Teach Us to Pray

Proper 12, Year C
 
Hosea 1:2-10         or         Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm 85                or         Psalm   138
Colossians 2:6-15                                     
Luke 11:1-13        
 
The disciples kept seeing Jesus going off some quiet place to pray, usually alone, at almost any time of the day or night.  They wondered about it; they knew it was important to Jesus, and their interest gradually piqued to a point where they wanted to know more about it: "Lord, teach us to pray."
 
As I was growing up, I used to see my mother praying.  Sometimes kneeling at her bed, sometimes sitting in a chair, sometimes with a pen in hand creating a note of wisdom or guidance that would be taped to the wall of our bedroom.  Like the disciples, it made me curious about what prayer was all about, and gradually, over the years, I began to explore prayer, too.
 
Jesus captured his teachable moment in Luke 1 by not only teaching the disciples what things to say in prayer, but also how and why to pray.  He began by giving them the now famous Lord's Prayer (the more common version is found in Matthew's record of this story).  It immediately set the tone for what prayer is all about – emphasizing the unity of God with all of His children – "Father, Our Father..."  Everyone is part of God's family; we're all connected in one way or another through our relationship with God, our Father.  God unites; evil divides.

"Your Kingdom come..."  Jesus reminds us that the main purpose for our prayers is to unite God's Kingdom with our lives, not only at some point in the future when Jesus returns to earth via the "Second Coming," but right now, right here, in our very own hearts and minds.  Jesus frequently reminds us that the Kingdom of God is actually already here, surrounding us, and within us.  All we have to do is open our hearts and minds to receive it. 
 
The purpose of praying is not to bring the Kingdom of God from some other distant place into our lives through some special incantation, but to dissolve the things surrounding our hearts that are blocking us from receiving the Kingdom right now.  Prayer is not just reciting words from a book, getting to the end, and feeling that we have accomplished something.  Prayer is a tool for changing the state of our minds to become channels for feeling the Presence of God, receiving the power of His love for us and the world, and turning this transformation into action for ourselves and others.  We may reach this point early in a prayer session, or later.  When this channel is opened, we can listen, learn, ask, and grow in His love.
 
"Our daily bread..."  Jesus taught that people can't live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.  Our daily bread is not only the basic nutritional sustenance that we all need, but also the daily spiritual sustenance that we all need.  Nurturing by the Presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, meeting us at our point of need, moment by moment.  Our daily bread is no more, or no less, than what it takes to fully live each and every moment.
 
"Forgive us our sins..."  Forgiveness is of utmost importance – not only of others, but of ourselves as well.  We all have a "shadow side" that is the accumulation of mistakes, malice and misplaced desires from our past.  It means we're human, but that doesn't diminish God's love for us.  The imperfections of our shadow side result in gaps and potholes that God loves to fill with His love.  Yes, sometimes this can be painful, but it moves us toward perfection.  Acceptance and forgiveness of ourselves and others makes filling the holes possible.

"Save us from the time of trial..."  Lead us not into temptation – We ask for the Presence of God's Holy Spirit to guide us and direct us, giving us the wisdom and strength to remember that we are a child of God seeking to do His will each and every moment of the day. 
 
Jesus went on to stress that persistence in prayer was important, too.  His story about the midnight friend was not meant to mean that we must be persistent to waken a sleeping God, but that persistence in prayer was important to awaken ourselves.  We often need persistence to overcome the fetters created by a dysfunctional ego; our own self-pride, arrogance, boredom, or indifference.  The struggle with prayer is usually with ourselves, not God.
 
Our Father will give us the "good gifts", the things we really need in this life to become who we were made to be.  It may not always move as fast as we like, or come in the manner we expected, but His plans for us will come to pass regardless.
 
Eventually as we progress on our spiritual journeys, we begin to "pray always" as St. Paul wrote.  This means we always are in the proper state of mind to receive and share God's love, regardless of where we are or what we are doing.  Prayer blends into service, and service blends into prayer.  Our study blends into prayer, and leads to better service.  Our service gives us more to study. 
 
To learn to pray is to learn to live.

Mary and Martha, My Yin and Yang

Proper 11, Year C

Amos 8:1-12         or         Genesis 18:1-10a
Psalm 52                or         Psalm   15
Colossians 1:15-28                                               
Luke 10:38-42      
 
On some days I begin to feel somewhat unbalanced, somehow mentally lopsided.  It can happen if I spend too much physical time working on a project, and I don't get some "down time" to relax and reflect; or it can happen if I pass the day almost entirely in thought and reflection, not seeming to get anything else done.  It's as if there's two different sides of me, each having to be satisfied, if I am to be whole.
 
I was reminded again of this much needed action-contemplation balance in my life when I read the story of Mary and Martha.  Martha reminded me that there is an action-oriented side to life, the need to use whatever gifts I may have been given as an offering of service to others.  This is so important that it was selected as one of our Community's spiritual vows (the Way of action).  Martha had the gift of hospitality; offering and preparing her home to make others feel welcomed, comfortable, and appreciated (obviously a Benedictine!)
 
Mary, on the other hand, reminded me that there is also a passive, reflective side to life; a time to be quiet, a time to feed off the loving presence and words of God as they come to us through scripture, meditation, prayer, study, and reflection.  To be of service to others, we have to have something to offer, and much of the drive, desire, and energy to serve comes from our "down time."  Mary took the opportunity of Jesus' presence by sitting at the Lord's feet to listen to what he had to say.  Our vows of prayer and study (the Way of devotion and the Way of knowledge) should bring us to the Lord' feet as well.
Everything Has Its Time
To be in balance, we need to be presently aware of when we should be serving, and when we should be praying, and when we should be studying.  There needs to be a balance in each day for these three – that's why we intersperse the work (service) of the day with our prayers, and our reflective study.  We must feed all of these needs to be in balance. 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:1

Martha was right when she invited Jesus into her home.  This is something we all should consider doing.  But we don't know why she invited Jesus into her home; maybe it was to show off her hospitality skills and prepare a lavish candle-light supper for him, or perhaps it was simply to be in his presence. 

Where Martha went wrong was that she mixed up her time of service with her time to listen.  Once Jesus was in her home, it was obviously a time to listen and learn.  But Luke reports that she "was distracted by her many tasks." In other words, this was a case of her need for action interfering with her time to be contemplative.  It even caused her to try to interfere with Mary's time of contemplation.  Martha asked Jesus to "tell Mary to help me."  In other words, Mary should stop listening to Jesus and get busy.
 
Jesus pointed out that what Mary was doing was the best thing for this moment.  We know that people "can't live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)  To be able to properly serve others, at the proper time, we need the wisdom and encouragement to do it.  Without a proper purpose for our service work, we lose focus and can get easily distracted by many unimportant things.  God-time gives us the power and direction for people-action-time.  And then, in turn, our action-time will enrich our God-time. 
 
Eventually, this action-contemplation rhythm blends together into the heart-beat of each and every moment.  We constantly feel the presence of God providing us with guidance, encouragement, reassurances, love and rest, which is the deep meaning of "pray always."  And we are also constantly on the look-out for ways to interact with others, moment by moment, using whatever skills, abilities, and kindnesses we have been given to offer to others in the spirit of unity with the human family.
 
The yin and yang symbol represents the opposite sides of things that come together to create the whole.  Hot and cold, light and dark, masculine and feminine, wet and dry...  For me, in this case, it is the blend of action and contemplation (Martha and Mary) that come together to make me whole – filling myself with the natural love of God, and then trying to share that with others moment by moment through what I have been given.
 
Who knows?  Someday I might actually get good at it.

God's Neighborhood

Proper 10, Year C
 
Amos 7:7-17      or         Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Psalm 82             or         Psalm 25:1-10
Colossians 1:1-14                                              
Luke 10:25-37   
 
A certain lawyer decided to test Jesus to see if Jesus even knew the basics of Judaic law.  “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” asked the lawyer, knowing full well what the answer was.  “Well, what is written in the law?  What do you read there?” Jesus countered the question, putting the lawyer on the spot instead. 
 
The response, of course, was what we know as the Great Commandment: “To love God…and to love your neighbor as yourself.”  The lawyer wanted to repair his wounded ego after this rebuke by Jesus, so he intensified the challenge: “But who is my neighbor?”  He hoped to block Jesus into a corner.
 
Jesus responded with a story, the well-known service of the Good Samaritan.  Three people (a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan) come across a man who had been victimized by robbers.  But it was only the Samaritan who stopped to help the poor man. 
 
We initially expect the definition of a neighbor to be about some other person we should be helping – anyone in need – like the man who was hurt by the robbers.  Instead, the parable changes perspective and shows us what behaviors best exemplify that of a good neighbor. 
 
Jesus purpose in framing the story the way that he did was to remind us that being a good neighbor is really a relationship, perhaps a network of people helping others in a loving manner. In other words, it’s really a “neighborhood.”
 
Yes, it starts with someone who has some sort of need (which is just about everyone, isn’t it?), but that need comes to our attention when we are willing to stay alert in the present moment and keep a watch for the needs of others. 
 
Sometimes it’s a big need, and quite obvious, like having been beaten by robbers; other times it’s smaller, and may take a careful eye to discern, like the concerned look on another person’s face, or someone who needs help with packages as they walk down the street. 
 
The priest and the Levite refused to engage in a relationship – they chose to remain as isolated individuals, separating themselves from God, and themselves.  Why did they ignore their brother in need?  There are many possible excuses:
·         Could be a trap; I’d better stay clear
·         Someone else may retaliate against me
·         Don’t know how to help; may make things worse
·         He’s not one of us; not my concern (tribalism)
·         No time; too busy right now
·         The problem is too big; too far away; I’m powerless to do anything
·         I was ordered by my superiors not to help
·         It doesn’t profit me to help those in need
·         I really didn’t see anything
·         He got what he deserved – shouldn’t have been there to get in trouble
·         Don’t have the resources to do any good
 
If we dig deep enough, most of these, if not all, have their roots in fear.  Fear that I may be hurt or lose something; fear that I may have to reveal something about myself to someone I don’t want to; fear that it will impact my life and change things I don’t want changed.
 
Part of what fuels the fear of helping someone in need is that we often think that we have to resolve the issue all on our own.  The truth is, other than the little needs we come across, we usually don’t have the power or resources to fully help someone else.  Being a neighbor to someone in need is not a one-on-one relationship.  Even the Good Samaritan got others involved to help the man beaten by robbers.  He brought the innkeeper into the neighborhood, and probably this involved others who helped the innkeeper at the inn.
 
Neighborhoods are not geographical locations; they’re networks of people who are able to help each other in various ways.  Each of us has been given some talents and gifts to contribute to the good of the world.  No one person has it all.  No one person can solve all the problems.  But together we can. We have been designed to be part of God’s neighborhood, and not be isolated individuals.
 
Stay alert for others’ needs (and your own) moment by moment.  But don’t assume that when you run across something that you have to fix it all.  Get the “neighborhood network” humming and work together on the issue as best you can.  Eventually those with the ability and resources to help can get matched up with those who are in need.

Service is a Team Effort

Proper 9, Year C
 
2 Kings 5:1-14       or      Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalm 30                or      Psalm 66:1-9
Galatians 6:(1-6),7-16                                        
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20      

One of the key attributes of the Kingdom of God is that everything is somehow connected to everything else.  This includes not just the spiritual aspects of the Kingdom, but the physical, natural world as well. It's like a 3-D matrix! Therefore, everything we think, do, or say, has repercussions somewhere else, sometimes through time, which can result in something good – or something harmful.
 
Usually, when we wish to effect some change, like "move a mountain", we can't do it alone. Life is designed so that accomplishments require more than one person's involvement.  That's why "independence" is really an illusion.  We need other people, we need God.
 
Take for example, the case of Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, as described in 2 Kings.  This man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.  He was eventually cured of this disease, but it's interesting to see how many people were involved to make it happen.
 
It began with a young Israeli girl who had been taken as a captive by the Arameans.  As a servant to Naaman's wife, she knew that Naaman had leprosy, but she also knew that Elisha the prophet could help Naaman.  She began Naaman's healing process by telling her mistress about Elisha the prophet.  Did the Israeli girl cure Naaman? No, but without her simple act of service, it may have never happened. She used her current situation in life to do some good.
 
Naaman's wife was the next player in the process.  She must have brought the message to Naaman, for it was recorded that Naaman went to the king to report what the Israeli girl had said.  Did Naaman's wife cure Naaman?  No, but she played a part in the process.
 
The king of Aram was next to contribute to the healing of Naaman.  He wrote a letter of introduction for Naaman and arranged for silver, gold and garments to be used as payment for services rendered.  A number of chariots and horses and assistants were included in the entourage to make this all happen.  Who made the chariots?  Who drove them?  Who contributed the gold and silver, and who made the garments?  Who made the roads so that the journey could happen? The number of players in the healing keeps growing and growing.
 
The king of Israel then sent Naaman to Elisha the prophet. The king served the healing process by redirecting Naaman to the proper person and place, knowing that it wasn't he, the king, who could bring about the healing.  When Naaman reached Elisha's house, Elisha sent a messenger, yet another player in the saga, with instructions on what Naaman should do to be healed, "Go, wash in the Jordan River seven times, and your flesh will be restored and you shall be clean."
 
Naaman, being a man of stature and importance, expected more than just being given instructions from a messenger.  His ego got the better of him at this point, so he left without obeying the messenger.  Naaman's servants, however, intervened and convinced him to do what the messenger had asked. They, too, now played a role in his healing.  So Naaman did what he was told, and was eventually healed. (But it was the living waters of the Jordan River, through God, that ultimately did the healing – not Elisha himself!)
 
Often, to get things done, it takes the persistence of many people working together for the common good.  It's designed this way so that people learn to work together and realize that there is great power in interdependence, and that we are all part of the same human family.
 
Service, no matter what the object or goal, is a team effort.  Sometimes we may feel that the little things we do are worthless, and don't have any effect or do any good.  But Naaman's healing (which ended to be both physical and spiritual), may not have happened without the little acts of numerous people along the way.
 
A couple of key thoughts:
 
1) Never think that the little acts of service you do, whatever they may be, don't help in some way.  Each thought, word, and deed has an impact.  Often we may not see the end result of our service efforts, but God does, as well as the people who are eventually helped.  Whatever your gifts and talents are, use them lovingly.
 
2) Think about the last time you received help of any sort.  Some of the people who helped you may be known to you, but there are probably many more who contributed to this help that you don't realize.  How about offering a prayer of thanks to them every once in a while?
 
Blessings to all!