by Roy M. Terry IV
Gospel Reading: Luke 11:1-13
For Sunday, July 28, 2013: Year C—Lectionary 17
Hanging out with Jesus wasn’t enough. The disciples wanted to pray like Jesus.
After all, most of the spiritual leaders of the day had set aside time to teach their followers. Jesus, on the other hand, was busy hanging out with people, removing himself to pray alone, and when he did teach it usually had little to do with personal goals, prosperity, success and daily life applications. The disciples of Jesus wanted their own prayer, something that differentiated them from all the other would be religious types. Give us a prayer just like John’s followers.
More than a prayer
Jesus gives the disciples a prayer and we have been praying that prayer with those who followed Jesus for thousands of years. On most Sundays around the world the Lord’s Prayer is offered at some point within worship as our prayer. We say it by rote memory and fulfill our duty as official members of the Jesus club. We have been taught that if all else fails, pray this way and keep praying, until we get it. But what do we get from this prayer? In the text Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that through their persistence God will gift God’s children with all they ask for. But what are we asking for?
Scary Prayer
While in seminary at Duke Divinity School Dr. Stanley Hauerwas often offered prayers that went something like this, “Dear Lord, your love scares the $&!# out of us!” The shock value was priceless and the impact made for many lengthy discussion about prayer and what our prayers actually invite us to participate in.
Minus the profanity, the prayer Jesus offers his disciples in response to their plea “Teach us to pray as John taught...” is a scary prayer. It has little to do with us and everything to do with God. The prayer invites those participating to a new allegiance which stands in opposition to the world, rulers and kingdoms, and self. It is scary for it calls us away from our individualistic notions of God’s provision and places us right in the midst of God’s self giving love. This new allegiance incorporates practices which if followed might lead to places we did not expect!
Hard Floors
Late last year I joined several other sisters and brothers at a Publix grocery store in downtown Naples, Florida. We gathered to offer prayers for the Coalition of Immokalee Farm Workers as they were heading out for a 200 mile bike ride to the Publix headquarters in Lakeland. Their journey was an effort to ask Publix to sign the Fair Food Agreement which would provide farm workers with a better wage and offer securities related to working conditions. As we gathered that morning we marched right into Publix and dropped to our knees in the produce section of the store. The floor was hard and we prayed...”thy kingdom come”! We were then escorted out of the store.
The Hardest Question
Is the Lord’s Prayer really what the disciples where asking for? Or, did they get much more than they expected?
Rev. Roy Terry serves as the pastor of Cornerstone United Methodist Church in Naples, FL. In addition to working at the church, Roy enjoys supporting his wife and daughter's equestrian pursuits, playing in the Holy Moly Band, getting a few tattoos and singing classic rock tunes at the local sports pub. He has been published in Christian Century, Duke Divinity School's publication Divinity, The Ekklesia Project, and was a contributor in Diana Butler Bass’ work on re-traditioning churches, From Nomads to Pilgrims and Christianity for the Rest of Us.
