Transcript
First of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for everyone. Please be seated.
I’ve asked about this before and I’m asking about it again. How do you pray? Is there a way of prayer that you prefer? Do you write your prayers down like a gratitude journal? Or do you say them out loud? I am an auditory processor, so everything I think through has to be spoken out loud, even this sermon. Do you pray with your hands using Anglican prayer beads or other tactile assistants? Do you pray with your feet walking or dancing or simply tapping your toes?
And who do you pray to? To God, of course, but to God, quote, the father or to Jesus, a friend and fellow human being or to the Holy Spirit, the energy that lives in and around each and every created thing by God. When you pray, do you use words? Or maybe you pray in visuals like painting or drawing? Maybe you prefer your prayers to be more like silence or meditation, listening for guidance from God rather than asking for God to do what we want.
I did a couple of camp eukarists at Camp Chenko this summer and one of them I preached on prayer and I told everyone I have a pray favorite prayer. This was to a crowd of ages 6 to 16. And I pray it every day and it’s absolutely the best and anyone can do it. And are you ready? Of course, all the kids and counselors and everyone was on the edge of their seat waiting to hear this amazing prayer. And then I said nothing because my favorite prayer for me is simply me not saying anything but knowing that God knows my needs and the needs of those I love.
Finally, last question about prayer. Who do you pray for? I hope you pray for your family and your friends, for the church and this worshshiping community, for those on the prayer list and those who need prayer but maybe aren’t willing or aren’t able to ask for prayer for yourself, your children, and parents and spouses.
And I hope you pray for those people you don’t really like. And I don’t mean your sister because you two are in a fight right now. I mean those people who represent something completely opposite, completely against who you are or what you stand for. People who don’t look like you or live like you. People who don’t think like you or believe in the same things as you. Even people who actively do things that seem to be at odds with your very well-being. Yes, even those people need your prayers.
And I’m not talking about prayers like, “Oh, God, please fix them.” I’m talking of prayers like, “God, be with them. Love them just as you love me.” Because here’s the thing. If you find someone you have decided is not worth your prayers, you don’t like them, you disagree with them, maybe possibly in the heat of the moment, you might even think that you hate them or that they are not worthy of prayer. If you get to that point, then you are no longer serving God. Yes, I know that thought is tough and hear me out. If you decide that whatever is the division that separates you from the people you decide are not worthy of your prayers, if you decide that division is more important than the prayers, then you have put that position that division into a position above prayer, above God. You have set a competition between that division and God. And if you really decide that someone is not worthy of prayer because you disagree with them because you think they are not worthy of your prayers because you think they are ignorant or hateful or lazy or arrogant or cruel or whatever. If you really decide that someone is not worthy of prayer, then you have decided which master you are serving.
Because look at today’s gospel reading. Jesus tells the disciples a parable. Yes, it’s about debt and payment and honesty and dishonesty. And it ends with this thought. No slave can serve two masters. For a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. And Jesus ends with these last six words. You cannot serve God and wealth. You cannot serve God and wealth.
You cannot have two masters, two who receive your praise and your prayer and your loyalty. Two that set your values and your lifestyle and your beliefs because one will always have to win out. Because with two there is always a chance for conflict. And as soon as there is conflict, then the two will be forced into a hierarchy with either God or wealth becoming the top of authority.
And now change the word wealth into anything to anything else that might grab your attention or define who you are. I’m going to get a little bit edgy with my examples. Change it to a value or a goal, to an opinion or a political ideology. Change it to an economic division or a social division. Change it to anything that plays a role in your identity and how you shape your views of the world and the people around you.
And say Jesus’s last two sentences again. No slave can serve two masters. For a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God. And insert divisive language here. The same divisive language that makes you think that person doesn’t deserve prayers or isn’t worthy of prayers. And then think about which one of those masters you are devoted to.
When the author of First Timothy wrote that first line in today’s New Testament reading, he wasn’t just talking about praying for those with whom you agree. And he wasn’t just talking about praying for those who you like. And he wasn’t just talking about praying for those whom you think are worthy. Instead, he was talking about everyone. No matter who they are or what they do or where they are from, no matter what they think or how they look or how they live their lives, we are called to pray for everyone because prayer is the easiest way to be in a relationship with God and to love God and to love our neighbors, all of our neighbors.
And yes, I did just say prayer is easiest way to have a relationship with God. But I did not say that prayer is easy. Sure, it’s easy to pray for a parking spot in that crazy busy parking lot at Costco. Or to pray for the commander kicker to make that field goal and win the game. Go Commanders. or to pray for a good grade on a test in school or good results from a medical test. But praying for those whom you hate and who persecute you, that is really hard. And yet that is what we’re called to do, to love all and especially to pray for them.
Dietrich Bonhaofer, the German Lutheran pastor known for his work in Germany against the Nazi regime. He says, “Through the medium of prayer, we go to our enemy. We stand by his side and we plead for him to God.” Jesus prayed for those who persecuted him while he hung from the cross. The least we can do is pray for someone who thinks or looks or acts differently than us.
Yes, I know it doesn’t just have to end with prayer. Action is necessary, too. But praying for everyone is a good start to building our own relationship with God. putting God in the rightful place at the top of the hierarchy of masters in our lives and building our own love for one another even the people who might be harder for us to love for whatever reason.
First Timothy it says first of all I urge that supplication prayers intercessions and thanksgiving can be made for everyone. We can’t have two masters. Choose God and pray for everyone.
Amen.