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SEE NEW PATHS AND HEAR
NEW MELODIES THE REV. JOHN E.
KITAGAWA _____ THE SEVENTH SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST ____ HOSEA 1: 2-10 COLOSSIANS 2: 6-15 LUKE 11: 1-13
P.O. VOICE: 520-299-6421 FAX: 520-299-0712 E-MAIL: WEB SITE: WWW.STPHILIPSTUCSON.ORG |
You may have noticed the words
sometimes said by the celebrant when inviting the congregation to pray the
Lord’s Prayer. And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold
to say… [1] Have you ever wondered about the word, “bold” in this context? New Testament scholar, Norman Perrin, notes
that Jesus’ prayer is grounded in traditional Jewish forms, but with
significant differences. Perhaps the
most dramatic difference is revealed in Jesus using of the word “Abba” to
open his prayer According to Joachim Jeremias, the word, “Abba,” is an infant’s word, which
continued to be used by Jews into young adulthood as an endearing form of
address. For instance, the wayward son
in [what Jeremias called] the Parable of the
Waiting Father, cries [at his return] “Abba, I have sinned against heaven …”
(Lk To his disciples it must have been something quite extraordinary that
Jesus addressed God as … “Abba,” a
child’s word for “papa”… [2] As good Jews, the disciples
would have deemed such familiarity with God, whose name, in their tradition,
was incomprehensible and unutterable (Ex. The next verse of Jesus’
prayer is a simple and direct acknowledgement of God’s Holiness, and thus
God’s difference from all else. Jesus’
purpose is not to create distance between God and humankind. In fact, he was familiar with God’s vision
and desire reflected in the Book of Leviticus ( Jesus’ prayer continues
with three petitions. The first is for
“our daily bread” (Luke 11: 3)—daily sustenance as God had given to the
Israelites in the desert (Exodus 16: 4).
Just as God responds to our physical needs, God responds to our
brokenness. Thus the second petition
asks for forgiveness, with an understanding that we participate in this
healing by offering forgiveness to others (Luke 11: 4a). The third petition implores God to keep us
from “the time of trial” (Luke 11: 4b), from the trials Jesus had to deal
with. Jesus continues his teaching
about prayer with the story about the annoying neighbor banging at the door
at a very late hour—a story that would hardly serve as a model for being a
good neighbor. It serves, however, as
a parable about the importance of persistence in prayer. To give up easily or quickly would indicate
either a lack of concern or interest in the request, or expose questions or
doubts about God and God’s ability to answer prayer. Is God limited? Is God
detached and aloof to the point of injustice?
Is God so utterly transcendent that belief in the incarnation of God’s
initiatives of love is an unthinkable lapse into infantile wish
fulfillment? My friends, prayer is
central and important to who we are as Christians. Jesus’ prayer, is clear, direct, succinct,
and bold. Yet, prayer is often
complex, often difficult and requires much practice. Much of the prayer Jesus taught the
disciples is petition. Even with this
straightforward form of prayer, there are spiritual traps lurking in the
weeds. Let me illustrate, first with a
quotation from former President Jimmy Carter, then with a humorous story, and
finally with a wise reflection by a Buddhist monk. [1] “God answers all our prayers.
Sometimes the answer is yes.
Sometimes the answer is no.
Sometimes the answer is, “You’ve got to be kidding.” |
[2] A grandmother is watching her grandchild on the beach when a huge
wave comes and takes him out to sea. She
pleads, “Please God, save my only grandson.
I beg of you, bring him back.”
And a big wave comes and washes the boy back onto the beach, good as
new. She looks up to heaven and says,
“he had a hat!”[4]
[3] People pray to God because they want God to fulfill some of their
needs. If they want to have a picnic,
they may ask God for a clear, sunny day.
At the same time, farmers who need more rain might pray for the
opposite. If the weather is clear, the
picnickers may say, “God is on our side; he answered our prayers.” But if it rains, the farmers will say that
God heard their prayers. … When you pray only for your own picnic and
not for the farmers who need the rain, you are doing the opposite of what Jesus
taught.
For good measure, the Buddhist monk concludes:
If we read the Bible but don’t practice it, it will not help much.[5]
Please do not hear me as
discouraging prayer in the form of petitions or intercessions. For I firmly believe God is listening, and I
am of the conviction that it is God’s nature to give, even to those who seem
undeserving. A cynic might view such
prayer as attempts to manipulate God, or to change God’s mind and therefore
God’s course of action. How does prayer
work? I cannot say. However, I am convinced of two things. First, at its very heart, prayer is about
oneness with God, the God who cherishes and loves every one of us. And, secondly, God places power in the lives
of people who pray sincerely and with love.
Thus, should we not pray, the power of the Holy Spirit might not be
released with the same urgent intensity[6]. St. James wrote,
The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective (James 5: 16b).
Which brings us back to and underscores the Buddhist monk’s observation
about practicing the faith we read in Scriptures.
Having said all this, you
might wonder why Jesus did not say, “ask correctly,” “seek properly,” or “knock
judiciously.”[7] In other words, Jesus had full confidence
that God is discerning enough and wise enough to hear and respond to all manner
of requests. In fact, Jesus goes so far
as to assure us that God would not give a snake when asked for a fish, or a
scorpion when asked for an egg. Abba
–God can be trusted to give whatever we really need, which, of course, may
differ from what we have prayed for.
Some of you will remember a story I shared in a sermon several weeks
ago.
Donald Coggan, the former Archbishop of
Canterbury, told of a well-known clergyman who had an incredible ministry in a
London Parish. Thousands flocked to hear
him and he was much in demand as a preacher all over the world. His preaching and his ministry emphasized the
power of prayer and how it can heal. He
was only in his early 40’s when it was discovered he had cancer. Literally tens of thousands of people around
the globe prayed for him to be healed.
But the cancer progressed and it soon became evident he would die. Just before his death, he said: “God does
answer all prayer. I know now God
had a different kind of healing in mind for me than what I prayed for.”[8]
In other words, a measure of
spiritual maturity is required to discern God’s answer to prayer. To be
truthful, God’s answer to prayer is rarely immediate, obvious, with headlines,
spotlights, or flashing neon signs. As
has been written in countless ways through the ages, “God’s acts are undeniably
subtle.”[9] God’s presence in our lives is subtle. In fact, God came and dwelt among us in the
person of Jesus Christ, and was largely unnoticed and unheeded by the world.
Today, I have focused
primarily on one aspect of prayer.
Prayer is about much more than the dynamic of petitioning a giving
God. Reflecting on his experience with
prayer, theologian Soren Kierkegaard shares this
profound insight:
As my prayer became more attentive and inward, I had less and less to
say. I finally become completely silent.
… This is how it is. To pray does not mean to listen to oneself speaking.
Prayer involves becoming silent, and being silent, waiting until God
is heard[10].
At its most profound level, prayer is about “communion with God,”[11] about our ability to deepen and maintain a relationship with God, and with God’s
people. Henri Nouwen expresses
it this way:
The
[person] who prays not only discovers himself [or herself] and God, but in the
same meeting discovers who his or her neighbor is[12]. (p. 102)
As Kierkegaard implies, prayer is a life-long process that takes time and practice, boldness and persistence, humility and passion. In my view, the deepening of prayer life is related to the way we deal with God’s seeming silence. Does it, for example, discourage and frustrate us to the point of ceasing to pray? From the relationship perspective, if one is troubled by God's seeming silence in the few moments we reserve each day for prayer, think how perplexed God must be when we are closed to God the rest of the day. Do not be discouraged. Do not give up your efforts at prayer. For, this I know: “Prayer leads you to see new paths and to hear new melodies in the air.”[13]
If ever you are feeling bogged
down in your prayer life, stuck in your spiritual growth, let me commend to you
the Book of Psalms. For me, no other Scriptures
express the very personal nature of the human search for and experience of
God.
Because the Psalms so authentically reflect the ups and downs, the joys
and sorrows of human experience under God, we, as readers, can readily enter
into the mystery and wonder that they so poetically declare. Their exclamations and praises touch us
inwardly. … In the Psalms we encounter a
God who is the Holy One, outside of human control. In praise, in adoration, [it is possible to]
turn loose of control, and
[to discover] the ecstasy of faith and trust in this God[14].
AMEN.