The Reading: Acts 2: 1-4, 41-47
When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them. That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.
Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.
They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.
The Gospel Reading: John 15: 1-8, 16-17
"I am the Real Vine and God is the Farmer. The Farmer cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing is pruned back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken. "Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Holy Parent is revealed—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.
"You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask in relation to me, God gives you. "But remember the root command: Love one another.
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Spreading Like a Wildfire 5-27-12
God, we want to be a Pentecost people—filled with your spirit and spreading joy with wild abandon. Show us the way, grant us your peace, send us your power and fill us with hope. May the words I speak today and the thoughts we share bring honor and glory to you. Amen
Whew, there is a lot going on in Jerusalem today and we are blessed to be in the midst of it all. There’s more to the story than what we heard in our reading today and as we watch and listen, we will hear the rest. There were lots of people in Jerusalem that day. There was a feast, a Jewish spring harvest festival held exactly 50 days after Passover—so a lot of people from a lot of different places were present in Jerusalem that day. Luke tells us, in the portion of scripture between the two passages that were just read from the second chapter of Acts, that these people were God-fearing religious people. There were Jews present from every nation—every nation under heaven, Luke says.
The wind appeared, blowing people almost away. There is chaos and fire suddenly falling from the sky—a rather disconcerting sight, indeed. As the crowd, completely in awe, begins to listen; they each heard the disciples speaking in languages they understood. They heard the wonders of God being spoken in their own tongue. Completely confused and utterly amazed, they asked one another, “Aren’t these people from Galilee”? “What does this mean”?
Let us step away from the crowd for a moment and talk about what has happened. We’ll push the pause button so that we can think about what God is doing in their midst. God, as we have seen time and time before, is a God of relationship—relationship with all the creation, including all of us humans, regardless of the language we speak, the clothing we wear, the beliefs we bring to the table. And so, on this day, the day of the great gift of the Holy Spirit, God made sure that it was all—the gift of the Holy Spirit and the teachings of the apostles about all the wonders of God were accessible to everyone. Imagine yourself (and some of you remember well) sitting in church where nothing is spoken in the language you speak—how frustrated, how limited is your experience of the wonders of God. This passage is neither confusing or complicated when taken for exactly what it means: When God sent the Holy Spirit, God made sure that no one would be left out—no matter what language they spoke or understood, they could hear someone speaking directly to them. What better illustration of God’s commitment to relationship could we imagine—the wonders of God revealed in everyone’s own language—spoken so they could understand the teachings of the apostles. God reached out to the Jews in Jerusalem and reaches out to us today, in languages we can all understand—showing us again how much it means to God that we understand the unconditional love and acceptance offered to us all. We don’t have to speak God’s language; God will reach out and speak ours.
As we go back to the crowd, we hear that there are doubters—“these people are not spreading the truth about God, they are merely drunk and spouting nonsense”. Peter, in the moment he has been prepared for, stands, surrounded by the other 11 apostles, and gives the sermon of a lifetime:
“Fellow Jews, and all who live in Jerusalem, listen well to what I have to say to you—your charges that these people are drunk are ridiculous, it’s early in the morning. What is happening was described by the Prophet Joel:
‘In the days to come—it is our God who speaks—I will pour out my Spirit on all humankind. Your daughters and sons will prophesy, your young people will see visions, and your elders will dream dreams. Even on the most insignificant of my people, both women and men, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. And I will display wonders in the heavens above and the earth below:’
He goes on to preach about Jesus; “Listen, all of you in the crowd and beyond, Jesus was a human being, who got his credentials from God—the miracles, sign, and wonders of which you are hearing—these are all about Jesus of Nazareth, the same Jesus who was crucified, died, was buried and who rose again. These things were all prophesied by David and by other prophets. We know one thing for sure and let all of Israel know and believe this: “God has made this Jesus, who walked on this earth and was crucified by religious Jews according to God’s plan, Lord and Messiah.”
Wanting direction, the people in the crowd asked: “What can we do now?’ Peter replied, “Just like everyone else, you are promised the gift of the Holy Spirit when you change your hearts, when you come to understand the forgiveness and accceptance that God offers and that Jesus taught”. This must have been some sermon because over 3,000 of those folks decided right then and there to receive God’s Holy Spirit. Kinda like the first megachurch in history. Our story ends today with all of them living together in harmony, spending time in the Temple, devoting themselves to the teachings of the apostles, to communing together and to prayer.
We do not live in the days just after Jesus walked on this earth. Surely the meaning is different for us. We seek to know—what does it mean to us, right now and right here? Many people think that Pentecost is the so-called birthday of the Church. Some churches today will have birthday cakes, balloons and the like. Whether or not this event in Acts is the actual beginning of the Church as we know it, is open to debate, I suppose. The significance of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, however, is clear and compelling. Jesus promised this gift of the Holy Spirit to his disciples just before he left this earth. This advocate and comforter was coming and soon—and then Jesus was gone. The disciples listened and seemed to understand as they stayed put in Jerusalem just as they had been instructed. And we, like them, are waiting.
Whoosh, we are spinning around with the power of the wind—like a gale force wind—so strong that it is hard to stand. And then the fire falls and spreads like wildfire…confusion is everywhere, no one seems to be quiet, and suddenly everyone finds that God is speaking to them exactly the way they need to hear it. This is our lesson, that God is so committed to us and a relationship with us that language and geography is no barrier—God is bigger than that. That power and prestige is no barrier—God is bigger than that. That age or inexperience is no barrier—God is bigger than that. That culture or ethnicity is no barrier—God is bigger than that. And, perhaps, that being religious or being spiritual is no barrier—God is bigger than that. God is bigger than any barrier we can drum up—than any difference that we believe can divide us. I wonder sometimes, if God must surely tire of all the drama of the part of the creation called “human”—the hatred and evil done in the name of Christianity—God is bigger than that. The doubts and skepticism that some of you have in your hearts right now—God is bigger. God is bigger than anyone and any institution that has tried to separate you from God’s love and peace. God is bigger than that. And God is bigger than any fundraiser we might have, any committee, any disagreement, any scuffle along the way to doing God’s will—God is bigger than that, too.
Today is Pentecost and we are a Pentecost people. We listen with our hearts—God is telling us that we are ready—ready to receive the “power from on high”. We give our hearts and minds to God—and with God’s help, our hearts are pure. We receive the “power from on high” and we are ready—ready to move forward with all God wants for us as people and for this, the Church, the people of God, in this place—now and in the years to come. In the sweet light of unconditional love and abundant grace, we listen, we hear, we receive, and we go forth to live and love and invite in the power of the Holy Spirit—to the glory of God! Amen and amen. We stand, and we sing—Be still for the presence of the Lord is moving in this place—can you hear it? Listen…
Welcome!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Timing is God's Business
The Reading: Acts 1:1-11
Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he said good-bye to the apostles, the ones he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but "must wait for what the Abba God promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon." When they were together for the last time they asked, "Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?" He told them, "You don't get to know the time. Timing is God’s business. What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world." These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared—in white robes! They said, "You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left."
THE GOSPEL: Luke 24:44-53
Our Gospel today comes from the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 44-53.
Then he said, "Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled."
He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. He said, "You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You're the first to hear and see it. You're the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Abba God promised to you, so stay here in the city until [the gift] arrives, until you're equipped with power from on high."
He then led them out of the city over to Bethany. Raising his hands he blessed them, and while blessing them, took his leave, being carried up to heaven. And they were on their knees, worshiping him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy. They spent all their time in the Temple praising God.
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Timing is God’s Business 5-20-12
God, we are so quick to ask for things on our schedule. Help us to remember that you are God. Grant us the hearing of your still small voice on this day and always. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you. Amen
Play first little portion of CD of “I Want It All”
I want it, all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now! This may well be the anthem that the world in which we live sings—not necessarily to its creator, but to whomever will listen. Not only do we want it all, we want it all now. There is even a phrase we use to name this compulsion—it’s called instant gratification. We have lost our ability to wait for even the smallest things. Most of us don’t really, when honesty prevails, want to wait in line for anything, be it a movie or a table in a restaurant. But this is exactly where we end up in our story today—waiting for the greater experience that is still to come.
What is described in the Gospel Reading and the Acts of the Apostles is the same event. 40 days after Jesus was raised from the dead, he left his disciples and returned to God. Forty days! You can tell from the questions that the disciples are asking that they are unaware of the time frame for what was to happen next. Let’s look at these two passages combined into one.
Jesus had been spending most of the days between his resurrection and this day (the day he is to say goodbye to them) working with them on becoming disciples, leading them to understand the scriptures and teaching them about the reign of God which was to come. As they talked and ate together, Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem to wait for the gift that Abba God had promised to them. He reminded them of the baptism of John where people were baptized in water. He told them that they would soon be baptized in the Holy Spirit. He told them some very important things. He recalled that all that he had told them could be summed up in one sentence and this is it—everything that was written about Jesus in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms must be fulfilled. See, he said, see how the scriptures show exactly what happened—the Messiah suffers and then rises from the dead on the third day. Now, beginning right here, the story of lives being changed through the forgiveness of sins and the new life in Christ is proclaimed throughout the nations. This is to start right here in Jerusalem while they wait for God to fill them with power from on high. He told them that they were the first to know about this life-changing experience. Again, he told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait. When they gathered with Jesus for the last time, they asked, “Jesus, is this the time that you restore the kingdom to Israel? Is this the time that everything becomes right in the world?” And he answered them, “You don't get to know the time. Timing is God’s business. But what you will get is the gift you are waiting for—the gift of the Holy Spirit and through the power that comes in this gift, you’ll be equipped to spread the word of all that you know all over the world”. These words were the last words he spoke. As they watched, they were amazed when Jesus raised his hands and blessed them and disappeared into heaven. Some were standing and some were on their knees. Suddenly, two people robed in white appeared. Frustrated with the disciples’ lack of insight, they explained exactly what had just happened. They scolded the Galileans for looking up at the empty sky. “What are you looking for? Jesus is gone!” The disciples, still absorbing all that they had heard and seen, gathered themselves together and went back to Jerusalem. They were bursting with joy so they spent all of their “waiting” time in the Temple praising God.
This must have been an amazing time for the disciples—these special men and women chosen by Jesus for the most important task of all—the task of telling the whole world about Jesus’ life, His teachings, his resurrection, and his forgiveness of sins. You see, I think we forget what a pivotal role these disciples played in the history of the church. It fell to them to guarantee that the news of all of these things got beyond their own small group. This week, we leave the disciples bursting with joy and gathered together spending time in each others’ presence having a great time. What if they had stayed just like that? What if they had been so full of their wonderful community, they were not prepared for what was to happen next? These are important questions for us to ask ourselves—about the disciples and about ourselves as we come together each week bursting with joy and praising God together. But God said, “Wait, something better is about to happen.” The disciples and we, of course, want to know when. But Jesus said—“this is not for you to know—Timing is God’s business.”
We are right there with those disciples—we have heard the good news, why, we are the good news. We are gathered together each week delighting in our knowledge that God loves us just the way we are—that we don’t have to change a thing about ourselves to be welcome at the Table prepared by God for us, God’s family. Rarely do we remember that we are waiting for what is next and that we don’t have any idea when God will choose to move—will choose to fill us again with power from on high and send us out into the world to live the Gospel and to be the Good News.
Here is a truth, some of you believe that when I or anyone else talks about going out and spreading this good news that all we are interested in is more visitors, more members, larger numbers in attendance, and, perhaps, bigger offerings. I am here to tell you this morning, that this is not true. I believe that God sends us into the world not to increase the statistics of Open Circle, but because we owe it to all those who still do not feel the unconditional love of God to share the good news. Do you remember the day you discovered and believed that God loved you exactly the way you are—gay, straight, trans, bi, physically challenged, mentally or emotionally challenged, agnostic , cynic, or non-believer—do you remember? So, whether Open Circle grows, stays the same, or even dies, what is more important is that every young person in this region know that there is a place where they will hear acceptance and not damnation, that every gay person struggling to be straight will know that here they can be themselves, and that every straight person who gave birth to a gay or trans child will know that God loves their child exactly the way they are.
And so we wait, wait for power from on high—when it comes is known only to God. We gather here, in our Jerusalem, to feel the Holy Spirit descend upon us just as it happened so long ago. And we prepare our hearts this week to be ready—ready to experience the Holy Spirit as we never have before. We need look no further than our Gospel lesson from today to answer the question of what we are to do while we wait. We are to read and study, to think about the gifts we have to share in this place and in the world. We wait quietly and joyfully, and we leave the timing to God. We have so many questions—what am I to do in relation to the ministries of this church? Where will these ministries find a home? Where do I fit in? what is God calling me to do? How can I be a person who brings more people to know the joy and peace that I have found here in this place and with these people?
I, for one, am so excited I can hardly sit or stand still. I feel God’s Spirit moving in this place, in your lives and in mine. I see people receiving miracles of healing and prayers answered. I see people making peace with each other and with themselves. I watch as some of you dedicate or rededicate your energies and lives to living the Gospel and being the Good News. And we wait, bursting with joy, singing praises to God. Amen and Amen—
Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he said good-bye to the apostles, the ones he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but "must wait for what the Abba God promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon." When they were together for the last time they asked, "Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?" He told them, "You don't get to know the time. Timing is God’s business. What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world." These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared—in white robes! They said, "You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left."
THE GOSPEL: Luke 24:44-53
Our Gospel today comes from the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 44-53.
Then he said, "Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled."
He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. He said, "You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You're the first to hear and see it. You're the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Abba God promised to you, so stay here in the city until [the gift] arrives, until you're equipped with power from on high."
He then led them out of the city over to Bethany. Raising his hands he blessed them, and while blessing them, took his leave, being carried up to heaven. And they were on their knees, worshiping him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy. They spent all their time in the Temple praising God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Timing is God’s Business 5-20-12
God, we are so quick to ask for things on our schedule. Help us to remember that you are God. Grant us the hearing of your still small voice on this day and always. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you. Amen
Play first little portion of CD of “I Want It All”
I want it, all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now! This may well be the anthem that the world in which we live sings—not necessarily to its creator, but to whomever will listen. Not only do we want it all, we want it all now. There is even a phrase we use to name this compulsion—it’s called instant gratification. We have lost our ability to wait for even the smallest things. Most of us don’t really, when honesty prevails, want to wait in line for anything, be it a movie or a table in a restaurant. But this is exactly where we end up in our story today—waiting for the greater experience that is still to come.
What is described in the Gospel Reading and the Acts of the Apostles is the same event. 40 days after Jesus was raised from the dead, he left his disciples and returned to God. Forty days! You can tell from the questions that the disciples are asking that they are unaware of the time frame for what was to happen next. Let’s look at these two passages combined into one.
Jesus had been spending most of the days between his resurrection and this day (the day he is to say goodbye to them) working with them on becoming disciples, leading them to understand the scriptures and teaching them about the reign of God which was to come. As they talked and ate together, Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem to wait for the gift that Abba God had promised to them. He reminded them of the baptism of John where people were baptized in water. He told them that they would soon be baptized in the Holy Spirit. He told them some very important things. He recalled that all that he had told them could be summed up in one sentence and this is it—everything that was written about Jesus in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms must be fulfilled. See, he said, see how the scriptures show exactly what happened—the Messiah suffers and then rises from the dead on the third day. Now, beginning right here, the story of lives being changed through the forgiveness of sins and the new life in Christ is proclaimed throughout the nations. This is to start right here in Jerusalem while they wait for God to fill them with power from on high. He told them that they were the first to know about this life-changing experience. Again, he told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait. When they gathered with Jesus for the last time, they asked, “Jesus, is this the time that you restore the kingdom to Israel? Is this the time that everything becomes right in the world?” And he answered them, “You don't get to know the time. Timing is God’s business. But what you will get is the gift you are waiting for—the gift of the Holy Spirit and through the power that comes in this gift, you’ll be equipped to spread the word of all that you know all over the world”. These words were the last words he spoke. As they watched, they were amazed when Jesus raised his hands and blessed them and disappeared into heaven. Some were standing and some were on their knees. Suddenly, two people robed in white appeared. Frustrated with the disciples’ lack of insight, they explained exactly what had just happened. They scolded the Galileans for looking up at the empty sky. “What are you looking for? Jesus is gone!” The disciples, still absorbing all that they had heard and seen, gathered themselves together and went back to Jerusalem. They were bursting with joy so they spent all of their “waiting” time in the Temple praising God.
This must have been an amazing time for the disciples—these special men and women chosen by Jesus for the most important task of all—the task of telling the whole world about Jesus’ life, His teachings, his resurrection, and his forgiveness of sins. You see, I think we forget what a pivotal role these disciples played in the history of the church. It fell to them to guarantee that the news of all of these things got beyond their own small group. This week, we leave the disciples bursting with joy and gathered together spending time in each others’ presence having a great time. What if they had stayed just like that? What if they had been so full of their wonderful community, they were not prepared for what was to happen next? These are important questions for us to ask ourselves—about the disciples and about ourselves as we come together each week bursting with joy and praising God together. But God said, “Wait, something better is about to happen.” The disciples and we, of course, want to know when. But Jesus said—“this is not for you to know—Timing is God’s business.”
We are right there with those disciples—we have heard the good news, why, we are the good news. We are gathered together each week delighting in our knowledge that God loves us just the way we are—that we don’t have to change a thing about ourselves to be welcome at the Table prepared by God for us, God’s family. Rarely do we remember that we are waiting for what is next and that we don’t have any idea when God will choose to move—will choose to fill us again with power from on high and send us out into the world to live the Gospel and to be the Good News.
Here is a truth, some of you believe that when I or anyone else talks about going out and spreading this good news that all we are interested in is more visitors, more members, larger numbers in attendance, and, perhaps, bigger offerings. I am here to tell you this morning, that this is not true. I believe that God sends us into the world not to increase the statistics of Open Circle, but because we owe it to all those who still do not feel the unconditional love of God to share the good news. Do you remember the day you discovered and believed that God loved you exactly the way you are—gay, straight, trans, bi, physically challenged, mentally or emotionally challenged, agnostic , cynic, or non-believer—do you remember? So, whether Open Circle grows, stays the same, or even dies, what is more important is that every young person in this region know that there is a place where they will hear acceptance and not damnation, that every gay person struggling to be straight will know that here they can be themselves, and that every straight person who gave birth to a gay or trans child will know that God loves their child exactly the way they are.
And so we wait, wait for power from on high—when it comes is known only to God. We gather here, in our Jerusalem, to feel the Holy Spirit descend upon us just as it happened so long ago. And we prepare our hearts this week to be ready—ready to experience the Holy Spirit as we never have before. We need look no further than our Gospel lesson from today to answer the question of what we are to do while we wait. We are to read and study, to think about the gifts we have to share in this place and in the world. We wait quietly and joyfully, and we leave the timing to God. We have so many questions—what am I to do in relation to the ministries of this church? Where will these ministries find a home? Where do I fit in? what is God calling me to do? How can I be a person who brings more people to know the joy and peace that I have found here in this place and with these people?
I, for one, am so excited I can hardly sit or stand still. I feel God’s Spirit moving in this place, in your lives and in mine. I see people receiving miracles of healing and prayers answered. I see people making peace with each other and with themselves. I watch as some of you dedicate or rededicate your energies and lives to living the Gospel and being the Good News. And we wait, bursting with joy, singing praises to God. Amen and Amen—
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
And When You Pray 5-6-12
The Reading: James 5: 13-16
Are any of you in trouble? Then pray. Are any of you in good spirits? Then sing a hymn of praise. Are any of you sick? Then call for the elders of the church, and have them pray over those who are sick and anoint them with oil in the name of Christ. And this prayer offered in faith will make them well, and Christ will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayers of the just are powerful and effective.
THE GOSPEL: Matthew 6: 5-13
“And when you pray, don’t behave like the hypocrites; they love to pray standing up in the synagogues and on street corners for people to see them. The truth is, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to God who is in that secret place, and your Abba God—who sees all that is done in secret—will reward you. And when you pray don’t babble like the Gentiles. They think God will hear them if they use a lot of words. Don’t imitate them. Your God knows what you need before you ask it. This is how you are to pray:
‘Abba God in heaven, hallowed be your name! May your reign come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven; and give us today the bread of Tomorrow. And forgive us our debts, as we hereby forgive those who are indebted to us. Don’t put us to the test, but free us from evil.’”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God of all creation, we come into your presence with expectations only you can meet. Bless us this day with your Holy Spirit and may all that I say and all that we ponder bring you honor and glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen
In our first two sermons in this current series, we talked about receiving the presence of Christ in our lives. In our first sermon, I invited you to experience the invitation to the Table as an invitation to being and living the Good News yourselves. I invited you to think about how you want to go about being the Good News. I asked you to contemplate the question: “What do you need from each other, or from me, your pastor? What, even, do you need from God?” in order to be the Good News in the world. I’m hoping that you are continuing to tell others that you are the Good News and that you are wrestling with all that means in your lives. The second week we acknowledged that “we do not spring full-grown in our spiritual lives. We need guidance, we need practice, and we need a continuing sense of the presence of God’s love.” We spoke of exploring God’s Word with spiritual consistency. We talked about learning to listen to God and learning to put aside the claim of the world upon our lives so that we can recognize the very presence of God in the here and now.
Today, we will strike out boldly and begin to look at the calling to be the Good News in the world as a calling to a life of prayer—individual and corporate as the Body of Christ. I’ve noticed that many people tend to squirm in their seats if they believe they are about to be asked to pray. In many churches, prayers are full of complicated words, wild claims on God and God’s actions, thinly veiled attempts to encourage people to feel guilty about something or another and the prayers go on for so long that you dose off hoping you will be awakened by the loud Amen at the end. This, my friends, is not a life of prayer and our Gospel reading shows that Jesus was not won over by these kinds of prayers at all. Today, we will take a beginning look at a topic that has been made complicated, but is really not complicated at all.
Our passage from James contains all that the church needs to know about prayer. Anybody unhappy? Pray. Anybody happy? Sing praises. Anybody sick? Call the church leadership and pray over them, even anointing them with oil. Christ will do the rest. Anybody not in right relationship with themselves, with another, with God? Confess your sins to each other. And then the promise: The prayers of the just are powerful and effective. Seems relatively simple—time to ask ourselves why we make it so hard.
While we may find it difficult, it is important to remember that Jesus, was himself, a person of prayer. We know little of what he said in his prayers, but we know that he prayed A LOT. The Gospel writers record often that Jesus went away to pray. His earthly ministry began with 40 long days of praying and fasting in the desert. He prayed in the garden and on the cross. Jesus was a human being who knew the importance of conversation with God. Although we do not have much information regarding the content of his prayers, we do have instructions on prayer from him. Think for just a moment about the incredible gift this is. I, for one, have little patience for those who think they are experts and you will rarely find me being more than simply polite when they speak. I long for the time and space to be able to learn from those who are living their truths—and, here, in the life of Jesus, we see just this.
Jesus stands on the mountainside in a sort of spur of the moment amphitheater. He is speaking in a very structured way about what it means to truly be a disciple and to worship God. Just as we join the crowd, he comes to his point on prayer:
“And when you pray, don’t act like those people who pray only to hear their own voices and not with any great love for God or for humankind. All the reward they are ever going to get is in the applause of the shallow people around them. God has not heard a word they’ve said. Here’s how I want you to pray: go into your room and shut the door. Block out the presence of all those other things that call you away from your time of prayer. Pray to God there—to the God who longs to hear you and connect with you in private. Talk just like you would talk to each other. God isn’t impressed by big words, God loves you so much that your needs are known to God even before you ask. So use simple words, everyday words. Here’s how you should pray.
Our God, you are precious to us, holy is your name. Let all that you taught us through Jesus Christ come true, now, here on this earth—May your justice be everywhere in the world. May everyone live in the peace of your presence. God, give us exactly what we need so that our hearts will be focused on you. Give us just enough bread so that we have bread for each day. Forgive us when we are not in right relationship with You, with our neighbor, with our world, and with our selves. Lead us to forgive each other in the very same way you forgive us—completely, not keeping a list of wrongdoings. Don’t let temptation lead us away from you and what you would have us do and free us from the habit of putting our own needs first. Amen.”
This is what Jesus taught us about prayer through his life and his teachings. Prayer is, first and foremost, about our relationship with God. When we are ‘not right’ with one another or within ourselves, we are ‘not right’ with God. Prayer is our first effort to right that relationship. Listening and doing are our second and third efforts.
The older I get, the more I learn about prayer. Prayer is the path through which we learn to live in the presence of God. By this, I do not mean that God is not present to us because God is always present—but through prayer I am learning to continually be present to God.
How do we learn to pray? By praying. That’s all, by praying. Now, let me tell you a few of the ways I have learned to pray—you might want to try some of them on. I pray by going for a walk and talking to God. If I am frustrated or angry, I try to go places where I won’t disturb other walkers if I get loud. I pray by going for a drive—driving, probably because it requires a concrete skill which has become ingrained in my memory though years of driving, clears my head and makes me more open to hearing God’s word of peace or love. I pray by going to places that I have felt the presence of the ‘holy’ before. Simply by going there again, I find myself in a place where I can pray. I hope that someday we will have such a ‘sacred place’ easily available for all of us on Open Circle property. My ‘holy places’ have over time been churches themselves, parks, labyrinths, certain beaches and other places where I have identified the feeling of holy. Sacred places are important in our lives. Some people find that their prayer life is enhanced by a special place in their homes set aside for seeking and finding the presence of God—a home altar of sorts.
Then there is prayer in the Body of Christ—this Body of Christ. When you ask for prayer, it is one of the great gifts that God gives to every pastor. But God also gives this to each of you. By allowing yourself to be prayed for and to be praying for others when needed, you are building up the Body of Christ. It is my prayer that we will become a praying congregation—that, as we are comfortable, our meetings will become increasingly in tune with the presence of God, and we will pray often and simply. It is my prayer that, as a people, we will turn more and more to God for guidance, wisdom, and courage—that we will walk into the future firmly planted and rooted in the practice of prayer. And as you grow, we all grow; just as our communal spiritual growth impacts your own. And so it is—we live the God News in ways that contribute to the spiritual growth of this congregation, this denomination, and ultimately, the world. Our lives are a prayer, our words a love sonnet to the God who loves us and calls us “beloved”. Amen and Amen
Are any of you in trouble? Then pray. Are any of you in good spirits? Then sing a hymn of praise. Are any of you sick? Then call for the elders of the church, and have them pray over those who are sick and anoint them with oil in the name of Christ. And this prayer offered in faith will make them well, and Christ will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayers of the just are powerful and effective.
THE GOSPEL: Matthew 6: 5-13
“And when you pray, don’t behave like the hypocrites; they love to pray standing up in the synagogues and on street corners for people to see them. The truth is, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to God who is in that secret place, and your Abba God—who sees all that is done in secret—will reward you. And when you pray don’t babble like the Gentiles. They think God will hear them if they use a lot of words. Don’t imitate them. Your God knows what you need before you ask it. This is how you are to pray:
‘Abba God in heaven, hallowed be your name! May your reign come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven; and give us today the bread of Tomorrow. And forgive us our debts, as we hereby forgive those who are indebted to us. Don’t put us to the test, but free us from evil.’”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God of all creation, we come into your presence with expectations only you can meet. Bless us this day with your Holy Spirit and may all that I say and all that we ponder bring you honor and glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen
In our first two sermons in this current series, we talked about receiving the presence of Christ in our lives. In our first sermon, I invited you to experience the invitation to the Table as an invitation to being and living the Good News yourselves. I invited you to think about how you want to go about being the Good News. I asked you to contemplate the question: “What do you need from each other, or from me, your pastor? What, even, do you need from God?” in order to be the Good News in the world. I’m hoping that you are continuing to tell others that you are the Good News and that you are wrestling with all that means in your lives. The second week we acknowledged that “we do not spring full-grown in our spiritual lives. We need guidance, we need practice, and we need a continuing sense of the presence of God’s love.” We spoke of exploring God’s Word with spiritual consistency. We talked about learning to listen to God and learning to put aside the claim of the world upon our lives so that we can recognize the very presence of God in the here and now.
Today, we will strike out boldly and begin to look at the calling to be the Good News in the world as a calling to a life of prayer—individual and corporate as the Body of Christ. I’ve noticed that many people tend to squirm in their seats if they believe they are about to be asked to pray. In many churches, prayers are full of complicated words, wild claims on God and God’s actions, thinly veiled attempts to encourage people to feel guilty about something or another and the prayers go on for so long that you dose off hoping you will be awakened by the loud Amen at the end. This, my friends, is not a life of prayer and our Gospel reading shows that Jesus was not won over by these kinds of prayers at all. Today, we will take a beginning look at a topic that has been made complicated, but is really not complicated at all.
Our passage from James contains all that the church needs to know about prayer. Anybody unhappy? Pray. Anybody happy? Sing praises. Anybody sick? Call the church leadership and pray over them, even anointing them with oil. Christ will do the rest. Anybody not in right relationship with themselves, with another, with God? Confess your sins to each other. And then the promise: The prayers of the just are powerful and effective. Seems relatively simple—time to ask ourselves why we make it so hard.
While we may find it difficult, it is important to remember that Jesus, was himself, a person of prayer. We know little of what he said in his prayers, but we know that he prayed A LOT. The Gospel writers record often that Jesus went away to pray. His earthly ministry began with 40 long days of praying and fasting in the desert. He prayed in the garden and on the cross. Jesus was a human being who knew the importance of conversation with God. Although we do not have much information regarding the content of his prayers, we do have instructions on prayer from him. Think for just a moment about the incredible gift this is. I, for one, have little patience for those who think they are experts and you will rarely find me being more than simply polite when they speak. I long for the time and space to be able to learn from those who are living their truths—and, here, in the life of Jesus, we see just this.
Jesus stands on the mountainside in a sort of spur of the moment amphitheater. He is speaking in a very structured way about what it means to truly be a disciple and to worship God. Just as we join the crowd, he comes to his point on prayer:
“And when you pray, don’t act like those people who pray only to hear their own voices and not with any great love for God or for humankind. All the reward they are ever going to get is in the applause of the shallow people around them. God has not heard a word they’ve said. Here’s how I want you to pray: go into your room and shut the door. Block out the presence of all those other things that call you away from your time of prayer. Pray to God there—to the God who longs to hear you and connect with you in private. Talk just like you would talk to each other. God isn’t impressed by big words, God loves you so much that your needs are known to God even before you ask. So use simple words, everyday words. Here’s how you should pray.
Our God, you are precious to us, holy is your name. Let all that you taught us through Jesus Christ come true, now, here on this earth—May your justice be everywhere in the world. May everyone live in the peace of your presence. God, give us exactly what we need so that our hearts will be focused on you. Give us just enough bread so that we have bread for each day. Forgive us when we are not in right relationship with You, with our neighbor, with our world, and with our selves. Lead us to forgive each other in the very same way you forgive us—completely, not keeping a list of wrongdoings. Don’t let temptation lead us away from you and what you would have us do and free us from the habit of putting our own needs first. Amen.”
This is what Jesus taught us about prayer through his life and his teachings. Prayer is, first and foremost, about our relationship with God. When we are ‘not right’ with one another or within ourselves, we are ‘not right’ with God. Prayer is our first effort to right that relationship. Listening and doing are our second and third efforts.
The older I get, the more I learn about prayer. Prayer is the path through which we learn to live in the presence of God. By this, I do not mean that God is not present to us because God is always present—but through prayer I am learning to continually be present to God.
How do we learn to pray? By praying. That’s all, by praying. Now, let me tell you a few of the ways I have learned to pray—you might want to try some of them on. I pray by going for a walk and talking to God. If I am frustrated or angry, I try to go places where I won’t disturb other walkers if I get loud. I pray by going for a drive—driving, probably because it requires a concrete skill which has become ingrained in my memory though years of driving, clears my head and makes me more open to hearing God’s word of peace or love. I pray by going to places that I have felt the presence of the ‘holy’ before. Simply by going there again, I find myself in a place where I can pray. I hope that someday we will have such a ‘sacred place’ easily available for all of us on Open Circle property. My ‘holy places’ have over time been churches themselves, parks, labyrinths, certain beaches and other places where I have identified the feeling of holy. Sacred places are important in our lives. Some people find that their prayer life is enhanced by a special place in their homes set aside for seeking and finding the presence of God—a home altar of sorts.
Then there is prayer in the Body of Christ—this Body of Christ. When you ask for prayer, it is one of the great gifts that God gives to every pastor. But God also gives this to each of you. By allowing yourself to be prayed for and to be praying for others when needed, you are building up the Body of Christ. It is my prayer that we will become a praying congregation—that, as we are comfortable, our meetings will become increasingly in tune with the presence of God, and we will pray often and simply. It is my prayer that, as a people, we will turn more and more to God for guidance, wisdom, and courage—that we will walk into the future firmly planted and rooted in the practice of prayer. And as you grow, we all grow; just as our communal spiritual growth impacts your own. And so it is—we live the God News in ways that contribute to the spiritual growth of this congregation, this denomination, and ultimately, the world. Our lives are a prayer, our words a love sonnet to the God who loves us and calls us “beloved”. Amen and Amen
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