The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel
Ephphatha Parish of the Deaf
Episcopal Diocese of Central NY
The Gospel for today is a lesson about prayer.
The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Luke tells us that Jesus was praying privately, with his disciples nearby. They were surprised at the way Jesus prayed. In the synagogues and in the temple, prayers were said by the person who was leading the service. The people together recited psalms, since most people memorized them. But the people did not say prayers. They just sang psalms, and recited their creed:
Hear, O Israel: the Lord your God, the Lord is one. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength, and you must love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.
At home, all males over twelve recited set prayers several times a day. Women recited special prayers when they lit the Sabbath candles on Friday evening. And there were prayers before and after meals.
But it was not the custom for people to pray in their own words, from their own hearts, to God. It was not the custom for individuals to talk to God about their own needs and worries and hopes and cares.
That's why the disciples were so interested and surprised at the way Jesus prayed. He talked to God just as we talk with a close friend. He told God what was on his mind, and asked God's help with problems he saw coming. He wove his prayers into his whole life, and this was very a powerful way to pray. The Gospels are full of examples of how Jesus prayed over sick people, dead people, food, storms, and many other things. Jesus said again and again that his power to do miracles came direct from God.
And so the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray like that. Jesus answered by teaching them what we call the Lord's Prayer. You will notice that the Lord's Prayer in Luke's Gospel is different in some ways from the one we usually use, which is from Matthew's Gospel. And the reason for this is that Jesus intended it to be a framework for our own prayers. He wanted us to remember what things to pray about, but it is not important to use exactly the same words every time. You and I, like the disciples, are free to use our own words as we pray for these things:
- For everyone to honor and respect God's holy name
- For everyone to work to bring God's plans for a holy and just society to happen
- For what we need to stay alive: food, shelter, a family or community
- For forgiveness of our sins and wrongdoing
- For help to forgive others who sin against us
- For God's help in the tough times of life
Then Jesus gave some examples: we ask a friend to lend us some bread when we have an unexpected guest. The friend lends the bread. How much more will God give us what we need?
We love our children, and so we enjoy giving them good things. How much more does God, who is the Father of all of us, enjoy giving us good things in life?
And then Jesus reminded us: If we ask, we will receive. (He didn't say we will receive exactly what we ask for....sometimes God gives us something that is better for us, than the thing we asked for!) If we look for God's help or guidance, we will find it in many different ways. If we want to come into God's Kingdom, all we have to do is knock and ask to come in.
If you remember the first lesson, Abraham was not afraid to ask God for what he wanted: safety for the innocent people in the two sinful cities that God planned to destroy. You remember that God did listen to Abraham's prayer, and promised to save the cities if there were even ten innocent people in them. God listens to us, too, when we talk with him today. He listens to the prayers said in church, but he listens just as closely to the prayers each of us say when we talk privately to him. And he answers...not always exactly what we asked for, but usually more than we asked, and often the answer changes our life for the better, even if it is not the answer we expected.
If you are not in the habit of praying to God in your own words, about the things happening in your own life, I suggest that you try it. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results. Amen.
