"Lord, teach us to pray"

PPLP – Langenburg / Churchbridge SK

7th Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary 12 [17] – Year C

Hosea 1:2:10

Psalm 138

Colossians 2:5-15[16-19]

Luke 11:1-13

Lord of heaven and earth,

as Jesus taught the disciples to be persistent in prayer,

give us patience and courage never to lose hope,

but always to bring our prayers before you;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

_________________________________

Today’s gospel is beautiful, don’t you think? Jesus disciples are asking to learn how to pray.

Why? Because they saw Jesus praying; they observed that prayer; that time intentionally spent in prayer was an active part of Jesus’ regimen of self-care, and they wanted to be a part of that, too.

We heard last week, in Bp. Sid’s sermon, the intimacy and the beauty we are introduced to in this prayer because Jesus tells us to address God with the same informality, the same intimacy that he uses when praying to God.

So, keep that thought in mind, it’s important.

The gospel tells us: “11 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, …” (Lk 11:1-2a)

At the same time, seeing my grandmother living into her regular pattern of devotion and prayer, every morning, showed me how to pray, how to take even five minutes in my day and spend that time in what today we would refer to as Spiritual Self-Care.

Today, we see that, by and large, the Christian church, as a whole, has some really significant public relations problems. Well, it’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last.

Unfortunately, with social media, and a more immediate global awareness of the issues that plague human society means that we find out much quicker what is ranking in the news feeds – disasters, fires, floods, famines, and plagues. But it also means that this is what humanity in general will remember.

The church has always had trouble getting people to be regular attenders, but this has also been more the case with the rise of rational thought over superstition.

Having said that, though, denying ourselves a spiritual life, a life centred on prayer, on faith, on corporate worship, where we lift each other up, because we are rational human beings, and that perception of rationality tells us that church isn’t such a need in our lives, is also not right.

From the very beginning of Creation, we are and have always been in an active relationship with God.

Genesis tells us that Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. “8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, .... 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”” (Gen 3:8a, 9)

We’re told that God communicated directly with the faithful, as we saw in the time of Abraham, Noah, and Moses, and also had God’s messengers as well interacting with humanity, although they’re only seen with divine assistance.

“10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When … he stopped for the night … Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, …

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 … This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”” (gen 28:10-13, 16-17)

Coming back to the gospel for today, we see in these words are everything that we need to express our thanks, our needs, our concerns, and our desire for God to be an active participant in our lives, every day.

“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.’”” (Lk 11:2-4)

But Jesus doesn’t stop there.

Jesus tells us that speaking to God isn’t like leaving a message on an answering machine. Instead, we are encouraged to ask and to ask and to ask until we get a reply.

“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.” (Lk 11:5-10)

And we are able to see this in in absolutely all of the writings, the letters of Paul.

How often do we read, do we hear him say that he continues to give thanks for each one of us, for every community of faith he has had contact with in his travels? In fact it’s how he begins all of his correspondence, reinforcing God’s love, and God’s blessing that all are loved as followers of God

“7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.” (Rom 1:7-10)

And

“1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. “ (1 Cor 1:1-6)

Or

“To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:1b-6)

So, maybe, just maybe in our prayer lives, our expressions of need in our hopes expressed in individual and corporate prayers might be too narrow? Or do we perhaps not expect God to answer?

If Adam and Eve walked in the Garden with God, and spoke directly to God on a daily basis, then we are able to do the same.

If giving it all to God in prayer worked for the Israelites, for the apostles and the disciples and all of the followers of God, then we have their example to follow. But it means that we don’t leave anything out.

How many prayed for Covid to go away, and for masking mandates to be lifted? Did you continue when your personal goals were met?

How many prayed for the pastoral vacancy to be filled? Do you continue to pray, now that I’m here?

How many pray that the church continue to have life and purpose in our community, our world, beyond the span of our own lifetimes?

The gospel tells us: “5 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.” (Lk 11:5-8)

So, we’re told that not only do we need to continue, and to constantly reach out to the Divine, in prayer, but we also need to be prepared for God to move, to act, and to fulfill our prayers, both here and far away.

We need to be ready for God to move both in our hearts and lives as well as in the lives and hearts of those whom we love and even those from whom we are estranged.

And today, corporately, we’re praying, specifically, for healing in all aspects of our lives.

We’re praying for healing in our hearts, in our lives, in our relationships because Covid has brought out the worst in each of us. Covid added strain to our lives that we were unable to alleviate in ‘normal ways’ because of the nature of the disease and so we became less than the best versions of ourselves.

And so, we pray. We pray collectively as a corporate body. We pray individually that we make the best choices with the options that are before us, and to ensure the maximum benefit for all.

I’m sure, like in most communities, not everyone who isolated for Covid has returned. I’m sure, like most communities we are feeling remorse for our actions.

But God doesn’t leave us there. Rather God encourages our participation in a life of prayer, through the words of the Lord’s Prayer, through that literally covers all of our needs for life and prosperity.

Prayer, praying is more than a habit, more than a spiritual discipline. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a mode of communication. It’s through prayer that God moves and acts in each of our lives.

“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.”” (Lk 11”9-10)

It’s through prayer that God response and we need to be prepared to listen. We need to be prepared to act, because the answer may not be exactly what we expect.

And yet, we may be the very answer to our prayers.

Jesus tells us how to pray. He tells us what to pray.

Jesus tells us to pray with fervency and with the expectation of response.

So, here we are, at the beginning of our relationship with each other. Here we are learning from Jesus to pray, and to expect a response.

Here we are, asking for God to be an active participant in our lives.

Why? Because Jesus promises that we will be heard. He tells us that we will see the blessing of God’s love, and more when we reach out and fully expect God’s response to our prayers, and our lives.

Because “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk 11:13b)

Amen.