Proper 12, Year C 2019

Grace Episcopal Church, Galveston
Gospel: Luke 11:1-13
28 July 2019

Our Gospel reading gives us Luke’s version of the Lord’s prayer. It is a bit shorter than the version in Matthew. The longer prayer has some elaboration, perhaps as a result of being used in early Christian worship. (By the way, the Lord’s Prayer we say together at the Eucharist more resembles Matthew’s longer version.) What we have in Luke is probably closer to an oral tradition of Jesus’ sayings, a source available to Luke and Matthew but not, apparently, to Mark where we find no version of this prayer. Even so, Jesus is noted as a person of prayer in all four Gospels. In the context of the Season After Pentecost when the focus is on Christian living, the Gospel reading clearly points us to prayer as a way of life and a source of strength for those who follow Jesus.

We heard today that some of Jesus’ disciples, who had previously followed John the Baptist, recalled that John had talked about prayer. These disciples began to wonder if Jesus would teach them about prayer as well. In a way, of course, Jesus had already been teaching them about prayer. He used what educators know today as one of the most effective instructional techniques in a teacher’s toolkit: the strategy known as modeling. The disciples observed that Jesus took the time to pray even at the height of his public ministry. Sometimes Jesus would remove himself to a deserted place in order to pray, but they knew what he was doing. The disciples came to know that prayer was a priority in his spirituality. Luke tells us, for example, that Jesus spent an entire night in prayer before choosing the twelve he called apostles (Luke 6:12). Eventually, we arrive at the point in today’s Gospel, when the disciples ask Jesus to help them more directly with the practice of prayer.

The subject of prayer could fill books, but I’m going to limit myself to three points that jump off the page for me. First, Jesus models the practice of prayer by addressing his words to one called “Father.” Jesus’ instruction for us to use this term implies that, in prayer, we are speaking as adopted sons and daughters of God. I am reminded of the prologue of John’s Gospel where we find the words: “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.”

In addressing this prayer to “Father,” Jesus reminds us, from the start, that we are not praying to someone out there, beyond our time and place, who may or may not hear us...something akin to placing a message in a bottle thrown into the ocean. Instead, our prayer is like a conversation with one near to us. At any point along the journey of faith, and especially in times of stress, God may seem distant to us as we pray. The Christian life holds the promise of growth in faith including our consciousness of God’s presence. Jesus models for us prayer as a way to practice the presence of God even when we’re not feeling it, so to speak. Our Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Michael Curry, joyfully preaches that the Christian Life is about the transformative power of God’s Love. Prayer helps open our hearts to this Love, and, as a vehicle for God’s Love, prayer changes our lives in powerful ways.

A second point that arrests my attention is that the Lord’s Prayer itself has different types of prayer within it. Jesus’ begins with what we often call “adoration.” When we say to God, “hallowed be your name” we are not asking for anything. It is a statement intended to praise God, to worship God by ascribing holiness. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus instructs us to begin with praise...to enter into a spirit of worship before moving on to other types of prayer.

We next see that Jesus asks for something. This type of prayer is known as “petition.” I suppose that the first thing “petition” brings to mind is that it asks God to take care of our own needs. But, the way Jesus models it, we are instructed first to ask that God’s will be done before we turn to personal requests. Jesus does this when he prays: “Your kingdom come.” In Jesus of Nazareth, the Kingdom of God was established in power and beginning. But it has not been realized in all of its fullness. The completion of God’s will for our world is rightfully placed at the top of any list of petitions.

Jesus continues his model with prayers for daily bread, for the forgiveness of sins, and for protection from temptation. There are yet other types of prayer, well known and accepted in Christian spirituality, that are not included in this brief model. “Thanksgiving” and “intercession,” for example, are not found here but are found elsewhere in Luke. For example, after Jesus heals ten lepers, the one who returns to Jesus to give thanks is told “Your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19). And, Jesus demonstrates intercession even from the cross when he prays, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (luke 23:34). The Lord’s Prayer is meant to be instructive but not necessarily encyclopedic with regard to the possible kinds of prayer; however, it is arguably the best way to begin and grow a life-changing practice of prayer.

The third, and final, point I wanted to make from our Gospel reading is the call to be persistent in our prayers. Jesus uses the story of the “Friend at Midnight” as a kind of contrast. In this story, there is a friend who comes knocking at the door in the middle of the night because he needs some bread to serve a guest. But you have already barred the door and are in bed with your children. You tell this needy friend that you are not going to help tonight; it’s just too late! But, it doesn’t end there. The friend does not retreat; he keeps knocking. He’s obviously not going away until you give him some bread for his guest...and, thanks to this audacious persistence, you finally, if begrudgingly, get up and give him some bread.

Life shows us that persistence works. We learn that the squeaky wheel gets the oil, the ones who persevere are most likely to achieve their goals; it doesn’t matter how talented you are, if you give up, what you were working on is not happening. Jesus stories usually make a single point, and this one teaches, “If persistence helps you get what you need in this fallen world, then think about how much more your heavenly Father, who loves you as a child, will respond to your being steadfast in prayer.”

We are taught in scripture that God knows our needs before we ask. What we think we need, what we think is best, what we want when we want it, may not be what we need from God’s perspective. Jesus knows what we most need from both the divine and the human perspectives, so he teaches us to ask for the Holy Spirit. Jesus knows that we need the very life of God to dwell in us, to empower us, to give us spiritual wisdom, to inspire us to live one day at a time with the gifts we have been given. In the end, what we need, to live fully, is to know and trust the transformative power of God’s love.

Jesus encourages us to make our petitions known to God and to be persistent in our prayers. I am convinced that prayer changes lives; being persistent in prayer, having some consistency in place and time, trying different types of prayer, being intentional about prayer...thinking beforehand about what and whom we will include, all of these efforts help open us to the transformative power of God’s Love. Of course, let’s not forget about prayers written by others...we do have a Book of Common prayer, after all, that is a treasure trove for our use. I think it safe to say that there is no one right way to pray; perhaps, there are as many ways as there are people. But, when we need a place to start, when words fail us, when we are unsure, know this: Jesus has given a model of prayer that is always there for us. AMEN.

Proper 10, Year C 2019

Grace Episcopal Church, Galveston
1st Lesson: Amos 7:7-17
Gospel: Luke 10:25-37
14 July 2019

The Hebrew Bible is full of powerful images… a burning bush, a man in the belly of a fish, a ladder to heaven...just to name a few. In our first reading, God gives Amos one of the most simple yet poignant images of scripture: a plumb line like that used by builders as a vertical reference, but here, used by God to reveal the moral distortion caused by injustice and unchecked greed. Builders know that measurements along the course of a project are essential to success. Sometimes, an error is found and some work must be torn out. It is costly to tear out and do over, but this may be the only way to make the project right.

Per the reading, God measures the northern Kingdom of Israel with a plumb line and finds the nation to be out of alignment. Today’s reading does not identify exactly how Israel had missed the mark, but a full reading of Amos makes this very clear. Elsewhere, Amos bitterly describes the way that those with wealth trample the poor in the dust, taking their land and inhibiting their access to legal recourse. The wealthy build houses of stone with ivory furniture by systematically cheating those with few resources...and even parading their ill-begotten luxuries before God in their places of worship. In the 5th Chapter of Amos, we read God’s strong language of condemnation: “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies,” ...but (instead) “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos proclaims that God has had enough, the divine patience has been exhausted, so to speak, and God is rising up against the Kingdom with the sword. Israel and its King Jeroboam are finished!

Amos’ message does not sit well with Amaziah, the priest of Bethel. Amos called for change while Amaziah espoused the status quo. Amaziah informs Amos that Bethel is the King’s sanctuary and directs the prophet to go back to his home in the south. Go back to your home and preach to the folks in the temple at Jerusalem...you are from Judah, so go pester them with your repulsive message and let them pay your salary. Amos responds to Amaziah by pointing out his independence. He is not a religious professional but, rather, a herder and farmer.

The story of Amos and his confrontation with the Priest of Bethel has something to say in every generation. The message of this story for us, in our own day, is surely how our own households, our own communities, our own nation are measured by God’s plumb line. There is also a warning for us in the way that the priest of Bethel had become a mere agent of a sitting king. The Christian life includes an awareness that the actions of governments are not necessarily aligned with the will of God. Christians should be prepared that faith will sometimes require standing apart from government and perhaps apart from the economic “soup” in which we live in order to make an effective call for change. We should especially be wary whenever religion and secular government appear too close and mutually compromised!

Fortunately for Americans, standing up for a more just society, is also a way of being patriotic at the same time. The Founding Fathers envisioned the separation of Church and State in order to preserve religious freedom for all. As I understand it, our democracy works best when there are organizations, such as the Church, that can speak with a voice independent of our government.  One recent example is a joint communique from the bishops of 6 Episcopal Dioceses in Texas.  It is a call to action for more humane conditions at the border.

We ignore at our own peril the ways of injustice and unchecked greed in our land. Should we ignore the separation of children from their parents at the border? Should we ignore the price-gouging of insulin and other medications? Should we ignore the abuse of our planet without regard for our children and grandchildren? Should we ignore when a wealthy and well-connected person gets preferential treatment from the courts? In every generation, the Church has a choice...will we be more like Amaziah, an agent of the State and the status quo? Or, will we be more like Amos, a speaker of Truth even when the Truth is inconvenient, unsettling, and unwelcome?

Our Gospel reading is the familiar Parable of the Good Samaritan. The context is the question, “Who is my neighbor?” The one who poses the question is a devout Jew who is doing his best to do the right thing. He wants to do what God requires...he seeks to love his neighbor as himself. “Just tell me who my neighbor is,” he asks. Jesus does not answer the question but instead tells a story about a person who acted like a neighbor.

Jesus guides this man (and us) away from the idea that some people are neighbor while others are not. For Jesus neighbor is not defined by who the person is, where he is from, or how well-connected she is. It is whomever we encounter who is in need...even if that person is different from us. Perhaps, Jesus is recommending we focus more on being neighborly than on defining our neighbor.

Here’s an analogy that has been on my mind lately: I’m thinking about when I was first learning to drive on city streets in Baton Rouge. I was in a “driver’s ed” class sponsored by my school and remember feeling uneasy the first time I got behind the wheel. The hardest part was keeping the car centered in the lane. My first strategy was to find some mark on the hood, an ornament or a crease line, and then figure out where that feature needed to appear in relation to the curb. (Sort of like spot bowling.) This required constant monitoring, but I found that I could keep the wheels off the curb this way...most of the time, at least. I soon outgrew this strategy, and orienting the car became “second nature” with no need to think about it.

I’m suggesting that the need to define neighbor is like needing to monitor a reference point on the hood to keep your car on the road. This is like having to justify yourself by monitoring your performance according to God’s law. It is cumbersome and prone to error. But, in Christ, we have been set free from the law by the transformative power of God’s love. I don’t know how it happened, but at some point, my body learned to keep the car on the road without having to constantly think about it. In the same way, let us aspire to be neighborly as a kind of “second nature.”

Jesus tells the religious lawyer to go and be a neighbor like the Samaritan in the story. Whether it’s loving neighbor or driving a car, practicing a skill helps to change us. I imagine most of us in life are somewhere in between needing a reference point and loving freely those whom God sends our way. Truth be told, the plumb line held up to my own life shows me out of alignment...and chances are it does for you too. That’s what it means to be a redeemed sinner.

The great Season after Pentecost is all about the Christian life. Today we are reminded that we are out of alignment with God’s Law, but more importantly that Jesus encourages us to drive on anyway. There is grace in our trying, and the promise that God’s love will change us. We do not need to obsess on how we miss the mark of any external measure. God promises that Love dwells with us and that this Love changes us from the inside out. AMEN.