A READING FROM THE GOSPELS — Matthew 6:1-15
INTRODUCTION:
You may remember Tom Rasely wrote a setting of The Lord’s Prayer for the children of the church. When Tom showed the Church School group the printed version with the music and lyrics he asked who wrote the music. They answered Mr. Rasely wrote the music. Then Tom asked who wrote the words. And they got the answer about the words right also, because they said Jesus wrote the words. However, never in the New Testament did Jesus actually refer to God as Father. What Jesus said is more intimate than that. Jesus called God, not Father, but Daddy. Therefore, one can rightfully wonder why we address God as Father. You see, in all the Hebrew Scriptures God is never referred to by the name ‘Father.’ For Jewish people, to personify God in that way would have been blasphemous. And, indeed, one of the things which got those who heard Jesus upset was that Jesus referred to God as ‘Daddy.’ This was not because of the intimacy of the word ‘Daddy’ but this seemed to them as if Jesus was personifying God and was, therefore, blasphemous. So, let’s look at this word ‘Father’ we use for God so often and ask some questions. If Jesus did not refer to God as Father and the Hebrew Scriptures do not refer to God as Father, where does the image of God as Father come from? Well, it comes not from Judaism and not really from early Christianity. It comes from Roman secular culture and Roman religion. The Roman God Jupiter was the king of the gods, and was also called (quote): “Father God, the Best and Greatest.” Further, since the early church tried to blend itself into Roman culture, when it referred to God it started to us the term ‘Deus Pater’ which means Father God. Why? Not only does that, then, piggyback onto the fact that the prime Roman God was referred to as Father God, the name Jupiter and the Latin phrase ‘Deus Pater,’ which means Father God, are similar in sound sequence. (The pastor intones this:) Jupiter — Deus pater. In addition, one of the things we fail to recognize about this transitional time in the first centuries of the Church is how significant the influence of the Latin language was. By the Fourth Century, when Jerome translates the Scriptures into Latin, God is called Father in that translation of Scripture. But this naming by Jerome is merely a codification and a bringing together of pieces of Scripture which have already been translated into Latin and are already in circulation. Indeed, the translation done by Jerome which then becomes the only Bible the church uses for a thousand years, thereby, ratifies the action the church took in promulgating The Nicene Creed, a Creed which has already decided God can be called Father. And certainly, something many of us overlook today is this piece of history: by the time of the resurrection, Greek, though widely used, is a language in decline. Latin is becoming the prime language people speak. Additionally, when it comes to the culture of Rome it goes without saying this is a very patriarchal culture. Therefore, addressing God as ‘Father’ is a given in that context. No one questions it. All this brings us to the reading we have today. Because of those traditions which are not original but came into common use after Scripture is written, we call God ‘Father’ in many translations, even though it is inaccurate. So, rather than concentrating today on the term ‘Father’ as you listen to this reading, and later as you listen to what will be said in our little dialogue after the reading, I invite you to think about what is being said concerning prayer and concerning the God to whom we pray. Hear now this reading as it is found in the work known as Matthew.
“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
[2] “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [3] But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
[5] “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. [6] But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
[7] “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
[9] “Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
[10] Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
[11] Give us this day our daily bread.
[12] And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
[13] And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
[14] For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; [15] but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
This is the Gospel of our Savior, Jesus, who is the Christ.
When You Pray: A Dialogue
By Tom Rasely and Joe Connolly
By Tom Rasely and Joe Connolly
MAN: Our Father, who art in heaven, hal…
GOD: Yes?
MAN: Excuse me, don’t interrupt. Can’t you see I’m trying to pray.
GOD: But you called me.
MAN: Called you? Called who? I didn’t call anybody. Please leave me alone so that I can finish my prayer. Where was I? Oh yes... our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed…
GOD: See? You just did it again.
MAN: Did what??
GOD: You called me. You said “Our Father who art in heaven...” Well, here I am. What’s on your mind?
MAN: And you are...?
GOD: Well, I’m know by a lot of names... Jehovah, the Great I Am, El Shaddai, Yahweh, Adonai, Lord, Elohim... Jesus called me Abba, which does not mean Father. It means Daddy. But back when Rome was dominant, back when Jesus was alive, the Romans pictured God as Father, so Father became fairly popular, if quite inaccurate, as a way to address me. Sometimes, I even answer to that name. In any case, I heard you and assumed you were trying to recite the prayer Jesus taught the twelve when you used the term “Father” and so I thought I’d butt in. What’s on your mind? What do you want? What do you mean?
MAN: Now, wait a minute. I didn’t “mean” anything by it. I mean, I was just... you know, just saying my prayers. I always say the Lord’s Prayer.
GOD: I am well aware of that.
MAN: Yeh... well it makes me feel good; and I figure, hey, it can’t hurt. Right?
GOD: We’ll see about that. Just go ahead and pray as you were praying.
MAN: Oh, all right. Hallowed be thy name.
GOD: Hold it. What did you mean by that?
MAN: By what??
GOD: By what you just said: hallowed. Do you know what that means?
MAN: It means... it means... good grief. How do I know what it means; I’m no minister. It’s just a part of the prayer. (Looks uncomfortable.) By the way, what does it mean?
GOD: It means “set apart,” “honored,” “holy,” “wonderfully and personally important.”
MAN: Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense. I never thought of it before.
GOD: I know. Go on. Continue where you left off.
MAN: Yeh. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
GOD: Do you really mean that?
MAN: Mean what?
GOD: What you just said, about my will being done?
MAN: Uh... yeh... sure. Why not?
GOD: O.K. What are you doing about it?
MAN: Me? Doing? I... what do you mean? What should I be doing about it? I just think that it’d be good if You had control of everything down here like You have... You know, up there. It just seems like a good idea, doesn’t it? Besides, I’m praying about it, aren’t I?
GOD: What makes you think I have control? Have I got “control” over you?
MAN: Well, I go to church. At least, sometimes I do.
GOD: That isn’t what I asked you. I asked about the control I have over you. What about your bad temper? Do I control that? Your temper could be a real problem, you know. And then, there’s the way you spend your money— all on yourself. And what about the kind of books read?
MAN: Now, just a cotton-picking minute, here. I’m as good as the rest of those people who go to church. Maybe even better.
GOD: (Feigning being affronted.) Well, excuse me. I thought you were praying that my will be done. If that’s to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are asking for it in prayer— like yourself, for example.
MAN: All right. All right. I guess I do have some hang-ups, now that you mention it. And I guess I could probably name some other things I do which are less than adequate.
GOD: I know I certainly could, if I was in your shoes.
MAN: Ah, well, it’s just that I haven’t thought about it very much until now. But, really, I guess I would like to— maybe even should— cut out some of those things. I guess it’d be nice to be free of them. I mean, I mean really free.
GOD: Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. We’ll work together, you and Me. Some successes might truly happen. What do you think? Does working together on some of the areas where you think you might fall short appeal to you?
MAN: Look, God, I need to finish up here. This praying time is taking a lot longer than usual, and I’ve got a lot of things to do, so... Give us this day our daily bread.
GOD: You might also want to consider cutting down on the white bread. It’s not very good for you.
MAN: What is this? National Criticize-Me Day or what?? Here I am, doing my religious duty and all of a sudden You break in and remind me of all my problems. Frankly, I’d be better off without all the hassle.
GOD: Really? Well, you should know that this praying stuff is a dangerous activity. It’s always just possible that you’ll get an answer. You could even wind up “changed.” And that’s what I’m trying to get across to you. You called me and here I am. So, it’s too late to stop now. Keep on praying; I’m especially interested in the next part. (Pause.) Well, go on.
MAN: I’m scared to.
GOD: Scared? Of what?
MAN: I know what You’ll say.
GOD: Try me.
MAN: (Takes a deep breath.) Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
GOD: What about Bert?
MAN: Ya’ see?? Ya’ see?? I knew it. I knew you’d bring him up. Look God, you know the lies he told about me. He’s cheated me and not just once.
GOD: More like seventy times seven?
MAN: Yeh... well, n-n-not quite that many. But I’ve sworn to get even and I will: an eye for an eye, and all that. That’s Biblical.
GOD: How about turning the other cheek? That’s Biblical, too. Besides, what about your prayer? Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
MAN: Well, I guess didn’t mean it.
GOD: Well, at least you’re honest about that. C’mon, admit it. It can’t be much fun carrying that load of bitterness around inside you. Can it?
MAN: No. But I’ll feel better just as soon as I get back at my old buddy Bert.
GOD: (Pause.) You won’t, ya’ know. You won’t feel any better getting back. In fact, eventually you’ll feel worse. Revenge isn’t sweet. Every day you let the sun go down on your wrath should remind you of just how unhappy you are. I can help you change that.
MAN: You can? How?
GOD: Forgive Bert.
MAN: Chee-yah, right.
GOD: You forgive Bert, and my forgiveness will be yours. Then hate will be Bert’s problem and not yours. You may lose the money Bert owes you but you will have peace in your heart. Which of those is truly worth more?
MAN: But I can’t just forgive Bert.
GOD: Then, based on what you were praying, how can I “just forgive” you.
MAN: (Sighs.) Oh, I guess Your right. But then you always are, aren’t you? (Slight pause.) I guess more than revenge on Bert, I really do want to feel that peace you mentioned. Hey, will You take revenge on Bert?
GOD: (Clears throat.)
MAN: Oh, I guess that’s not a good question. All right, all right— I forgive him. I forgive him. (Slight pause.) Wow, I guess I really do forgive him. Woo. I suddenly feel better. God, can You help Bert to find the right road in life. He’s bound to be just as miserable... as miserable... as me, huh?
GOD: Not your concern right now. Let me remind you, how do you feel?
MAN: Well... yes... better. I do feel better.
GOD: Good. Now go on with your prayer.
MAN: O.K. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Is... is that what You just did?
GOD: That’s the way it works. Now, just don’t put yourself in a position where you can be so easily tempted.
MAN: What do you mean by that?
GOD: Well, to start with, some of your so-called friends are beginning to get you into all sorts of trouble. Don’t be fooled by them. They’ll advertise that they’re having fun, but for you it will be your ruin. And don’t use me as an escape hatch.
MAN: Oh God, I’d be the last person to do that.
GOD: Oh, man! You were the last person to do that. You’ve done it a lot lately. You get caught in an uncomfortable situation, and then you come to me saying “God, help me out of this mess and I’ll never do it again.” But you do.
MAN: Well... yeh, I guess I do. I’m sorry. I really am. Up to now, I thought if I just prayed the Lord’s Prayer every day, then I could do whatever I wanted. I never expected anything like this to happen.
GOD: Few do.
MAN: Yeh, right. Well, I guess I’d better finish the prayer. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.
GOD: Do you know what would really bring me glory?
MAN: (Thinking.) No, but I’d like to know.
GOD: The thing that would really bring me glory is to have a people who truly love me; a people who truly believe that I hear when you pray; a people who truly act like I’m a part of their lives. A one-sided relationship is not a relationship at all. So, let’s see what we can do, you and I ... together.
MAN: Together, amen.
GOD: Forever and ever, amen.
08/28/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “How often has someone said to you (they say it to me), ‘Oh, I was just going to think good thoughts and I hope they are with you.’ I feel like saying, ‘Really? Well, I had hoped you’d pray.’ I appreciate the good thoughts, but you see when you pray then that becomes this three way covenant [the pastor makes a triangle with the fingers of his hands]. Any way you want to look at the triangle— you, God, me. If you’re thinking good thoughts, that’s wonderful, but that’s just you and me. Where’s God in the mix?”
FURTHER THOUGHTS ON PRAYER
“Prayer is an attitude toward life that sees everything as ultimately sacred, everything as potentially life-changing, everything as revelatory of life’s meaning. It is our link between dailiness and eternity.” — Joan Chittister
“In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.” — John Bunyan — The Pilgrim’s Progress
“The doctrine of the material efficacy of prayer reduces the Creator to a cosmic bellhop of a not very bright or reliable kind.” — Herbert J. Muller, educator, historian, and author (1905-1980)
“Prayer always thrusts one out into action sooner or later. One of its main functions is to induce one to think creatively; it stretches the imagination; it enables one to see things and people not as they are but as they might be.” — Muriel Lester, social reformer and pacifist (1883-1968)
“Prayer does not use up artificial energy, doesn’t burn up any fossil fuel, doesn’t pollute. Neither does song, neither does love, neither does the dance.” — Margaret Mead, in Jane Howard’s book, Margaret Mead (1984)
“Trust, which is a virtue, is also a habit, like prayer. It requires exercise. And just as no one can run five miles a day and cede the cardiovascular effects to someone else, no one can trust for us.” — Sue Halpern (1993)
“Not thinking critically, I assumed ‘successful’ prayers were proof that God answers prayer while the failures were proof that there was something wrong with me.” — Dan Barker, former preacher, musician (b. 1949)
“Beware lest a stern Heaven hate you enough to hear your prayers!” — Anatole Francois Thibault
“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” — Alfred Lord Tennyson
“The Christian can realize union with God not only through interior prayer, but also in action.” — Ramon Bautista, Catholic priest in the Philippines
“Patient listening and the grace of the Spirit are the decoding devices of prayer. It is a good habit to ask, ‘What is God saying to me in this situation?’ Listening to our lives is part of prayer.” — Marjorie J. Thompson — Soul Feast
“Listening is the first expression of communication in prayer. We know that listening precedes speaking in the development of children’s language skills. The same order applies to the development of our prayer life. Something in our spirit is touched by the Divine Spirit before we are drawn to speak.” — Marjorie J. Thompson in Soul Feast
“Most of our problems with prayer arise from our tendency to turn spiritual growing into a set of laws or a gymnastic exercise. I have seen great inner struggle, fatigue, and guilt result when we treat prayer like a discipline.... It is best to have some form of deliberate opening to God each day, but we need not be troubled if the form and expression change.” — Flora Slosson Wuellner in Prayer, Stress, and Our Inner Wounds
“A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening.” — Søren Kierkegaard in Christian Discourses
“Jesus asks us to move from a concern for relevance to a life of prayer, from worries about popularity to communal and mutual ministry, and from a leadership built on power to a leadership in which we critically discern where God is leading us and our people.” — Henri Nouwen — In the Name of Jesus
“Could there be anything more blessed than to imitate on earth the ring-dance of the angels and at dawn to raise our voices in prayer and by hymns and songs to glorify the rising Creator?” — St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea (4th Century of the Common Era)
“Your cravings as a human animal do not become a prayer just because it is God whom you ask to attend to them.” — Dag Hammarskjold
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” — Johannes Eckhart (A.K.A. Meister Eckhart)
“Prayer should be brief and pure, unless it happen to be lengthened by an impulse or inspiration of divine grace.” — Rule of Benedict
“The function of prayer is not to establish a routine; it is to establish a relationship with God who is in relationship with us always.... The function of prayer is to bring us into touch with ourselves, as well. To the ancients, ‘tears of compunction’ were the sign of a soul that knew its limits, faced its sins, accepted its needs, and lived in hope.” — Joan Chittister
“More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.” — Mother Teresa
“All poetry is prayer. What else could it be?” — Jean Valentine, poet
“I don’t believe in the power of prayer. I believe in the power and presence of God, so I pray.” — Craig Satterlee, Lutheran Pastor legally blind since birth.
“If the gods listened to our prayers, all humankind would quickly perish since we constantly pray for many evils to befall one another.” — Epicurus, philosopher (341-270 B.C.E.)
“To give pleasure to a single heart by a single kind act is better than a thousand head-bowings in prayer.” — Saadi, poet, 1200 AD
“I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered.” — Jean Ingelow, Victorian poet
“Good deeds are the best prayer.” — Serbian proverb
“As an act of love, prayer is a courageous act. It is a risk we take. It is a life-and-death risk, believing in the promises of the gospel, that God’s love is indeed operative in the world. In prayer we have the courage, perhaps even the presumption and the arrogance or the audacity to claim that God’s love can be operative in the very specific situations of human need that we encounter.” — John E. Biersdorf, Healing of Purpose
“To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.” — Karl Barth
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