Another week in the sermon series, "Journey from the Empty Tomb into the World." Another week when the sermon preached was a bit different than the manuscript found here. not sure if that means I need to do a better job preparing! My focus on praying may have taken a minor issue from the text and magnified it beyond what it needed to be.
“Praying Boldly” April 25, 2021; 4th Sunday of Easter; SAPC, Denton; Dr. Richard B. Culp; Acts 4: 23-27; Easter 2021 series “Journey from the Empty Tomb into the World”
23 After they were released, they went to their friends[g] and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, 25 it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant:[h]
‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples imagine vain things?
26
The kings of the earth took their stand,
and the rulers have gathered together
against the Lord and against his Messiah.’[i]
27 For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant[j] Jesus, whom you anointed, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants[k] to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant[l] Jesus.” 31 When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.
Introduction: We continue our Eastertide sermon series, Journeying from the empty tomb into the world - we began by walking with Jesus; then last week reflected on taking Jesus with us; and this morning, praying.
As we study how these early Christians responded to the resurrection in their world, we look for clues for how to live in our world as followers of the resurrected one.
As we reflect on how they prayed this morning, there are, of course, many aspects of prayer. You have undoubtedly heard sermons on prayer and maybe even taken a class or two on prayer.
This morning’s reflection on prayer does not offer the only way to pray, but points to how Peter and John and the other early Christians prayed at one particular moment.
Moved 1: Prayed together in response to crisis
a. We pick up this story after Peter and John have been hassled, threatened, and ordered to stop - stop healing and stop speaking out boldly about their faith in the resurrected one.
1. they have gone on record in stating they cannot stop.
2. We find them now released from the authorities and gathering with fellow believers.
b. What is the first thing they do?
1. They turn to God and start talking to God, praying about what they should not next.
2. But notice it is not just Peter praying to God for what he should do.
Or John praying to God for direction for his actions?
Or Peter and John praying to find out what is next for the two of them.
3. Peter, John, and all their friends raise their voices to God.
4. They are praying together, as a group.
5. that is not to say no one should have time for personal prayer, one-on-one conversations with God. there are, of course, plenty of examples of people praying individually to God for guidance and support.
6. But, these early Christians find strength in praying together.
c. Living out the Christian calling is a shared task.
1. We need each other.
2. Praying together binds us together and joins us together in a common cause.
3. One of the strengths of St. Andrew’s ongoing work in the world is its prayer life. Not only do we pray together in worship each week, but we have prayer teams that meet each week to pray over the prayer lists;
we have other groups that meet together and pray together;
even our committees pray together each time they meet.
4. These practices reflect our understanding that no only do we need to turn to God in prayer, but we need to do it together.
d. But Robert Trumbull, The Raft, 1942 three downed Air Force pilots spent 34 days at sea in a life raft.
1. After the first few days, when it became clear they would not be rescued very soon, they began to hold prayer meetings on the raft.
2. None of the three described himself as particularly religious, but nevertheless, they prayed.
3. As Trumbull described their experience, he notes that prayed together in part because some fo their first prayers were answered;
they prayed, in part, because they needed to have hope and turning to God in prayer gave them hope.
they continued to pray each night, in fact, they called it their prayer meeting, because it was something that bound them together.“
As we go into the world like those early followers, we need to pray together.
Move 2: We also notice the content of their prayers ask God to give them the right words and actions to say and do.
a. We remember that Peter and John had just been released from jail by the authorities.
1. What might your prayer if you were released from jail?
2. I suspect my prayers would be prayers of thanks, but not much else.
3. maybe a prayer for God to keep me from getting put back into jail.
b. So we are not surprised when their prayer begins by noting that the foundation for what they believe and do is God, the creator of heaven and earth.
1. No doubt, they are grateful that their creator has helped them get releases from jail.
2. But, then their prayer immediately turns to how they can continue to engage the world around them.
3. they do not pray - “Thanks, God for getting us out of jail, and now keep us safe as go and hide.”
4. No, they are boldly praying, “Thanks God for getting us out of jail, and now show us how to continue to go into the world to do your work.”
c. We also notice their prayer is not just a litany of problems or issues in their world.
1. Not that intercessory prayer like we do each Sunday morning is not important. there is great value in lifting up our concerns and turning them over to God.
2. But in this case, we see in the prayer being prayed followers of Christ who are ready and willing to go forth to speak God’s word and do God’s work.
b. To live into their calling as followers of the resurrected one, these early Christians needed God to equip them to deal with the threats around them.
1. They turn to God in prayer and ask for God to shape them for the task of engaging their world.
2. Christian writer Kathleen Norris notes: ‘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).
3. We need to be in prayer with God because the tasks before us in our world are significant.
4. Not easy being a disciple.
5. The world desperately needs for us to be at work sharing God’s love and God’s power to save.
As we journey into the world, we are called to pray for God to show us what to do and say as we engage our world.
Move 3: A final thought - notice that Peter, John and the others firmly believe that God is going to be at work in the world.
a. Not only do they have each other, but they see that God is still at work in the world.
1. They believe God is going to continue to heal and do signs and wonders in their world.
2. Their prayers for boldness link them to the God they continue to see at work.
3. In fact, the mention of the Holy Spirit reminds them and reminds us that God continues to be at work in our world by the power of the Holy Spirit.
b. We can pray for God to guide our actions and give us words to speak because we know God is not done.
1. the pandemic will not have the final word in our world.
2. Ongoing war between nations will not have the final word in our world.
3. injustice will not have the final word.
4. Hatred and violence will not have the final word in our world.
5. The God of love, the God of healing, the God of justice will have the final word.
6. So we pray for how God will use us to help speak those words. Amen.
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