In Jesus Holy Name July 27, 2019
Text: Luke 11:5-8,13b Pentecost VII - Redeemer
“The Shameless Neighbor”
Over the past 4 weeks we have been reading the parables and teachings of Jesus as written by Luke in His Gospel. Luke collected these stories and parables to answer the question: What does it mean to “follow Jesus? What is discipleship? What does a disciple of Jesus need to know about God?
There was the story of the Good Samaritan… demonstrate mercy and care. Through Mary and Martha we learned that we need to study and read the words of Jesus if we want to know about God and His purpose for His world and our place in His plan. Today Luke answers the question “how should a disciple pray?” The disciple should trust God when we pray.
How do we pray? How should we pray? Are their special words? How does God answer prayer? Why does God sometimes seem to ignore my prayers? These questions will be rolling just beneath the surface. Luke packs into these thirteen verses: The Lord's prayer, a parable on prayer, and then reminder that the disciple can be “shameless in prayer, trusting in a God of love and mercy.
Connection is what we deeply long for as human beings. That’s why so many people join clubs, service organizations and churches. There is no connection more profound and powerful than a personal connection with God. Prayer is our opportunity to connect to God, the Creator of the universe.
Jesus said: “Ask.” “Knock” and the door to God’s gifts and resources will be opened for you. The disciple can trust God’s love. His answers to our prayers will never, never cause us harm. Luke, more than any other evangelist, stresses the importance of prayer in the life of Jesus' and in the life of a disciple.
In response to the disciples who asked: “Lord teach us to pray”; Jesus tells the parable of the friend who calls at midnight. In the culture of the Middle East, (still today) Hospitality is critical.
A few years ago you might remember the rescue of U.S. Navy Seal Marcus Luttrel. “In remote Kunar Province, along the porous and mountainous frontier with Pakistan, Mohammad Gulab and his fellow villagers harbored and saved the life of a gravely wounded U.S. Navy SEAL, Marcus Luttrel. The villagers bravely protected, gave first aid to, fed, and clothed Marcus Luttrell, the wounded Special Warfare Operator, the only survivor of a four-man SEAL patrol from the searching Taliban.
The villagers insist that they saved Luttrell out of obedience to the age-old ethnic-Pashtun tradition known as Pash-Tun-wali. That ancient code obliges Pashtuns to help and protect anyone in need, friend or enemy. “We did not rescue Marcus for money or privileges,” Gulab says. “By rescuing and keeping him safe for five nights in our home we were only doing our cultural obligation.”
In the 1st century “hospitality” was of paramount importance in the biblical world, and when a guest arrived – even if unexpectedly…even at midnight. Hospitality is required. This cultural reality enables Jesus to tell a parable about a God of love.
The characters in the story are a villager who is in bed with his family at midnight and a neighbor with a need. When the man in the story finds himself without enough bread for his guest, he goes to a friend and neighbor and asks to borrow some bread. It’s past midnight , yet he must wake up his friend’s entire household to avoid shame and to honor a cultural code.
“Do not bother me,” the friend answers from within the dark house. “The door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything” (11:7). You and I might empathize with the neighbor. The midnight knock at the door is not only worrisome but to wake an infant in the middle of the night… means a long night for the parents.
In the culture of the biblical world, the response of the neighbor to this midnight knock immediately tells the listeners of Jesus, that the neighbor is the one behaving badly. This would be unthinkable to allow your friend and neighbor to be shamed and embarrassed.
Jesus says that the woken up neighbor will eventually respond to his friend’s request, not because he is a friend, but because of his friend’s shamelessness” persistence. "Shamelessness" "persistence," at midnight implies a boldness that comes from a long standing friendship. (11:8). The man displays no shame in asking for help from his neighbor to meet the requirements of hospitality. The woken-up friend would incur dishonor if he failed to help his neighbor in this essential obligation. Jesus has made a point about the prayers of a disciple.
A disciple must dare to be shameless in our prayer requests to our heavenly Father. We are to Ask and Knock, because Jesus tells us to do so. We are to trust in God’s loving purpose for us. Not everything that happens in life is God’s will. But we can affirm with St. Paul, “in all things God works for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
As sons and daughters of Adam and Eve there is an inner desire within our
being to walk with God in the cool of the evening. The Creator has placed within each human heart a desire to know Him, to talk with Him, to invite Him into our personal history.
There is a “Peanuts” comic strip where Charlie Brown is kneeling by his bed. His hands are folded. The caption reads: “Security is knowing you are not alone.” There is no special formula or sacred language that should be used in prayer. It is conversation with your creator. You can tell him what’s on your mind. You can trust God. As a human father, you love your children. “If your son asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion?” Of course not. “If your son asks for a fish will you give him a snake instead? Of course not.”
You can trust your Father in heaven who knows your need. His answer will not bring you harm. Martin Luther stated: “Prayer is not optional” “The 2nd commandment teaches us to call upon God in every need.” It is not a matter to be left to our choice … for by prayer the name of God is honored.
We face two dangers whenever we talk about prayer. We can make prayer seem so difficult that only the “super-Christians” can pray effectively while the rest of us just muddle along. Sometimes the stories we tell about saints who spent hours on their knees crying out to God end up discouraging us because we’re busy and tired. The kids are wearing us out, our job is a hassle and life feels like a burden, so even if Luther prayed two hours every morning, that was a long time ago, and he’s been dead for almost 500 years.
You know what I mean.
It’s easy to get intimidated about prayer. Dallas Willard in his book “Divine Conspiracy” writes: …too often we dribble a few words that are on our mind and heart through the week, in church or out. “Just one drop of water every five minutes will not get you a shower, no matter how long you keep it up. You need a lot of water at once and for a sufficiently long time.” So it must be with prayer.
(Dallas Willard The Divine Conspiracy p. 356)
Think of prayer as a gift from God that enables us to stay connected with the Lord of the universe. If we use the gift of prayer, we will grow deeper in our knowledge of God. Look how the words of Jesus conclude this parable. “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Skeptics may argue that answered prayers are only coincidences, but as an English Archbishop once observed: “It’s amazing how many coincidences occur when one begins to pray.”
To illustrate that God can be trusted to respond to our prayers, Paul Billheimer in his book “Destined for the Throne” writes: “God has decided to operate in this world through the prayers and faith of His people. … the promises of God are waiting. It’s like a safe deposit box. God has a key and you have a key, called prayer and faith. God is the keeper of the box. At the bank you give your key to the teller and she takes her key. Neither key alone will open the safe deposit box, but together both keys open the door making available all the treasures stored in the box.”
Heaven holds the key by which decisions governing earthly affairs become reality. (In the Lord’s Prayer we pray…may Your will be done on earth as in heaven, may Your kingdom come” The words really mean…Lord may Your rule become reality in my life, my home, my place of work, my country.) Through prayer we hold one of the keys by which decisions are implemented in our environment. Prayer is an invitation to God to enter into and act in my history,
my personal story.
1) Developing self-discipline is essential to everything we want to accomplish. It takes self-discipline to get up in the morning and exercise. It takes self-discipline to loose weight. Just buying the $2000 Peloton Bike and watching a motivational instructor on your screen does no good if you don’t get on the bike.
Often times, for me, just getting started is the hardest part. So here is a suggestion. Take home the Portals of Prayer and cut out Martin Luther’s morning prayer and tape it to your refrigerator. Then speak it before you open the refrigerator door. It’s a start. It will lead to further conversation with God.
2) Prayer was never meant to be a spiritual barometer indicating how many fancy words, scripture verses and pious terms you can use. God doesn’t care if you can “out-Thy and out-Thee’ the competition, nor does He sit up in Heaven with His score card grading performances and deducting tenths-of-points for poor aptitude or length of routine.
Last week I made reference to the Pharisee and the Tax Collector who were both praying in the temple. To appear more ‘spiritual’, some of the higher-ups in the synagogue wore large prayer boxes on their heads and adorned themselves with tassels and glorious prayer robes. They would then stand praying with loud words and hands raised… That way everyone knew they were spiritual.
‘Prayer fashion’ in the 1st century became trendy, and prayer quality got left in the ditch. Jesus pulled the magic rug out from under the Pharisees who prayed for show. Jesus said: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father Knows what you need before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:7,8
You don’t need special fancy words… just have a conversation with God.
3) Being a Christian is about a personal relationship with the One
who loves you more deeply than any other. Just pray! There is no pressure;. you’re talking to your Father.
As a parent who loves your child… if your child asks for bread would you give him a snake. Of course not. As a parent who loves your child if your daughter asks for a fish would you give her a scorpion? Of course not. Ask and knock on heaven’s door. Trust your Father in heaven to hear your prayer. He loves you and wants to hear about your fears, your needs. He wants to enter into your personal history…. But you must ask…. That is prayer.
At the end our your day there is another prayer you could memorize and sing to yourself. Take our your hymnal. 883 “All Praise to Thee My God, This Night” (read stanza 1,2)
Let’s share the Lord’s Prayer as printed in the bulletin (one phrase, then pause, then the next etc.)
