| Note: No sermon is quite the same when you read it. You miss the inflections, the expression that you gain in the hearing. The words below are only a close approximation of the sermon, taken from handwritten notes. Nevertheless, the words (as best as can be deciphered!) are shared with you here. The Webmeister |
Second Sunday of Pentecost Next week is going to be an interesting week for our family. On Tuesday, the day after tomorrow, my wife is going to have surgery to repair a torn ligament in her knee. And on next Friday we will close on a house that we have decided to purchase, and then, if those two were not enough, I will leave for a mission trip to Juaréz, Mexico, conveniently scheduled the day after we close. Nobody has ever said I had a knack for good timing. And to answer your question, did we plan for all these things to happen this week, well, the answer is of course, no. I promise you that appearances not withstanding, we're not that crazy. It's just a reality that weeks like this happen for all of us at different points. As I have spent time preparing for this week, I've realized something. I've realized that even during weeks that aren't full of organized chaos or activity, that prayer is absolutely essential in life. I was reminded that we need prayer the same way our bodies need food and water. And it is my belief that if we go too long without praying, we will begin to wither. We will begin to wither if we do not pray because prayer keeps us living. It keeps us alive when we are facing eventful weeks ahead. Prayer keeps us alive when we are facing challenges at work, at home, or at school. But it's frustratingly easy for us to forget that in the middle of the week. It's easy to forget about the necessity of prayer because we find ourselves getting caught up in the busyness of our days and of our lives to the point where the importance of prayer seems to fall to the very bottom of the list. There's too much else going on. And when we do pray in church, we might find ourselves believing, although we would never admit it, that despite the efforts of our prayers, God will still remain distant and uninvolved in our lives. And perhaps some of us here are uncertain that God will even answer our prayers in the first place. Sometimes we pray much as we might wish upon a star or read a horoscope—we don't believe anything will actually happen doing it. I remember listening to a priest named Eugene several years ago tell a story from his life. And the story Eugene told concerned a conversation he had with another priest regarding the spiritual emptiness he felt inside. After Eugene shared this, the other priest paused, and then said "Well, Eugene. Are you praying?" And Eugene said, "Of course, I pray whenever we have services in church." The other priest looked at Eugene and asked "Tell me Eugene, do you ever pray when you're not leading worship?" The look on Eugene's was answer enough for the priest. He knew Eugene only prayed when he was leading worship, and how that was a recipe for spiritual burnout. I don't believe that it is enough just to say words. Prayer is much more than that. When we pray, we pray in faith. We pray in faith trusting that the God who knows our prayers before we speak them will answer them. If I were pressed to tell someone what the kingdom of God was like, I would say that it is what happens when someone prays to God in faith, knowing that God will respond. And when Jesus was asked that question, the question of what is the kingdom of God like, Jesus answered that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, yet when it is planted it becomes the greatest of all shrubs. Personally, I never thought of any shrub, as "great" but it's Jesus' parable, not mine. The point of Jesus' parable is to remind us that the smallest amount of faith, whether the size of a mustard seed or smaller, is enough to change our lives. It is enough. And when we pray to God, even with the smallest amount of faith latched on to our prayer, God responds and God acts. William Temple, a former archbishop of Canterbury, understood this. In describing his life of prayer, Temple said "I notice that when I pray, coincidences happen. When I stop, coincidences stop happening." What Temple is saying is that when he conducted his life in a steady rhythm of prayer in faith that God would respond, then things began happening in his life. And the same is true in our lives. When we pray in faith, wonderful things start happening in our lives where the only explanation is the work of the Holy Spirit. God is not distant, uninvolved, or uninterested in our lives. God is involved, God is present in our lives, and it is our prayers in faith that make us open to the presence of God that is always around us. Prayer replenishes us: it keeps us alive, and it keeps us joyful. But it does not prevent difficult circumstances, it does not prevent hardship, and it is not a guarantee for life without pain. But for a person who prays in faith, is given a sense of perspective so that intolerable situations become tolerable. For a person who prays in faith, blessings are discovered in painful events, like a diamond found in the midst of coal. Jesus understood the necessity of praying in faith. And that's why whenever he healed someone, he would say "your faith has made you well," not "I have made you well" or "You have made yourself well." But your faith. And I believe that our prayers in faith will make us well, too. But in our culture we are dangerously close to losing the value of the work that is sincere prayer. I am reminded of a priest who was in his office one day, praying. He was kneeling, his eyes were closed, and his office door shut. And in the middle of his prayer, the secretary walked into his office in and said "I'm glad you're not busy right now. Can you sign this check?" Our most sincere work is our prayer. But we live in a culture where praying in faith is a rare commodity. But it is something that we, as Christians hold onto. Praying in faith is our mustard seed that we scatter against the thistles and thorns of doubt and fear. And it is by God's grace, that smallest seed, our littlest prayer in faith, grows into something beautiful. We are told in Matthew's gospel that "whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive." And that is true. We will get whatever we ask for if we pray in faith. But, before you ask for that new Mercedes or that your child be healed, remember that praying in faith means that we are seeking the will of God, not our own. And God's will is not always what makes the most sense to us. But God's will for us is to know God fully through opening our lives to the Holy Spirit in faithful prayer. In the midst of activity, the time you take for unhurried prayer in faith, will be the time you value more than almost everything else because prayer opens the door for Christ who stands there knocking, waiting for the door to open. May your prayers open and keep open to Christ the very door to your heart. Amen. The Reverend James M. L. Grace June 18, 2006 *Past sermons may be found here. |
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