Reflections on "Opening the Window" Matthew 18: 15-20; Psalm 121

I am not sure I ever figured out the point I really wanted to make in the sermon, or at least I do not think I emphasized enough the challenge to make prayer and intentional, ongoing activity in our lives.  I continue to ponder what it would be like to pick an issue and be prayerful about it over an extended period of time and be willing to go where God leads me.  The most difficult part of that challenge is two-fold:  being able to stay focused and on-task for an extended period of time and begin willing to take the risk of doing what I hear God asking of me.

It is easy to point out the instances where we do not understand how God is at work in our prayers or where we seem to pray endlessly without seeing results (i.e. praying for peace each week).  Of course, it is also easy to point to those examples and use them as an excuse to not take prayer seriously in other aspects of our lives.

I suspect many of us have a story about how a prayer was answered in the a timely manner. Does anyone have a story to share about praying over an extended period of time about something and then seeing how that prayer was answered over the longer period of time?

“Opening a Window” March 20, 2011; FPC, Troy; Lenten series on Unbinding the Heart ; Psalm 121; Matthew 18:

Introduction: We continue reflecting on  Unbinding the Heart in our sermons and small groups this Lenten season.  This week the topic is prayer.  I am reminded that a few years ago I spent all of Lent preaching on prayer and did not think that was enough time.  Now, I'm doing it in one sermon!  Focus on how to be intentional in the discipline of prayer.

Move 1: Discipline of prayer.

a. Often, we pray like we text.

1. Texting: short comment or request; typically need based or when something occurs to us; sometimes we want an immediate response; other times, we send it knowing the person cannot answer, but expecting that we will get a quick response when they do answer (pick up milk for breakfast request)
2. Short, quick prayer to address the moment
3. Immediate response; or response that is isolated.
4. Or response that is isolated, dealing with our particular request, without implications.
5. We see this in crisis prayers.
6. But even when we pray while not in crisis, we typically want an immediate response on a particular issue.

b. Connect patience with prayer.

1. Author tells the story of a new evangelism team (Unbinding the Heart, Martha Reese, 29-31)
2. Four people raring to start.
3. Pray for three months.
4. Imagine the discussion that probably took place: “What, do nothing but pray?” “But we're ready to go know. Strike while the irons hots.” “My time is tight, I”m not sure I can find time to just sit in a room and stare at each other!”
5. Discovered that after three months, the ministry took off.
6. Nothing magical about three months.
7. Ongoing prayer life that this not built on immediate response, but allows God to work on us in the space.
8. Poet Scott Cairns recounts a Dan Rather interview with Mother Theresa in which he asked her what she says to God when she prays.” I don’t say anything,” she said. “I just listen.” Rather then asked what God says to her. “he doesn’t say anything,” she responded. “He just listens.” Crux, Winter 2006 as recorded in Christian Century.

Patient prayer.

c. Ongoing, intentional prayer sustains life.

1. Robert Trumbull, The Raft, 1942 three downed Air Force pilots spent 34 days at sea in a life raft. They began to hold prayer meetings on the raft. “We all did some praying on this trip, first because it worked a couple of times and we were willing to keep trying again, and later because it gave us something regular to do. IN fact our prayer meeting was to become the high spot of our evenings.” None of the three would have considered himself highly religious.

2. Immediate response got them praying.
3. Connection to God of hope kept them praying.
   d. Psalm 121
   1. From where will my help come? Not from the mountains? Not from skyscrapers or technology or what we can do.
   2. My help comes from God.

Move 2: Prayer in community

a. Pray with us.

1. Example of Presbyterian minister joins with colleagues for 2 hrs. of prayer each Tuesday morning (Unbinding the Heart, Martha Reese, 34-36)
2. Attributes that time of prayer to new life as he works in leadership with the congregation he serves and within the community.
3. Ongoing prayer, but also prayer with others.

b. Pray for us.

1. Praying with others: Nora Gallagher describing the power of prayer during the time of her brother's death: “I could not pray myself, or at least I could not formulate words or wishes. If I sat long enough to pray, I found only a room filled with a long scream. I finally began to see that I was living on other people's prayers, as if they were bread and water...Prayers were what I came to believe in; they were the glue that bound me to the living, and made it possible for me to remain upright and walk.” Practicing Resurrection: A Memoir of Work, Doubt, Discernment and Moments of Grace, Nora Gallagher, (38)
2. One of the strengths of this congregation is the ongoing prayers for others: lifting prayer concerns in worship; elink; confidential prayer chain. I regularly hear people talking about praying for others or nothing how the prayers of others have been felt.
3. Speak to the importance of being in a community of faith that gives us prayer partners.
4. Small groups – pray for each other.

100. Help shape us as we discern God's answer to our prayers.
     1. In Matthew's gospel, Jesus gives us something scary to contemplate – what we bind on earth will be bound in heaven.
     2. Power few prayer ought to scare us.
     3. We need people to help us discern; guide us; pull us back.

Prayer in community.

Move 3: Powerful image of prayer as opening a window.

a. Pope John XXIII, “Keep a window open for the Spirit” (Unbinding the Heart, Martha Reese, 37)

b. Thought a lot about stained glass windows.

1. each week they add to our beauty of worship.
2. Depict biblical images; visions of God.
3. Remind us of what God has done; who we worship.

4. In some ways, they present a static image of God. This is who God is. Here's an image of God the window shares with us.

100. But, to use the image of prayer an opening a window, think about opening our stained glass windows – letting a breeze race through our midst.
     1. Imagine that is the Holy Spirit, blowing into our lives.
     2. Not a static God, but a dynamic God.
     3. More than a biblical story we know; a living God who shares visions with us and invites us to discover new ways of following Christ.
     4. Kathleen Norris: ‘Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can’t imagine.’” from Grace (Eventually): thoughts on Faith, Ann Lamott, (11)

Conclusion: We hear loud and clear this week a call to the disciplined, shared experience of prayer.