I Can Relate

This is the message given Sunday, September 15, 2013 in the Wheatland Parish.  The Bible verses used are Luke 18:9-14, Matthew 6:5-8, Psalm 42.

We've all had times when we get separated from people we care about.  Sometimes they move away.  Sometimes we move away.  Sometimes we or they change jobs.  There are all sorts of things that can happen so that people we used to see all the time, we don't see much any more.

When that separation takes place, what happens?  We always say we'll keep in touch.  We always say we'll stay just as close as we were.  But an awful lot of the time, we don't.  We mean to.  We have good intentions.  But things get in the way.  We get busy.  So do they.  We have other stuff going on.  So do they.  We don't have some of the things in common that we used to have.  

And so what happens is, we start out calling each other once a week or so.  Then, it becomes an email every couple of weeks.  Then, we maybe hear from them on facebook once a month.  Then it's a birthday card or a Christmas card.  And then next thing you know, this person we used to be close to, this person we used to care so much about, becomes almost like a stranger to us.

That's kind of sad.  And how did it happen?  Because we did not make an effort to stay in contact with them.  We did not intend to end the friendship.  And we still kind of like the person.  We still feel some lingering affection for them.  But we've drifted apart, because we don't see each other or talk to each other any more.

Now, that's not inevitable.  There are people who maintain friendships, or even marriages, over a long distance.  But to do that successfully, we really need to work at it.  We need to make time to stay in contact with each other.  We need to make an effort to stay in contact with each other.  We need to make that relationship a priority in their lives, even though we are separated.  That's the only way it will work.

Now maybe you already know where I'm going with this, but that same principle applies to our relationship with God.  God wants to have a close relationship with us.  But if we're not careful, we can get separated from God.  We can drift away from God.  If we don't take the time to stay in contact with God through prayer, we lose that close relationship.  If we don't make an effort to talk to God, if we don't make our relationship with God a priority in our lives, God can become almost like a stranger to us.  And that's sad.

As we go to the second week of our sermon series on the power of prayer, that's one of the ways prayer has power:  it gives us a relationship with God.  It keeps us close to God.  It keeps us in contact with God.  It makes our relationship with God a priority in our lives.  And the closer our relationship with God is, the more power our prayers are likely to have.

Now, understand, any relationship is a two-way street.  Our relationship with God is not just us communicating with God, it's also God communicating with us.  The thing is that we know God will do God's part.  God wants that relationship with us, and God will do what God needs to do to create that relationship.  So our Bible readings for today talk about what we need to do, and not do, in our prayers to create that relationship.

In our first reading, Jesus gives us two examples, a Pharisee and a tax collector.  They both prayed.  But the Pharisee basically told God how good he, the Pharisee was.  He was bragging about all the great things he did.  Have you ever known people like that?  Sure you have.

It's hard to have a relationship with someone like that, right?  It's hard to feel close to someone who just can't wait to tell you how wonderful they are.  A person like that is not interested in a relationship, really, because again, a relationship is a two-way street.  The Pharisee in Jesus' story was talking to God, he was praying, but he was not interested in a two-way relationship with God.  All he was interested in was one way, his way.  And so his prayer did not have any power.

The tax collector, though, comes to God humbly.  He knows that he does not deserve to have a relationship with God.  But he knows he needs that relationship.  And so he asks God to please allow him to have that relationship, even though he does not deserve it.  He's completely honest with God about who he is and what he is.

That's a prayer that has power.  Because that's one of the things that creates a relationship:  honesty.  That's true whether we're talking about relationships between people or relationships with God.  We cannot have a close relationship with someone who won't be honest with us.  And we don't have a close relationship with someone if we're afraid to be honest with them.  If we want our prayers to have power, we need to have a close relationship with God.  And if we want a close relationship with God, we need to be completely honest with God.

In our reading from Matthew, Jesus talks about some more things about prayer.  He tells us that when we pray, we should not try to impress others with our prayers.  We should not try impress God, either. That's not what prayer is supposed to be about.  It's still a prayer, it's still talking to God, but a prayer that's designed to impress God or impress other people won't create a relationship with God, and so it won't have any power.  Prayer, again is about being honest with God and creating a relationship with God.

That's why Jesus says to pray in secret.  It's okay to pray in public, too, as long as we're not trying to impress people with our prayers.  But if we want to create that close relationship with God, we need those times when it's just us and God.  

Again, think of close relationships you have with people.  One of the things that makes those relationships close is that you've had that one-on-one time with them.  When we talk to people one-on-one, we can share things we could not share in public.  We can get a depth of feeling and understanding and trust we cannot get when there are a lot of other people around.  It's the same in our relationship with God.  If we want to feel close to God, we need that one-on-one time with God.  We need to have those times where we share things with God that we cannot share with anyone else.  We need that depth of feeling and understanding and trust in our relationship with God that we can only get through that one-on-one time.

Because, when we pray, we're not telling God anything God does not know.  God knows everything.  Jesus says as much when he says, “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”  We don't pray to God to give God information.  We pray to God to form a relationship.  It's through that relationship with God that our prayers have power.

Our responsive reading today was Psalm 42.  Listen to the words the psalmist uses to show how much we need a relationship with God:  “My soul pants for God.”  “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”  “When can I go and meet with God?  “I pour out my soul” to God.

That's the feeling we need to have about prayer.  We need to be eager to pray.  We need to be anxious to pray.  We need to want a relationship with God so much that it's the most important relationship in our lives.  It's more important than our relationship with our spouse, more important than our relationship with our kids, more important than our relationship with our parents, more important than our relationship with anyone on this earth.  The most important thing in our lives needs to be our relationship with God.

If it is, then we'll do whatever we need to do to have that relationship.  We'll take the time to stay in contact with God.  We'll make the effort to talk to God.  We'll make our relationship with God a priority in our lives.  And our relationship with God will work, and our prayers will have power.

Jesus gives us the tools.  Jesus gives us the methods.  Jesus tells us how we can have that close relationship with God.  God is ready to have that close relationship with us.  God wants to have that close relationship with us.  But God won't force us to have that relationship.  It's our choice.  It's your choice, and it's my choice.

We need to go to God humbly, be completely honest with God, and spend some one-on-one time with God, sharing things with God that we cannot share with anyone else.  If we do that, we will have that close relationship with God that we need.  And then, we'll be able to feel the power of prayer.