Prayer- Community, Nation and World

It’s been said- There are three ways to get something done:
1. Do it yourself. 2. Hire someone to do it for you. 3. Forbid your kids to do it.
But there is another way- the way of prayer- people given the presence of God in their life and a calling by Jesus Christ to go to the ends of the world loving people- the Spirit of God in us gets Jesus’ mission done
Let’s Pray
Month of Prayer- Self, Family, Church-Prayer community nation world-
foundational belief- love is life as it is meant to be lived
working definition- getting honest with God and letting God get honest with you
houses of prayer for all nations- God’s idea of prayer for the Church is big- every- one, thing, body
Prayer is a way of life- of breathing
It is not just for an individual- it is for US- the Lord’s prayer is all plural. We are to pray and love our enemies, we are to pray and love our community, nation, world
Act Local- Think/Pray Global- Glocal- all people are God’s children- no matter whey they live, what they do, they are a child of God
We are little “christs” Luther says- Christians are little Christs

Luke 6:20-36, Looking at his disciples, he said:
[BLESSINGS]"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
23 "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. [The first verses tell us that God is just and is looking out for those who suffer]
[WOES]24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. [watch out Jabez- Jabez prayed for an increase in territory and a pain free life. His prayer was answered, but was He asking for what God desires? God gave Israel a King- though it was not His will. Sometimes prayer is answered to teach us a bigger lesson- but we celebrate the answer and miss the lesson. Most Americans are far away the richest people in the world- our territory has increased, our life expectancy has skyrocketed, our infant mortality has plumeted- middle class Americans and above are wealthy by the world’s standard.]
[STARTING AGAIN WITH VERSE 27] 27 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic [this would mean you were naked- both your outer garment and under garment would be gone]. 30 Give to everyone who asks you,(It doesn’t say we give them what they ask- we don’t give an addict drugs- we give blessing, prayer and hope. We give food to the starving, drink to the thirsty. We are saved to serve, saved to be givers, saved to pray for even our enemies) and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

God is saying I have a different set of rules, a different economy- how do we stay in check with God’s values?
Prayer. For me to “be merciful, just as [my] Father is merciful” is impossible for me to do on my own. It is impossible for us to do it as a church on our own. We need God to do it for us- We need the Spirit of God to do this work- we need the love of Jesus to come into us and flow out of us?
So how do we really do that?
Prayer. You have trouble forgivng? Loving enemies? Pray to Jesus- look to the cross- Listen to God’s Spirit
Lets look at some local, national and global Statistics:
Community Demographics:- census- info. Factfinder.census.gov- 99161 zip code
27.2% of our 2000 population was age 19 and under- are we praying for these folks- are we committing time and resources to serve them and reach them? Are we doing our best for them? 4-14 window- I estimate that on any given Sunday there are about 150-200 people in our zip code who go to church- lets say 25% of those are children, but they aren’t because churchgoers tend to be older, so at minimum 220 of folks 19 and under, probably much more, from our zip code- are not regularly in worship. Church attendance does not save you- I am just asking the question, why? Is it all their fault? Or are we partly to blame? Doesn’t God want them to become disciples? Maybe God hasn’t sent them our way because we aren’t ready.
I’ll move on before I get in too much trouble.
Palouse 17.4 % of families below poverty level as of 2000, 17.5 % of people over the age 65 live below poverty
Nation: poverty: The official poverty rate in 2004 was 12.7 percent, up from 12.5 percent 2003. In 2004, 37.0 million people were in poverty, up 1.1 million from 2003.
The poverty rate in 2004 (12.7 percent) was 9.7 percentage points lower than in 1959, the first year for which poverty estimates are available (Figure 3). From the most recent trough in 2000 both the number and rate have risen for four consecutive years, from 31.6 million and 11.3 percent in 2000, to 37.0 million and 12.7 percent in 2004 respectively. We are getting poorer
For children under 18 years old, both the 2004 poverty rate (17.8 percent) and the number in poverty (13.0 million) remained unchanged from 2003. The poverty rate for children under 18 remained higher than that of 18-to-64-year olds (11.3 percent) and that of people aged 65 and over (9.8 percent). Our Palouse poverty rate for seniors is almost double the national average.
As a group we are the richest nation in the world- but its not equally spread out.
We are the 6th largest mission field in the world- the largest english speaking one.
Now lets look at the whole of God’s World:- hunger:
In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food. 1
Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness. 1
Countries in which a large portion of the population battles hunger daily are usually poor and often lack the social safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job training programs. When a family that lives in a poor country cannot grow enough food or earn enough money to buy food, there is nowhere to turn for help. 1
Facts and Figures on Population
Today our world houses 6.47 billion people. 2
The United States is a part of the developed or industrialized world, which consists of about 57 countries with a combined population of only 0.9 billion, less than one sixth of the world’s population. 4
In contrast, approximately 5 billion people live in the developing world. This world is made up of about 125 low and middle-income countries in which people generally have a lower standard of living with access to fewer goods and services than people in high-income countries. 4
The remaining 0.4 billion live in countries in transition, which include the Baltic states, eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. 4
Facts and Figures on Hunger and Poverty
In the developing world, more than 1.2 billion people currently live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 per day. 9 Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars a day.
Among this group of poor people, many have problems obtaining adequate, nutritious food for themselves and their families. As a result, 815 million people in the developing world are undernourished. They consume less than the minimum amount of calories essential for sound health and growth. 3
Every year, nearly 11 million children die before they reach their fifth birthday. Almost all of these deaths occur in developing countries, 3/4 of them in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the two regions that also suffer from the highest rates of hunger and malnutrition. 3
Undernourishment negatively affects people’s health, productivity, sense of hope and overall well-being. A lack of food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetal development and contribute to mental retardation. 1
Economically, the constant securing of food consumes valuable time and energy of poor people, allowing less time for work and earning income. 1
1Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn't happen. Most places in the world families have to pay for education because the state does not have or does not allocate resources to educate children.
Facts and Figures on HIV/AIDS
The spreading HIV/AIDS epidemic has quickly become a major obstacle in the fight against hunger and poverty in developing countries. 3
Because the majority of those falling sick with AIDS are young adults who normally harvest crops, food production has dropped dramatically in countries with high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates. 3
In half of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, per capita economic growth is estimated to be falling by between 0.5 and 1.2 percent each year as a direct result of AIDS. 3
Infected adults also leave behind children and elderly relatives, who have little means to provide for themselves. In 2003, 12 million children were newly orphaned in southern Africa, a number expected to rise to 18 million in 2010. 3
Since the epidemic began, 25 million people have died from AIDS, which has caused more than 15 million children to lose at least one parent. For its analysis, UNICEF uses a term that illustrates the gravity of the situation; child-headed households, or minors orphaned by HIV/AIDS who are raising their siblings. 10,
Approximately 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the world. Of this figure, 60 percent live in Sub-Saharan Africa. 3
Each year, another 5 million people become infected with HIV and more than 3 million people die of AIDS
ABC’s top 3 priorities- Slavery, AIDs, Islam
And billions don’t know of the salvation in Jesus Christ.
God can handle Big prayers
Luke 12:47 "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
ILLUSTRATION: Spiritual HealthTom Barnard writes: For nearly a hundred years a beech tree stood in the center of a college campus in Massachusetts. It was a sapling when Henry Ford marketed his first "motorcar" to the American public -- the Model T. When the Wright Brothers experimented successfully with their motorized bicycle with wings, the tree was barely tall enough to be seen among other trees growing on that campus green. For most of the twentieth century it grew and grew, until the tips of its upper branches were seven stories high! At ground level its trunk was massive, more than six feet across. Generations of college students carved their initials into the trunk of that tree. Lovers gathered there on moonlit evenings. Marriage proposals were given and received under its wide branches. For years it defined the Campus Mall. Concrete walkways were created to surround it. From all appearances it looked like it would last forever. Hurricanes blew by it; snowfalls caused its lower branches to dip to the ground. But still it stood -- tall, serene, almost eternal.
Then one day a few years ago professional tree surgeons were called to examine the tree. Although it looked healthy, it was dying. A large cavity was discovered in one of the main trunks. Lightning may have caused a split to occur -- fifty or so years earlier. Moisture, bugs, birds, and even raccoons found their way into the cavity. The infrastructure of the tree had disintegrated to the point that the tree was a safety hazard and had to be removed.
When the tree surgeons cut into one of the huge trunks, they discovered that the tree was being held together at points by only an inch or so of growing wood around the circumference of the trunk, and the rest of the interior of the trunk was just a vacant cavity. Had the damage been discovered and treated a generation earlier, the tree might have been saved.
Nations like ours are like the giant trees -- strong and tall, for all to see and admire. They can stand against nearly any foe. Wars cannot destroy them, and terrorists cannot bring them down. But they can experience decay from within and suffer the same fate as the old beech tree. Families can deteriorate in the same way. Even churches can die from within. (Tuesday Mornings, May 16,2006)
We must seek God earnestly in prayer- that our nation may be healed- that we may be a blessing to the world for generations to come.
Give to OGHS- but its not enough just to give money or a token prayer. That is only part of what Jesus called us to do. He called us to love. I encourage you to look at some of the ways you can serve locally or give nationally or internationally. We have been given much- and God is expecting and excited and waiting to do much through us.
There are lots of excuses not to do anything- “they deserve it” “they don’t work hard enough” “their governments are corrupt, its no use trying”- huh- I am always interested if people say these excuses to me because they don’t want to say them in prayer to God. I wonder if we were born to a mother with AIDs in sub-saharan Africa- if we would have the same attitude: I deserve this, I am 7 I should work harder- its my fault my government doesn’t feed me.
Let the little children come to me- Jesus says- and all those who had excuses for not coming to his banquet- he said- go to hell- if you you have better things to do than love me and my children- you won’t enjoy heavenly banquet anyway- so you might as well go the other way.
The good news is that Christians are out there and in here- making a difference- there are so many good things happening in the world- but did you know it would cost 70-80 billion to provide basic health care and education to every person on earth- sounds impossible- but here is another fact- only 2.6 % of American Christians give 10% of their money away- if every American Christian gave 10% of their money away- we would have 143 billion dollar surplus- that is my prayer for my generation= that by the time we die- we are close to reaching that goal- which is only our minimum responsibility anyway.
May we be a people of blessing and not of woe. May we pray and hear God’s heartbeat- God’s love for the world and may we use our lives to serve Him in whatever he asks. May we be a people of God’s Grace- God’s generous grace.

Prayer and the Local Church

Colossians 4:2-4 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

Let’s Pray=
A man hired a pilot to take him Caribou hunting in Canada. He asked the pilot to land in a remote place. The pilot said, "There aren't any Caribou in this area." The hunter said, "Yes there are. I was here last year." Sure enough, in a few hours the hunter returned, dragging two caribou. The pilot said, "You can't load two caribou. The plane can't bear the weight." The hunter said, "Well, I did it last year. Same size plane, same size caribou." The pilot finally agreed, and they took off. The plane, however, couldn't carry the load, and crashed into the side of a mountain. The pilot got angry at the hunter and said, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this. I knew this plane couldn't carry two caribou. Now we're stranded on this mountain and no one will ever find us." The hunter said, "Don't worry, the rescue team will find us in no time. We're just a few hundred feet from where we crashed last year."

I am person of repetition- my opening sermon prayer are usually the same week to week
Worship can be spiritual repetition or ritual- but YET at the same time- it is something that God uses to make people new and to renew communities and families and nations

Underlying belief- love is life as it is meant to be lived.
Working definition- prayer is getting honest with God and letting God get honest with you
Prayer and the Local Church- Isaiah says(ch. 56)- My house will be a house of prayer for all nations= pray is not just an activity that we do- but it is part of our very identity and mission- we are to be a house of prayer

A little bit different service and sermon today- This is a time of ministry and worship- and today not so much preaching- but rather listening- and hearing
I am going to let the Scripture do the majority of the talking for me. As the scriptures are read- let them inhabit your heart- listen and allow God to speak life to you through these Living Words.
Imagine the words- as water- imagine that each reading is a glass of nice fresh, water- as I read them drink them in and let them flow into your body and spirit

These words are living water for our Local Church-

John 17:13-23- Jesus praying for the disciples and for future disciples- for us the church- 13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

The word of the Lord- and you say “thanks be to God”

Living words from the early church-Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
(from New International Version)

Acts 28:7-10 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Ps 46:8-10
8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

James 4:2-3 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

1 Tim 2:1-5 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Phil 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 15:9-17 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
(from New International Version)
The word of the Lord- thanks be to God

James 5:13-20 [Challenging section- if you aren’t made well do you lack faith? Does your church lack faith? Or is there more to the “well” here? It seems to be directly connected to the forgiveness of sins. Confession leads to forgiveness- which is always healing- eternally always, mentally/spiritually usually, physically sometimes. We must believe not in ourselves, nor beat up on ourselves. We must believe in God and believe that God loves. Prayer is for all kinds of circumstances. The best fruit, the best healing from prayer is a life that is turned around. What does it mean that this “covers over a multitude of sins”?]

13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (Righteousness requires accepting God’s forgiveness- confession)
17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Luke 18:9-14To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." The word of the Lord- thanks be to God

Trophy- handkerchief- visual illustration- do we want prayers for decoration? Or prayers of an honest relationship?, Demand (pharisee) vs. Confess (tax collector)
May we be honest in prayer
May we pray with humility and- beating our chest- cry for mercy-
This is how God has always prepared and shaped His church to serve the world- by making us honest, humble people of love- by making our bodies individually and coporately as a church- a house of prayer

Prayer and the Family

I thought it appropriate today to start out with a mother/birth story
My wife was in labor with our first child. Things were going pretty well when suddenly she began to shout, "Shouldn't! Wouldn't! Couldn't! CAN'T! Don’t, Won’t, Aren’t Weren’t"
"Doctor, what's wrong with my wife!" I cried.
"It's perfectly normal," he reassured me, "She's just having her contractions."
pastor that makes a joke of childbirth on Mother’s day there is only one hope prayer Let’s Pray
Sermon Outline begins: Working Definition of Prayer: Getting honest with God- and letting God be honest with you.
Prayer therefore includes: Crying out to God- Listening silently to God- Sharing our hurts and dreams- But being honest with God also means confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness
Being Honest with God- Remember prayer is both vertical/internal and horizontal/external. That is to say our talking and listening to God effects our relationships in life. Today we are going to talk about some of those real life relationships that are deeply effected by prayer.
And if we are seeking to be people of prayer- that is People who seek to listen and talk honestly with God- we must include our closest relationships.
Today when I use the word family- I mean it to be those closest of relationships. Obviously there is the genetic family- but there also common situations where people are family because they have a long shared history together- even though they are in different family trees. So family today includes- Parent, children- biological, foster, step and adopted, siblings, grandchildren, nephews, nieces aunts and uncles,- very close friends- basically whomever you consider family
Prayer and the Family
Mark 3:20-21 [Jesus’ popularity is growing throughout the towns and countryside. People are traveling to see him and many seek healing. He has called his 12 disciples. And here we have this short paragraph- a tiny story smooshed in between other stories. But no less important.]
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
(from New International Version)- What a delightfully natural story. Jesus’ ministry/career got to a point where his work kept him from eating well. His family was not a bit happy about this situation. They, like a good loving family- didn’t blame the crowds for preventing Jesus from eating, no they lovingly blamed their own family member. What a heartwarming story
Let’s remember- Jesus is the Son of God- but he was also fully human- Jesus is a member of a very human family.
I wanted to share this story first, to set up the rest of our learning today. In this case Jesus’ family was blinded by the metaphorical log in their own eye, so much so that they could not understand the sacrifices involved with Jesus’ calling to teach and heal people. If they had succeeded in taking him away from people, and they did mean well, how could he have taught or healed? You see often- especially concerning family- we are tempted to take faith lessons and apply them to our family members- without thinking how we should apply the lesson in our own individual life, instead we often jump to those who we see as having “problems.” It may be very accurate to say that a family member has issues- but God wants you to work on taking the log out of your own eye first. As we talk about prayer and family- listen for your own self- not so you can fix someone else.
The conclusion to this story is this:
Mark 3:31-35, “Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."
(from New International Version)- Yikes! Did Jesus diss his family? What just happened? Jesus is teaching that His Kingdom- His Family is determined not by genetics but by obedience to the will of God. He is reminding His mother and brothers- “I am doing God’s will- if you take me away from these people you won’t be doing God’s will.”
Sometimes we think we have the best interest of a family member in mind- but we are not seeking the mind of God on the issue- we often seek only our own opinions and experiences to make our judgements- based heavily on prejudiced family history. We need to break out of the cycle of prejudging family if we are to really love them and be honest in prayer with them and for them.
Seek the mind of God for your family relationships- If your family relationships are only fed by happenstance and human experiences they will grow only accidentally. Put some intentionality into your family life. The life of God- that is Love. If you want change in your family- the first/ best place to work is your own self. - Oh but you don’t know so and so....
In praying for family members- pray for your heart to change towards them
Now hopefully we are all in the right place= listening and learning so that God can change us as an individual, which in turn will make change in our family systems
John 2:1-10, On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
4 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."
5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. [big heavy things]
7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."
(from New International Version)-
Why did Jesus do this miracle?
What do we make of Jesus’ exchange with his mother in verses 4+5
There is a common reading of this story that goes like this- Jesus was not ready to start his public ministry- woman why do you involve me?- Jesus saying this in a tone like- I am not here for making wine at parties
But I don’t agree with this reading of the scripture. I believe Jesus was a son who honored his Mother. He had likely been told the stories of the Angels and of his birth- the flight to Egypt. His mother had formed in Him a deep understanding of the ministry that he would lead. She knew it was time for her to give her blessing to Her son- between Jesus saying, “Dear woman, why do you involve me?”- Jesus’ use of the word woman may have been a respectful question within the question- that is- is it time for me to leave you- and his next words were, “My time has not yet come” and Mary saying “Do whatever he tells you”= there was likely much communicated without being said. A mother looking confidently and lovingly at her son- a son staring at His mother to see if it was time to leave home and fully begin his ministry.
The scriptures say a man will leave his father and mother to join with a woman and be married.
In Jesus’ case- he was not to marry- but in a sense this is His marriage moment- He is leaving the life at home and seeking to fashion himself a bride- which will be the church.
This is a mother letting go. A mother who knows that Her son will do great things
This story of water into wine is a family story- it is fitting that Jesus’ first public miracle is a family story.- How else is it a family story?
Well weddings were very important rituals back in the day. Weddings lasted seven days. Mary noticed they were out of wine- it was only the third day. This was not good. This would bring shame to the groom’s family and consequently cause a possible rift in this young marriage. It would be taken as a sign that one family didn’t plan for enough- didn’t take this wedding seriously- it could be interpreted as an insult.
Jesus and Mary were invited- not because Jesus was a famous teacher- he was not one yet. They were likely invited because they knew the family. The wedding was in their neck of the woods and they were either friends or of relation to the wedding party. Mary and Jesus didn’t want this marriage to begin with an embarrassment.
This miracle is not one of flamboyance- or showing off- it is one of love. He is doing what he can to prevent the embarrassment of a friend. In using the ritual jars/barrels he is actually violating a commonly held practice of not using these ritual jars for another purpose, but for Jesus love trumps ritual. Love for God, enemy, family, friend and neighbor should always triumph over ritual. Religious rituals are helpful when they remind us to be people of Christ by loving people. If we start to let the rituals block us from loving- what good are they? I like that these ritual jars are empty- Jesus has to say “fill them”- we are not to have empty rituals. We are to fill them full with love. This is a teaching within this teaching. Rituals: Lord’s Prayer, Jesus Prayer, Meal + Bedtime Prayers, Mowin
Wine in those days was not distilled- it would therefore have a very low alcohol content- the first wine served would be the least diluted- often wine would be diluted by adding much water. This is why the master of the banquet- who was kind of the party planner of that day said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."
What does this story/miracle teach us about family and prayer?
Jesus doesn’t want your family shamed. What does this mean?
Look out for each other- Listen to God. Encourage each other’s life ministry.
Error on the side of grace and love, not ritual and law- seek love in prayer- not discipline- If you find love you will develop discipline- but if you seek discipline and ritual you may never find love. [My disciplines- Lord’s prayer, Jesus prayer, church. Family- meals, bedtime-]
Don’t dilute your love for family- give them your best- by being who God called you to be- Our families may not understand sometimes- (Mark 3 story).
Celebrate Life- a life of prayer- is a way of seeing the goodness- in family- prayer leads to deep joy- joy that is appreciated in good times and bad
Prayer- being honest with God- and letting God be honest with us- is meant for the best and worst of times and all times in between.
Illustration for Scripture: Mom’s quilt- what do we do in the darkness. How do we live out our relationship with God- Do we do follow Christ only when it is seen by others- or are we deeply in relationship with God- living it all out, even in the dark.
When I take time to really listen to God- I am a better husband, father, son and brother- When I take to be honest with God- even in the dark times- I am more patient, more forgiving, more loving.
Don’t just pray for people in your family to be changed by God- which is okay.
But the better and more narrow road- is to Pray for God to change you- and help you live out your life and calling. God doesn’t magically take the life transformative presence of the Holy Spirit places- he uses real, humble, courageous people of faith to take the loving of Spirit of God to people.
Change the question from- “Why don’t you change this person God?” to “God- show me how I can love X”

May 7th"Prayer: Life Beyond the Status Quo..."

Life Beyond the Status Quo-
Prayer takes you into life with God- absence of prayer is nice way of saying you’re Ignoring the presence of God in your life
So this whole month we are going to be learning about prayer- talking about it- and DOING it- We’re going to study prayer and life in general today, than Prayer and the family next week, We’ll cover prayer and the local church and we’ll also learn about prayer and our community and the world- So I encourage you to come this whole month and learn and put into practice what you learn and experience here
“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
And I don’t know about you- but I spend too much of life holding my breath and ignoring God.
So Let’s Pray-
We believe as followers of Jesus Christ- that Love is Life as it is meant to be (repeat)- and Prayer is a life- receiving connection with the Source of Love- our Loving God-(repeat) We don’t pray because we have to- we pray because we’re called to be lovers of the world- loving friends and enemies-
Let’s read our first scripture:
1 John 3:16-24
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. [Message Translation: My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self criticism...] For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
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Pt. 1- V. 16 says, that we know what love is because Jesus Christ laid down his life for us- and therefore we ought live lives of love towards one another-
Challenge- So we KNOW that Jesus loves us and died for us- But how do we keep that fresh and real in our lives- so much so that we are called and daily feel led to love our neighbors and enemies? How do we keep that belief from turning into a stale doctrine that no longer has power of us? And honestly- I allow it to become stale- I don’t let God breath on that fire sometimes- and consequently it is a whole lot easier in those times judge, mistreat and hate people
Prayer is the key to living a life of sacrificial love that Christians are called to live- if my spirit stays in connection with the Spirit of God- My identity becomes tied into Christ’s great love for me and consequently I am set free to spread that love to others
Prayer is a vertical relationship(internal) with horizontal consequences (external)- Vertical= trusting/relating to God, Horizontal= Loving one another
Pt. 2: We don’t make prayer happen- just like we don’t create life.
We participate in the life giving processes that produce life- and likewise we participate in prayer but we don’t originate it.
Let’s Read:
Rom 8:26-27
6 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

This is just one scripture where we get the idea that something deeper is going on in prayer than us saying some words toward the sky. It is deeper than language- broader than knowledge- It is communicating- it is listening to God- and it is sharing our heart with God
Prayer is deeply Spiritual. The Deep Spirit of God calls out to the recesses of our own Spirit- Deep cries out to Deep- We devalue prayer when we think we control by our own formulas or use of certain words or wordings
Prayer is not formula- I heard a guy say- all our prayer formulas- you know pray this way thirty days in a row and your territory will be enlarged- that’s voodoo. God doesn’t want to trust a formula he wants us to trust him.
I heard a guy say prayer is not like a web address- if you don’t get the .com in the right place your prayer gets returned
What prayer is not: transactional, earthly origins, not just for certain places and times and words
We sometimes get caught up in the language of prayer:
~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966, “I often pray, though I'm not really sure Anyone's listening; and I phrase it carefully, just in case He's literary.”
A six year old said grace at family dinner one evening. "Dear God, thank You for the pancakes."
When he concluded, his mother asked him why he thanked God for pancakes when they were having chicken-pot-pie.
He smiled and said, "I thought I would check to see if He was paying attention."
We don’t make “prayer happen” by our language- you can’t screw prayer up by your words- only by your pretensions- you can’t hang up on God because he never puts the phone down- God’s always paying attention- the question is are we paying attention to God living in and around us
I love the message version of Message Matt 6:5-12, “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense God’s grace.
The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.”
So if God’s spirit is in charge of Prayer- What is our part?
Pt. 3- Our part is praying simply- the key to simple prayer is utter honesty. I shutter that I have to use the words utter honesty- but I’ve been around long enough to know that there’s nice domesticated honesty and then there’s the utter deep gut wrenching share your hurts, dreams and fears honesty
God wants honesty- Deep down in me I knowed it was a lie, and He knowed it. You can't pray a lie - I found that out. ~Mark Twain
Our part is pretty simple- Not pretending before God- Letting God- Who knows us best- Letting God tell us who we truly are and what we truly can become
In review- prayer is relational- not just for emergencies and ceremonies- it is indeed the way we breathe God into our life- it keeps fresh in our hearts the knowledge of Christ’s love for us- so that we can love others- it is from God’s Spirit- and we only participate in it- it is beyond our control- it is best practiced simply, with utter honesty-
A Story: I had 8th grade lunch as a 7th grader- a scary thing. I could not find a table that would accept me- except one on the fringe of the large cafeteria. Ryan sat by himself everyday, pretty much. Every day he prayed silently for a minute or two before eating- that time, though he may have just been saying a blessing for his food– I don’t know- was a blessing from God. Because Ryan was loving and kind- a teenager unafraid to be Christian in the middle of the day- he was 13 but he was deeply spiritual
I have been thinking about School Prayer a lot lately- but not the way its usually talked about
Christians like to talk big about prayer in school- like mandatory prayer is really something God wants- since scripture teaches clearly that he starts and controls prayer... Anyways- we talk big about prayer- but what if we spent as Christians less time blowing hot air talking about prayer and more time praying- What I’m getting at is isn’t time we put our knees where our mouths are- so to speak-
We have 200 and some students in the GarPal schools- more in Potlatch- dozens of employees and volunteers
One form of prayer is confession- and while I was mowing the lawn this week and asking God what he wanted me to teach on- God said you have to confess
I confess that I have not led by example and prayed for our schools- the teachers, students, administrators, staff, parents and volunteers-
I realized as I was quiet enough to finally hear God say- Confess, because my Spirit has been telling you to pray for your community every day. What if we all listened to God and prayed for our schools every day- who knows what God could do with us- who knows how we could help serve and influence the community- who knows how God’s Spirit could move in waves of love throughout our community