What Does it Mean to Be a Disciple?: Pray

from:http://godisgood.info/2009/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/2009-10-prayer.jpg

Well as many of you know, this has been a week of technical difficulties here at the church. Email, the internet and now we find out that the audio from this week's services didn't get recorded either, not to mention the power outage at the Super Bowl yesterday. Although it can be frustrating, somehow it makes it a little easier to say "no big deal" and take things as the come. We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding this week and hope to be "back to normal" this week.

So Sunday we asked the question: What does it mean to be a disciple? to which we answered: pray based on Matthew 6:5-13. This is part of our ongoing series about what it means to be a disciple, a follower of Jesus. Now I have to admit (and I did on Sunday) that I wasn't exactly excited to preach on prayer again. The truth is that I still feel a little inadequate in the area of prayer and more than that, I had used up my "good stuff" last time. So I said to God,  I don't know what I should do, I don't really have much to say, I'm not really a great pray-er, there are so many people in the congregation that are better equipped that I am." Now, while there was no booming voice from heaven, I very clearly understood God saying to me something along the lines of "Oh I'm sorry, since when was this about what YOU have to say? I thought this was supposed to be about what I have so say." To which I said, "Touche God! You're right! You always are." 

So once I got myself out of the way and spent more time studying the scripture, I could clearly see that that was exactly what the passage is about, what God has to say about prayer. Thankfully God appeals to our human nature, our need-to-know, just-tell-me-what-to-do attitude and gives us some insight through Jesus' words. He starts out by telling us what NOT to do: don't get all showy and wordy, basically. You're missing the point of prayer if you do. 

(We watched this youtube video which gave us some good, and comical, contrast based on this passage.) 

But as we dig a little deeper we can understand that God is not making us prayer rules for us, God is showing us the difference between the internal and external part of prayer. What's NOT important is the external stuff: what words actually come out, what type of reaction it elicits, what people think about the person who is praying, those things aren't what prayer is about. Prayer is about what's going on internally: are we being open and authentic with God? are we open to listen to what God's saying? are we tuning in our hearts and minds to God or just filling time and God's ears with whatever sounds good, or whatever's on  our prayer list? Jesus is helping us adjust our focus here, from what goes on externally to what goes on internally during prayer. Prayer is not what we see and hear, it's what's going on in our hearts and minds and spirits between us and God. 

All this may not be new to you or rock your prayer life, but it is what God is saying to us. We have a lot of expectations about prayer and those give way to a lot of insecurities and anxiety (I would know, praying is in my job description). But we can't ignore that most of those things are centered around the external and not the internal. They draw us farther and farther away from where authentic, life-giving, life-changing prayer happens: internally. So my prayer (my honest authentic prayer) is that this week as you pray, in whatever way you pray, that you allow yourself to let go of the external part of prayer and focus on connecting in your heart and mind and soul with God who is ready and waiting. 

We ended on Sunday with a paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer, a gift that Jesus gives us in our quest to pray well. This one is written by Sarah Dylan Breuer and can be found here. Unfortunately I think that we can become desensitized to the Lord's Prayer because we say it so often. That of course does not take away from it's perfection, it's profoundness and potential to change our lives. My hope is that hearing it in a little bit different words will help you hear it again, like it's the first time. 

"Loving Creator

we honor you,

and we honor all that you have made.

Renew the whole world

in the image of your love.

Give us what we need for today,

and a hunger to see the whole world fed.

Strengthen us for what lies ahead;

heal us from the hurts of the past;

give us courage to follow your call in this moment.

For your love is the only power,

the only home, the only honor we need,

in this world and in the world to come.

Amen." 

Jen Hibben, Associate Pastor