Because he left all of it there for us. We don't need it. All we need is Him. Let's travel light!  

Devotion on the Kingdom of Heaven

This is a devotion that I gave at our National Association of Congregational Christian Churches Annual Meeting. June 25, 2013

One of my “go-to” texts is the Sermon on the Mount. That is in part because I have led a couple Bible studies on the Beatitudes and am currently working through the Lord's Prayer in depth. And I find so much in the Sermon.

Before the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew writes:

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the

kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

what IS the Kingdom of heaven? Jesus described it in the Beatitudes.

Matthew 5

He said:

3  “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
        for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4  Blessed are those who mourn,
        for they will be comforted.
5  Blessed are the meek,
        for they will inherit the earth.
6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
        for they will be filled.
7  Blessed are the merciful,
        for they will be shown mercy.
8  Blessed are the pure in heart,
        for they will see God.
9  Blessed are the peacemakers,
        for they will be called children of God.
10  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
        for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

God put us here on Earth to be in relationship with God and with each other. The creation story in the Bible is one of intimacy! If that story is fact or a beautiful

telling of an old story, it is a story that says God wants us to be up close and

personal with God and with each other. That we are to love and care for each

other! That is the Kingdom of heaven! That is the way things are supposed to be.

The kingdom of heaven is what we are made for! The kingdom of earth only

satisfies for a short time, if at all. The kingdom of heaven, satisfies for all time.

This is Shalom, God's peace...perfect peace, wholeness, protection for all of God's

creation. When all is right with the world. And what we get glimpses of, when we

are caring for each other, when we worship together, and especially when we

reach out to others to share what we have, our material blessings and that

incredible Love. This is how the Kingdom of heaven comes near on Earth, through

us! Through the Holy Spirit guiding us, empowering us to be the hands and feet

of Jesus.

Remember, we are not alone in our efforts, when we pray, we pray in community

with other believers! And too, our cloud of witnesses is cheering us on, praying

for us to help our relationship with God and each other, praying for us to help

bring the kingdom of heaven to earth!

Could God make sure that all are fed, clothed, loved, treated justly? Of course.

God could do that faster than you can blink an eye. So why doesn't God do this?

It seems to be that relationship thing again. Evidently we are supposed to learn

this stuff for ourselves.

Author Richard Foster in Life With God: 

"Human beings are so important to God that the divine purposes are worked out through the messiness and sprawl of human history. Apparently, it is more important to God that human beings learn his ways in freedom than it is to get things done efficiently."

We are to learn God's ways and that is how we can help bring the Kingdom. When

we pray, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” are we praying for God to

snap those ever-powerful fingers and make the world a perfectly beautiful place

of Shalom, or is Jesus teaching us to pray for God to help us make that happen!

What does it look like to be a person of the Kingdom of Heaven? A person who so

desires the Kingdom of heaven on earth? Someone who is poor in spirit, mourns,

hungers and thirsts for more of God, someone who is merciful, pure in heart and

is a peacemaker?

There is a powerful letter written by an African pastor some years back. It was found in his belongings after he had been killed for his faith. Quoted by Brennan Manning in The Signature of Jesus.

"I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been

cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a

disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or

be still.

"My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is

secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small

planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane

talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

"I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions,

plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or

recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His

presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit

power.

"My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be

narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable

and my mission is clear.

"I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned

back, deluded or delayed.

"I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence

of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy,

ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of

mediocrity.

"I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored

up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all

know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My banner will be clear!"

This is a person of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is someone who intimately knew

Jesus as Lord. This is model of faith we can aspire to. Are we ready to draw closer

to God as we go back home to our churches and our communities?

Let us pray.

Help us to be people of the Kingdom of Heaven, dear Lord. Help us recognize our

shortcomings and ask for your help and guidance. Help us to hunger and thirst for

more of you! Help us to be merciful, to be peacemakers, bringing about Your

kingdom of Shalom right here on Earth. Help us to stay up, store up, pray up, pay

up, and preach up for the cause of Christ! Please bless us as we do these things

in the Name of Our Lord Jesus, ...who taught us to pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.