"Grab Bag: Talking to God" Exodus “ Exodus 33: 12-22

This Sunday begins the "Grab-bag" sermons -- that is, the sermons that come from the questions or stories  people have submitted me to use as the topics for the sermons (there is still time to submit your topic or question!).

This sermon grows out of  a person going to Kroger's and noticing that everyone the person saw was talking on their cell phones.   The questions arose:  "If people would talk to God as much as they talk on their cell phones....."

As I reflected on that question, there is an obvious segue to prayer. But, I wanted to push beyond just a sermon on prayer and reflect on the busy-ness of our lives that precludes reflective time for conversation with God.  That also has me thinking about the difficulty in having a conversation with God, when we have to fill in the blanks, so to speak, for what God is saying back to us.

As I worked through those thoughts, I found the following stories or reflections, some of which may make it to the sermon.

Questions for you:  How do you know what God is saying back to you?   Are you able to make time to talk (and listen) to God in your daily lives?

The Story of the Forest

Barbara Myerhoff, 1935 - 1985

"There is a Hasidic story, repeated to me by Shmuel [a member of the Israel Levin Senior Center, the subject of much of Myerhoff's work] before he died, that sums up my feelings about nine years of work with the...Center people....

"When the great Rabbi Israel Baal Shem-Tov saw misfortune threatening the Jews, it was his custom to go into a certain part of the forest to meditate. There he would light a fire, say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and the misfortune averted. Later, when his disciple...had occasion...to intercede with heaven, he would go to the same place in the forest and say 'Master of the Universe, listen! I do not know how to light the fire, but I am still able to say the prayer.' Again the miracle would be accomplished.

"Still later, Rabbi Moshe-Lieb of Sasov, in order to save his people once more, would go into the forest and say: 'I do not know how to light the fire, I do not know the prayer, but I know the place and this must be sufficient.' It was sufficient and the miracle was accomplished.

"Then it fell to Rabbi Israel of Rizhyn to overcome misfortune. Sitting in his armchair, his head in his hands, he spoke to God: ' I am unable to light the fire and I do not know the prayer; I cannot even find the place in the forest. All I can do is to tell the story, and this must be sufficient.'

"And it was sufficient."http://jwa.org/womenofvalor/myerhoff/story-of-forest; This story of the forest is also told in Elie Wiesel, Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters, trans. Marion Wiesel (New York: The Bibliophile Library, c1972).


Sense of intimacy

Prayer: A five-year-old said grace at family dinner one night. "Dear God, thank you for these pancakes." When he concluded, his parents asked him why he thanked God for pancakes when they were having chicken. He smiled and said, "I thought I'd see if He was paying attention tonight."

Prayer:  Gallup poll:  Nine American in ten say they pray. Nearly all who pray believe their prayers are heard (97%) and answered (95%)...More than 60% of those polled did not favor praying for a winning lottery ticket, a raise, a new car or other material things, but 18% report having done so in the past.  many people (44%) believe it is wrong to pray for victory in athletic contests, but 23% admits to having done so.  42% agree on praying for good grade; 38% oppose it.

  diary of a country priest, George Bernanos: Prayer is...”too often a mere alibi, a sly way of deciding to do what one wants to do"

Cartoon with God presumably watching TV in heaven and saying to an angel who is standing near him with a list [of prayer concerns, presumably]:  “I can’t deal with any famines, massacres, or epidemics right now – I’ve got to help some guy sink a foul shot.” .”  Christian Century, “Century Marks,´ Mankoff, 3/20/13 (8)

Herman Wouk has the screen play writer in The Lawgiver describe Moses as easily recognizing the voice of God in the burning bush because Moses had been replaying the stories of God everyday as he worked in the fields.

 It’s a Wonderful Life has the bar scene where Bailey wanders off to the bar.  As he slurps a drink, he mutters under his breath, “god,O God, Dear Father in heaven. I'm not a praying man, but if you’re up there and you can hear me, show me the way. I’m at the end of my rope.   Show me the way God.” Jerry Sittser, When God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayer (42)