Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Pray unceasingly?
So what can it possibly mean to pray unceasingly?
I have shared with this congregation before that one way that I used to try and condition myself to pray unceasingly was every time I saw an ad on the El or a billboard or a newspaper ad or even a license plate holder that said Wolfe Ford etc., I would offer up a quick, Hi God, kind of prayer. I got good at it. Of course, this worked much better in Chicago than it does here, as there were many more ads and it generally works better when you are alone than when you are having a conversation with someone. Nonetheless, I can't tell you how awesome of a spiritual discipline that was, so I would encourage it. However, as frequent as advertisements of all sorts are, does that really qualify as 'unceasingly'. Unceasing, nonstop, without end, constantly. This, it would seem, is impossible, right. What kind of cruel trick is it to demand the impossible from us? If this is the kind of responsibility that is being laid upon our shoulders, why are we so darn excited over the coming of the Christ child anyhow?
As we studied this passage in our Prayer Warriors group, we came across the idea that prayer is generally seen as either a monologue or a dialog. In other words, many of us think of prayer as a type of meditation- a spiritual way of talking to oneself. Or prayers where you offer up your sins and don't really expect a booming voice that says, “you are forgiven,” but have the assurance that it was heard. Monologue is probably the most common type of prayer. Others think of prayer as a conversation with God – a dialog. We expect that prayer ought go something like this... We ask God a question and God answers. “God, what should I do?” and we look for signs of what to do. “God, I need healing for...” and we look for signs of God's healing. Most of us don't expect a verbal response from God, but we look for signs. In our culture, we call people who talk to God Christians. People who talk to God a lot we call saints. People who hear God talking to them we call schizophrenic. So true dialog is rare in our context.
I looked to Rev. John Wesley's notes on the New Testament to see if I could gain some insight into how much prayer, monologue or dialog, that we had to really engage in in order to consider ourselves to be praying unceasingly. I mean, come on, surely we don't need to be offering up prayers while were sitting back and listening to music or operating heavy machinery or sleeping do we?
Well, Wesley cuts us no slack. First, he reminds us of the context that this command comes in. Paul says, rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. This makes it even harder, because it limits the type of pray that we are to do unceasingly. I am a big fan of the beautiful lamentations we read throughout Scripture. Also, I find the very idea that God encourages us, pleads with us, to go to Godsself, straight to the big cheese of the universe no need for a middle man but to the creator of all with our requests and petitions- I find this idea to be one of the most awesome concepts that we believe as Christians. Yet, these petitions don't seem to count toward our praying unceasingly quota. The text tells us to give prayers of rejoicing unceasingly. To have, as Wesley puts it, “uninterrupted happiness in God.” He goes on to say that praying unceasingly is the “fruit of always rejoicing in the Lord.” And in turn, giving thanks for everything is the fruit of both the rejoicing and praying. Giving thanks is the fruit, not a command to give thanks, but a reward of giving thanks. How odd. You do something and your reward is that you get to say thanks to the party that you did something for. Odd man mister Wesley is. But before we dismiss this as some queer passing fancy that he cranked out one morning let me tell you that all of what makes Wesleyan theology unique, the driving theological point that makes us distinctive as a people called United Methodists, lies on what comes after. In giving thanks for everything, we practice “Christian perfection.” And that is our Wesleyan take on humanity. We are not totally depraved beings. We are not absolved from responsibility with the attitude that if God wants us to be good, its up to God that we are good. No, we hold that, through the grace of God it is each of our responsibilities to be not only good, but perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. And what is this perfection? Giving thanks always. Wesley tells us, “further than this we cannot go; and we need not stop short of it.” Sisters and brothers, you and I are capable of perfection, in this life, and it is somehow tied up in this idea of praying unceasingly. This idea of giving thanks, unceasingly. Wesley tells us that we can compare prayers to breathing- the breath of our spiritual life. “He that lives cannot possibly cease breathing.” Unceasing prayer is not a goal that we are working toward. It is the very life-line, the very oxygen of our spiritual lives and if we don't do it, we are simply dead.
These words from our founder laid down so heavily upon me last Tuesday night as I explored them and prayed over them. I was blessed, or maybe more accurately, I was cursed with the confidence that these words were God's truth. That Christian life depended on praying unceasingly and anything short is just pretending, just going through the motions. Well, I have to tell you, I am not in constant dialog or even monologue with God. Sisters and brothers, I can now tell you what despair over one's soul is really like.
So, I continued working on the text. I continued praying over the text. Let me tell you, sisters and brothers, we do not call the life of Jesus Christ good news for nothing. Let me tell you about another assurance that I had this week. An assurance that completely changed everything that I thought I knew about salvation, everything that I thought I knew about God, everything that I thought that I had learned in seminary, and many things that I had preached in this very pulpit. The humbling realization that I came to is that my conception of God was too small and my conception of prayer was too narrow. Let me back up spell and tell you that Ann and I have had a rough couple of weeks on several fronts. But we have been going through each challenge and each sorrow together. This is what relationship is about. A relationship is not about endless chatter, though a deep relationship has constant communication. A relationship is not constant back-scratching- that is, a healthy relationship does not depend exclusively on a 'you do this and then I'll do that' sort of transactions. So, why did I think that God wanted to hear constant chatter from our lips? Why did I think that the basis of our relationship with God is quid pro quo transactions? “God, I offer you praise, you bless me with your peace. Deal? Deal.”
Sisters and brothers, prayer is relationship with God. Prayer is not just talking to God or even talking with God. Prayer is being in an ever thankful relationship with God. Praying unceasingly, is throwing your lot totally in with God. It is marrying God, sharing a mortgage with God so to speak. Making what is good for God, good for you. Making what is disdained by God, disdained by you. Seeing the world, seeing your very life- not as something independent from God, but coexisting through God- that is unceasing prayer. That is true relationship with God. That is being born of the Spirit. That is Christian perfection. Amen?
You know, I got to be honest here. I never really liked the 'holiday season' much. I always saw a disconnect between the gifts given to rich children and the astonishing lack of our nation's and world's poor- all in the name of celebrating the birth of a lowly child in a manger. I am not a big fan of the hoaky songs that every single top 40 artist whips up to market for the holidays. And there is nothing like obnoxious drivers in overcrowded parking lots to sap your enthusiasm for Christmas. But, what if I truly prayed unceasingly? What if I truly saw the world through the eyes Christ and heard my sisters and brothers through the ears of God? What might I discover then? In this season of Advent, this season of preparation, this season of repentance and evaluation of our relationship to God- lets take stock in what we see and hear. A friend sent me an e-mail that invited me to think back to the sights and sounds of the holiday. To use the sights and sounds of today as sort of a litmus test of how we see the birth of a baby in a manger 2000 years ago. Think with me...
When you listened to the news do you see chaos and strife, or do you see sheep without a shepherd? When you went out to do your shopping did you see only hordes of people in the stores, or did you notice the worried expressions on some of their faces--worried because they are facing this Christmas without employment or without enough money and they don't know how they are going to make ends meet. Did this move you to compassion in the way that God is moved at each of our trials?
What did you hear this Christmas?
Did you hear only the blast of music and carols, or did you hear the silent sighs of the lonely and the bereaved who may be dreading Christmas because it accentuates their loneliness? What did you do to alleviate some of the world's loneliness? And in the midst of the sounds of honking horns and people arguing over parking places, did you hear faint sounds of laughter coming from church missions projects because you furnished food and toys for families and children and helped to rebuild a church in Gulf Port?
You see, so often what you see and what you hear is not dependent upon the event but upon your relationship with God. If you did in fact hear the cry from the lonely, the laughter of poor children, if you saw the sheep without a shepherd, then, and only then, might you have noticed the events that took place in Bethlehem that night. If you lacked that spiritual seeing and hearing then you probably would have been with the 99% who were present but who saw or heard nothing out of the ordinary.
One hymn, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, puts it best: “No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin. Where meek souls shall receive him still, the dear Christ enters in”.
Sisters and brothers, this Advent season and beyond, let us accept nothing short of perfection from ourselves. Let us pray unceasingly, prayers of thanksgiving. Sisters and brothers, as we commune with one another and our Lord this evening, let us be of a mind to have a perfect communion. A perfect merging of God's will and our own. As we take the body of Christ, let it transform us so that we can be the eyes and ears of Christ for the world. Amen? Amen.
I have shared with this congregation before that one way that I used to try and condition myself to pray unceasingly was every time I saw an ad on the El or a billboard or a newspaper ad or even a license plate holder that said Wolfe Ford etc., I would offer up a quick, Hi God, kind of prayer. I got good at it. Of course, this worked much better in Chicago than it does here, as there were many more ads and it generally works better when you are alone than when you are having a conversation with someone. Nonetheless, I can't tell you how awesome of a spiritual discipline that was, so I would encourage it. However, as frequent as advertisements of all sorts are, does that really qualify as 'unceasingly'. Unceasing, nonstop, without end, constantly. This, it would seem, is impossible, right. What kind of cruel trick is it to demand the impossible from us? If this is the kind of responsibility that is being laid upon our shoulders, why are we so darn excited over the coming of the Christ child anyhow?
As we studied this passage in our Prayer Warriors group, we came across the idea that prayer is generally seen as either a monologue or a dialog. In other words, many of us think of prayer as a type of meditation- a spiritual way of talking to oneself. Or prayers where you offer up your sins and don't really expect a booming voice that says, “you are forgiven,” but have the assurance that it was heard. Monologue is probably the most common type of prayer. Others think of prayer as a conversation with God – a dialog. We expect that prayer ought go something like this... We ask God a question and God answers. “God, what should I do?” and we look for signs of what to do. “God, I need healing for...” and we look for signs of God's healing. Most of us don't expect a verbal response from God, but we look for signs. In our culture, we call people who talk to God Christians. People who talk to God a lot we call saints. People who hear God talking to them we call schizophrenic. So true dialog is rare in our context.
I looked to Rev. John Wesley's notes on the New Testament to see if I could gain some insight into how much prayer, monologue or dialog, that we had to really engage in in order to consider ourselves to be praying unceasingly. I mean, come on, surely we don't need to be offering up prayers while were sitting back and listening to music or operating heavy machinery or sleeping do we?
Well, Wesley cuts us no slack. First, he reminds us of the context that this command comes in. Paul says, rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. This makes it even harder, because it limits the type of pray that we are to do unceasingly. I am a big fan of the beautiful lamentations we read throughout Scripture. Also, I find the very idea that God encourages us, pleads with us, to go to Godsself, straight to the big cheese of the universe no need for a middle man but to the creator of all with our requests and petitions- I find this idea to be one of the most awesome concepts that we believe as Christians. Yet, these petitions don't seem to count toward our praying unceasingly quota. The text tells us to give prayers of rejoicing unceasingly. To have, as Wesley puts it, “uninterrupted happiness in God.” He goes on to say that praying unceasingly is the “fruit of always rejoicing in the Lord.” And in turn, giving thanks for everything is the fruit of both the rejoicing and praying. Giving thanks is the fruit, not a command to give thanks, but a reward of giving thanks. How odd. You do something and your reward is that you get to say thanks to the party that you did something for. Odd man mister Wesley is. But before we dismiss this as some queer passing fancy that he cranked out one morning let me tell you that all of what makes Wesleyan theology unique, the driving theological point that makes us distinctive as a people called United Methodists, lies on what comes after. In giving thanks for everything, we practice “Christian perfection.” And that is our Wesleyan take on humanity. We are not totally depraved beings. We are not absolved from responsibility with the attitude that if God wants us to be good, its up to God that we are good. No, we hold that, through the grace of God it is each of our responsibilities to be not only good, but perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. And what is this perfection? Giving thanks always. Wesley tells us, “further than this we cannot go; and we need not stop short of it.” Sisters and brothers, you and I are capable of perfection, in this life, and it is somehow tied up in this idea of praying unceasingly. This idea of giving thanks, unceasingly. Wesley tells us that we can compare prayers to breathing- the breath of our spiritual life. “He that lives cannot possibly cease breathing.” Unceasing prayer is not a goal that we are working toward. It is the very life-line, the very oxygen of our spiritual lives and if we don't do it, we are simply dead.
These words from our founder laid down so heavily upon me last Tuesday night as I explored them and prayed over them. I was blessed, or maybe more accurately, I was cursed with the confidence that these words were God's truth. That Christian life depended on praying unceasingly and anything short is just pretending, just going through the motions. Well, I have to tell you, I am not in constant dialog or even monologue with God. Sisters and brothers, I can now tell you what despair over one's soul is really like.
So, I continued working on the text. I continued praying over the text. Let me tell you, sisters and brothers, we do not call the life of Jesus Christ good news for nothing. Let me tell you about another assurance that I had this week. An assurance that completely changed everything that I thought I knew about salvation, everything that I thought I knew about God, everything that I thought that I had learned in seminary, and many things that I had preached in this very pulpit. The humbling realization that I came to is that my conception of God was too small and my conception of prayer was too narrow. Let me back up spell and tell you that Ann and I have had a rough couple of weeks on several fronts. But we have been going through each challenge and each sorrow together. This is what relationship is about. A relationship is not about endless chatter, though a deep relationship has constant communication. A relationship is not constant back-scratching- that is, a healthy relationship does not depend exclusively on a 'you do this and then I'll do that' sort of transactions. So, why did I think that God wanted to hear constant chatter from our lips? Why did I think that the basis of our relationship with God is quid pro quo transactions? “God, I offer you praise, you bless me with your peace. Deal? Deal.”
Sisters and brothers, prayer is relationship with God. Prayer is not just talking to God or even talking with God. Prayer is being in an ever thankful relationship with God. Praying unceasingly, is throwing your lot totally in with God. It is marrying God, sharing a mortgage with God so to speak. Making what is good for God, good for you. Making what is disdained by God, disdained by you. Seeing the world, seeing your very life- not as something independent from God, but coexisting through God- that is unceasing prayer. That is true relationship with God. That is being born of the Spirit. That is Christian perfection. Amen?
You know, I got to be honest here. I never really liked the 'holiday season' much. I always saw a disconnect between the gifts given to rich children and the astonishing lack of our nation's and world's poor- all in the name of celebrating the birth of a lowly child in a manger. I am not a big fan of the hoaky songs that every single top 40 artist whips up to market for the holidays. And there is nothing like obnoxious drivers in overcrowded parking lots to sap your enthusiasm for Christmas. But, what if I truly prayed unceasingly? What if I truly saw the world through the eyes Christ and heard my sisters and brothers through the ears of God? What might I discover then? In this season of Advent, this season of preparation, this season of repentance and evaluation of our relationship to God- lets take stock in what we see and hear. A friend sent me an e-mail that invited me to think back to the sights and sounds of the holiday. To use the sights and sounds of today as sort of a litmus test of how we see the birth of a baby in a manger 2000 years ago. Think with me...
When you listened to the news do you see chaos and strife, or do you see sheep without a shepherd? When you went out to do your shopping did you see only hordes of people in the stores, or did you notice the worried expressions on some of their faces--worried because they are facing this Christmas without employment or without enough money and they don't know how they are going to make ends meet. Did this move you to compassion in the way that God is moved at each of our trials?
What did you hear this Christmas?
Did you hear only the blast of music and carols, or did you hear the silent sighs of the lonely and the bereaved who may be dreading Christmas because it accentuates their loneliness? What did you do to alleviate some of the world's loneliness? And in the midst of the sounds of honking horns and people arguing over parking places, did you hear faint sounds of laughter coming from church missions projects because you furnished food and toys for families and children and helped to rebuild a church in Gulf Port?
You see, so often what you see and what you hear is not dependent upon the event but upon your relationship with God. If you did in fact hear the cry from the lonely, the laughter of poor children, if you saw the sheep without a shepherd, then, and only then, might you have noticed the events that took place in Bethlehem that night. If you lacked that spiritual seeing and hearing then you probably would have been with the 99% who were present but who saw or heard nothing out of the ordinary.
One hymn, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, puts it best: “No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin. Where meek souls shall receive him still, the dear Christ enters in”.
Sisters and brothers, this Advent season and beyond, let us accept nothing short of perfection from ourselves. Let us pray unceasingly, prayers of thanksgiving. Sisters and brothers, as we commune with one another and our Lord this evening, let us be of a mind to have a perfect communion. A perfect merging of God's will and our own. As we take the body of Christ, let it transform us so that we can be the eyes and ears of Christ for the world. Amen? Amen.
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