This Week's Sermon

This Week’s Sermon
July 25, 2010

Season after Pentecost

Luke 11:1-13

August 25, 2010

“Pilot to tower ... pilot to tower ... I am 300 miles from land ... 600 feet over water ... and running out of fuel .... Please instruct!”

“Tower to pilot ... tower to pilot ... repeat after me: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven ...’“

A small ship tossed to and fro in a storm. The crew did its best to ensure the safety of those on board. As the storm worsened, an anxious passenger asked the captain if there was anything else to be done.

             “All we can do now is pray,” he replied.
             “Has it come to that?” the passenger asked in alarm.
             These two stories might illustrate the way in which we sometimes think of prayer. When all else fails, pray. When things are really circling the drain, get on the hot line to God.

Or, let’s look at prayer another way that is very popular…We’ve all had this experience at one time or another. It’s a hot day. You put your money in the vending machine that promises cold soda. You want that drink. You make your selection. And nothing happens. You push the coin return, hoping to at least get your money back. But nothing happens there either. You look around. If no one’s watching, you might give the machine a quick punch. Or even shake it a little. Still, nothing happens. And you walk away, still thirsty, still needing that drink, and very frustrated.

Has anyone felt that way about prayer. You pray and you pray, and it’s not for something selfish, it’s for something good. Maybe you pray for healing for someone you love. Maybe you pray to keep your child from a bad decision. Good stuff. Necessary stuff. And nothing happens. And you’re just a little, or maybe a lot, frustrated with God? If you’re a good person, and asking for a good thing, you ought to get it? Right? Didn’t Jesus say, “Ask, and it will be given to you?”

Joel Osteen is the pastor of a mega-church, and preaches a gospel of success. Have faith and everything will be all right. Have faith, pray, and you will be successful, happy, get what you want. Fifty or so years ago, Normal Vincent Peale was saying the same thing. One quote is, “Four things for success: work and pray, think and believe.” But…

Prayer is not a distress signal.

Prayer is not a vending machine.

In our gospel lesson for today Jesus teaches us about prayer. The first thing he says is, “When you pray, say ‘Father….’” Prayer is a relationship -- an intimate, loving, caring parent/child relationship. And God is the perfect, loving Father, wiser than we can ever imagine, or conceive. And when we pray, we are speaking to one who loves us infinitely, but is also infinitely more than we are, knowing things that we aren’t even capable of thinking about.

When prayer is not answered, or at least we might perceive it that way, there are two possible ways we can interpret the situation. Either, it seems, God is in control, is all powerful, or he isn’t. Rabbi Harold Kushner suggest that some things just happen, because of natural laws, or shifting tectonic plates, or low pressure systems, or whatever. He says that God does not cause suffering, and I am inclined to agree with him. Not everything happens for a reason. So when we pray, and our prayers are not answered, and something terrible happens, I don’t believe it’s’ all part of God’s plan.

Lets’ go back to the Father idea for a moment.

“Daddy, can I have a bicycle for my birthday?” asks little Susie. Now all Susie knows is that she wants the bicycle very much. She needs the bicycle. Her friends have bicycles. But there are things that her father must consider. Is Susie old enough to learn to ride it safely? Can the father afford it? Are there other things the family needs that take priority? Is there a danger to having this bicycle that the child doesn’t realize? Would the child’s having the bicycle cause trouble in the family because her sister doesn’t have one, although her sister didn’t ask for one. Will the child ride her bicycle in front of a car, and cause the driver to swerve and have an accident killing several people? Her father might know all these answers, if he were all-knowing, as God is. Maybe there are some things God either can’t do, because of the laws of the universe and the free will we are given, or some things God chooses not to do, for reasons that we are not capable of understanding.

We parents know that the words, “Mommy,” or “Daddy,” may often be followed by “I want.” Sometimes we answer, “Yes.” Sometimes we answer, “No.” But most often (as any child will attest) the answer is, “We’ll see.” Does God answer prayers with a “We’ll see.”? I think so.

What is meant by “We’ll see”? Sometimes it is just a kinder way of saying, “No”. You don’t want to hurt the child’s feelings right now, and maybe later he or she will have forgotten all about the request.

Sometimes, however, it can really mean, “We’ll see.” Maybe daddy doesn’t know right now if he can afford what you want -- although that logic wouldn’t apply to God. Perhaps daddy doesn’t know if you are able to correctly handle or understand all the implications about what you ask for -- be it a new rifle or bicycle or make-up kit or motorcycle or paint-by-number picture or a pet dog or cat or bird or $1000. Often God’s answer of “we’ll see” is precisely this. God knows that we can’t really handle whatever it is we asking for. If you think about it, even Jesus’ request in the garden was answered with a “We’ll see.” It may have been possible for Jesus to avoid the suffering and death if all the leaders suddenly converted, repented of sins and believed in him. But, as we know, that didn’t happen.

We pray for healing. The answer is often, “We’ll see.” Sometimes our prayers may result in healing, perhaps miraculously or through the human knowledge and skills of the doctor, nurses, and medicines. Sometimes the best efforts of the medical team and our prayers aren’t enough and the “we’ll see” becomes a “no”.

Prayer, most of all, is a relationship: a child with parents, friends talking with each other. The second part of our gospel lesson uses the image of a friend asking another for some food for the sake of another friend. Sometimes we are able to meet the needs of our friends. “Can I borrow a screwdriver?” “Can you help me with this?” But there are many times -- and perhaps their most important requests, where we can do nothing to change the situation. “I’m out of work, can you get me a job where you work?” “I’ve got cancer, can you make it better?” “I’m so depressed, that I don’t know if I will ever be happy again, can’t you do something to help me?”

There was a group of high school kids that “hung out” together. One of the boys had recently lost a sister in a car accident. Some of the kids in this group confessed that they had thought about going over and visiting after the accident, but they didn’t know what to do or what they should say. So they stayed away. We know how often this happens, even with adults. However, one of the friends didn’t let his fears keep him away. He had spent most of that day with his friend. He admitted that he didn’t know what to do or say either. The one who had lost his sister said that what was most important to him at that time was just somebody being there with him. He thanked the one who had visited. Even though he couldn’t do anything or say anything that would change the tragedy, his presence was a great help and greatly appreciated.

I think that in many ways prayer is like that. It’s a relationship. It’s the presence of daddy or mommy, not always saying or doing things to change the situation, but their presence can often change you as it brings their comfort and love to the situation -- and perhaps you are better able to accept what lies in the future with their support. You can live with the uncertainty of the “we’ll see” answer. Patiently waiting together to see what will happen.

Jesus taught, “When you pray, say ‘Father.’” Our knowledge, our wisdom, our understanding, compared to God’s, is less than that of a four-year-old begging the parent for yet another piece of candy. We don’t know how God works, except when we see his work through his people. Like the four-year-old, we don’t understand our Father’s decisions. But also like a child, we know that the Father is there for us, always waiting to listen to our troubles, and hopefully, our thanksgiving. Like a child, we know where to run when we need help, or when we just want to be in the presence of someone we love, and how loves us very much.

Prayer is the presence of God -- not that God will always change the situation, but knowing that God is with you, that God is going through the tragedy or suffering or depression or even death with you, not as a far off God, way out in space, but as your very close and loving father. “When you pray,” Jesus says, “say Father.” AMEN