Community Church Sermons
Year C
July 25,
2010
Pentecost 9
Teach Us to Pray
Luke 11:1-13
Rev. Dr. R. Tim Meadows
I am not very good at prayer. At best, it is a discipline that befuddles me. At worst, it is a conversation that seems far too one – sided. It seems that most people I know want to use the practice of prayer as some sort of magic trick that will get God to do what they want. No, I’m not very good at prayer, so like the disciples I am often asking to be taught how to pray. I seek to know just what kind of conversation it is that God wants to have with me. I have long been drawn to what we commonly call the Lord’s Prayer. I love its simplicity, its intimacy, its accessibility, its hopeful promise that God will hear me.
The prayer reminds me that I am centered in a universe under God’s direction. That God wants to hear from me and respond to me. That my needs are important and should be expressed. The prayer says that I should ask for daily bread or whatever it takes to survive, thrive, and contribute to the world. The prayer says that God knows I am imperfect and I can ask for forgiveness while reminding me that I must grant the same forgiveness to the other imperfect people in the world. The prayer says that I need God to lead and deliver me from temptation and evil for without God’s help these are the very courses I will seek. Ultimately, the prayer is an acknowledgement of dependence that requires the prayer to give up the illusion of self – direction. Basically, we must ask God to give us what we need, to forgive us as we forgive others, to lead us because we need help, and to deliver us because we cannot do that for ourselves. Interestingly, Jesus leaves us with the impression that we will never achieve these things perfectly so we will always need to pray in this way.
So, when was the last time that you had an honest conversation with God about what you really need? How long has it been since you expressed your need for forgiveness from God? Who needs your forgiveness? Are you willing to offer that no matter how difficult it may be? When was the last time you asked for God’s help? Can you ask for God’s help, or are you one of those who confuse Jesus with Ben Franklin and believe that God only helps those who help themselves?
No, I’m not very good at the discipline of prayer and you may not be either, but I’ve always found great comfort in this honest, undemanding, accessible, prayer of Jesus that focuses on what we need. I’ll keep praying it until I get better at the practice of prayer. I think that is what Jesus would expect me to do.
The modern Christian devotional writer Anne Lamontt once said she really only has two prayers that she says over and over to God. They are Thank You! Thank You! and Help Me! Help Me! I think that Anne understands what Jesus was trying to teach the disciples about prayer. The words thank you, thank you, and help me, help me, seem to permeate each line of Jesus’ lesson in prayer. We will do well in our journey with God if those words permeate each line of our prayers as well. May God give us the grace to pray as Jesus taught us to pray! AMEN!