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I don’t know about you, but I found these to be very troublesome passages that were read today. Although they include references to times of success and blessings, they seem to be more of a warning of hard times, trials, and tribulations that not only have happened in the past, but will come again.

While I know the Old Testament is full of the failures of people and their lamenting over their woes, I usually count on finding the New Testament to be full of hope for better times in the future. Not only did I find it difficult to find the lessons to be learned in these readings, but I found that even after reading these passages several times, I was left with many unanswered questions and, in fact, even more questions concerning how they tied together and the message I could take from them.

Usually, after reading and studying scripture passages, I realize my own little epiphany when a clear understanding comes to me and I can tie things together into a coherent message. I did not find much consolation in the fact that the Bible Study group I attended also wrestled with trying to find answers, or at least optimism, in these passages. After all, I knew I still had to prepare for today’s service. I decided it might be better to look at each passage individually and to see what each one was saying. Let’s look at them, starting with Isaiah 5.

This passage is called “The Song of the Vineyard”. It talks about a vineyard owner who prepares, plants and protects a fertile land. Giving the land all the best opportunities, he expects an excellent crop for all his efforts.

But, instead of a grand harvest of tasty fruit, the result was bad, sour grapes. Faced with this disappointment, he vows to remove its protection, stop pruning and watering it, and allow it to become a wasteland, overrun with briers and thorns.

The metaphor here is simple and is even stated in verse 7; “The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.”

Verse 4 had asked, “What more could have been done for Israel”, for God’s own people? They were given everything necessary to thrive, and yet failed time and again to be faithful to God’s will and to grow into the people he envisioned and longed for. In spite of all God had done for them, they still turned from him, resulting finally in the loss of God’s nurturing and protection.

While the lesson here was what happened to those who displeased God and turned from him, there doesn’t seem much cause for hope. Although God's first impulse is to love, nurture, and provide for our well-being, even his patience has its limits.

God's last resort is to judge, but he will judge, and judge harshly with those he deems unrighteous. In fact, the rest of the chapter and beyond continues with a long list of woes and judgments. As I said, there’s not a lot of hope here. If this is what happened to God’s ‘chosen’ people, what could be expected to happen to us when we fail to obey God’s will? That being said, let’s go to Psalm 80.

This Psalm, unfortunately, has a tone much like the Isaiah passage. It speaks of the Shepard of Israel, who leads his flock and, as before, the vine that he brought out of Egypt. Again, the care and protection once offered had been removed, ending with similar results to Isaiah 5; being overrun, ravaged, and ultimately destroyed. Here, though, the people cry out in verse 19, “Restore us, O Lord God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.” Although there is no answer, at least they hope and pray for a return to God’s grace.

Next is Hebrews 11 and 12. This is the rest of the reading that we had last week and Pastor Beverly referred to in her sermon. The chapter starts with Cain and Able and basically lists all the relevant people of the Old Testament, up to the time of Moses, along with their acts of faith.

Today’s reading picks up from the days of Moses and Joshua, and continues through the years of Gideon, the judges and the prophets; men and women whose lives produced great deeds or acts of faith. This seems to be a history lesson of the Old Testament.

But looking a little deeper, I asked why were these people mentioned without the detailed story of their actions? Instead of recapping the events these people were noted for, the writer seems merely interested in listing the results of what came to pass. What lead these people to do the things they did and how they accomplished them is not the issue here. Rather, the focus is on the fact that what was done was done in faith. But more than that, I think these passages serve to illustrate a couple of main points.

The full and complete stories surrounding these people were well known to the recipients of this letter. After all, it was a letter to the Hebrews. The Hebrews grew up with the Old Testament stories as part of their heritage as well as their religion. The holidays they observed were based on the remembrance of many of the acts and deeds of the people listed in this passage. Not only were they well known to the Hebrews, they were heroes to generation after generation of Hebrew children and adults. Heroes are lifted up to remind us that great things are possible. Most heroes start out as ordinary people that, through commitment, perform an action that seems extraordinarily beyond expectations. Even today, whether it be sports heroes, life saving heroes, heroes from the bible or any other kind of hero, the thought or memory of them can serve to lift us up and give us hope when we feel hopeless.

That takes me to the second point of this reading. Whatever gain may have been realized by any of these heroes, it was short lived and incomplete in their lifetime.

We are reminded, starting with verse 36 that, “Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword.” These are certainly not uplifting words of encouragement. But then it goes, to verse 39, ”These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Then chapter 12 starts by telling us that we are surrounded by this “great cloud of witnesses”, and that we should ‘run with perseverance’ and ‘fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith’.

This at last is where we can find some hope. Even though these heroes faced tremendous odds and many suffered greatly, they are our heavenly witnesses and encourage us in the races in our lives.

I am reminded by the Hebrews passages that the 2004 Olympics have already begun. Athletes from all over the world have gathered together in Athens, Greece. They are there for one reason -- to compete for a medal.

Several years ago when the Olympics were held in Barcelona, Spain, the world saw one of the greatest moments in Olympic history. Derek Redmond, a young man from Britain, had dreamed all his life of winning a gold medal in the 400 meter race. He had worked hard to get to the Olympics and his dream was now within his reach.

He was in the semi-finals and was running the race of his life. He could see the finish line just ahead as he rounded the final turn. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his leg and he fell to the track with a torn muscle in his right leg. As the medical attendants ran toward him, Derek struggled to his feet. He started to hop toward the finish line on one foot in an attempt to finish the race. Suddenly, a large man came out of the stands, pushed aside a security guard and ran to Derek's side. It was Jim Redmond, Derek's father. "You don't have to do this," he told his son. "Yes, I do," said Derek. "Well, then," said his father, "we're going to finish this together." And they did. They stayed in Derek's lane all the way to the end. At first, the crowd watched in silence. Then they rose to their feet and cheered -- and wept.

Derek Redmond didn't win the gold medal, but he walked away with the incredible memory of a loving father who, when he saw his son in pain, left his seat in the stands to help him finish the race. Perseverance, faith, and love overcame failure and disappointment.

That leads us to Luke 12. This was probably the most unexpected and troublesome reading for me. After the previous passages, I was looking forward to uplifting and encouraging words. Instead, Jesus says that he came to bring fire on the earth and division rather than peace. And that families will be divided against each other.

Jesus is supposed to be about peace, love, forgiveness and hope, but here he is talking about the opposites of those things. Is it his wish and mission, to bring us misery? Not at all. He is just warning of the things that are going to happen. He knew that division was, and is, inevitable. Jesus knew that his works, his words, and the way of life that he taught would inevitably cause division.

The division will be between believers and unbelievers, and yes this will occur in families and among friends, for not all members of the same families are believers and neither are all friends. The fire will he speaks of will cleanse the faithful and cause the unfaithful to perish. In verse 54, he admonishes the crowd for being able to interpret the signs of the weather and the skies but to remain ignorant to his teachings.

But strangely, rather than being troubled and upset by this seemingly unloving passage, I find myself being comforted and have my hope rekindled. If I am a believer and follower of Jesus, then I should be encouraged by his words. Whatever sorrow or failure or disappointment I experience will be short lived compared to the joy and happiness that is to be found in his kingdom.

So, after greater reflection, there is a lesson I have learned from these readings today. It teaches me that life is like a race that has been set before us. There are no promises or guarantees about how good our lives will be. We can’t count on riches or good health or long life. We may struggle and face many obstacles.

In fact, Jesus himself assures us that we will face division and distress if we choose to follow him. But we have a great crowd of witnesses who are cheering us on. We have a Heavenly Father who loves us and will help us when the pain is too great. We have a Savior, who left his place in heaven and came to earth to show us how to run the race, with all our heart. If we will keep our eyes fixed on him, we can be assured we can finish the race and find him waiting for us at the end. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

The story is told of a man who was the president and CEO of a large corporation here in America. He had read a book that impressed him greatly. It was entitled “Sons and Daughters of God.” The man was so inspired by the book that he decided to order three hundred and fifty copies to give to the executives of his company. He wrote the publisher in Chicago, ordering the books. A few days later there came a computer reply that read, “Sorry, but we can’t find three hundred and fifty “Sons and Daughters of God” in Chicago. Try Los Angeles!”[i]

In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews the writer presents his own list of Sons and Daughters of God, people who acted in faith in their lives. According to the writer of Hebrews, “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” (CEV) The people mentioned in this list in Hebrews are people who could see living possibilities and who acted on that vision. They understood “Faith” as a verb - an action word. Because of their faith they were able to act in ways they would not have been able to act otherwise.

In the section of the chapter we read, we heard about Abraham who took his family, left his home and went to live in a strange place. If you read the rest of the chapter, you’ll find Noah who built a boat that saved him and his family, and Moses, who led God’s people out of Egypt. You’ll find one woman specifically mentioned - Rahab - who, by faith, aided and abetted Israelite spies. You’ll find many other examples, some of whom you might recognize and some you might not: Abel, Enoch, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Samson, Gideon, Barak, David and Samuel.

Now before you dismiss them as superheroes who have nothing to do with most of us, we need to realize some important things about them. First of all, they did not make this list because they were perfect. They were not - and they were not always obedient to God. To be sure, they obeyed God a lot of the time, but when they disobeyed, it was ugly. I’m not going to go into a list of their escapades, but let me assure you that whatever you’ve ever done and want to keep secret can most likely be found among this group. They were ordinary people who had more than their share of failures.

Nevertheless, they were people who were willing to act on a vision even though they didn’t always understand it and didn’t always know where it was going to lead.

Those who live by faith may never understand why one person prospers and another doesn’t. Those who live by faith may never understand why one couple’s marriage blooms and flourishes while another wilts and dies. Those who live by faith may never understand why one person gets cancer while another lives a life free of illness. Those who live by faith may never understand why even though they are faithful, they suffer indignities and persecution.

Those who live by faith accept that life is mysterious and full of danger and temptation. And yet, those who live by faith carry on, still believing in the promises of God in spite of all appearances. The writer of Hebrews views faith as a way of life that is oriented to God’s promise and future. It is a way of life that says, “yes” to God’s vision, even when we cannot see it.

Like Abraham, and the others in this list of Sons and Daughters of God, we don’t see the end of many of the things we begin. We do them because we think they are worth doing, they are the right things for us to do. In other words, we do them in faith. Because we don’t expect to see justice established for all persons does not mean we don’t work for justice to the degree to which it is achievable. When a flunking student you helped now makes the honor roll, you shout hallelujah and look for another one to help. You keep on trucking, even though you know you will never run out of “flunking students.” When a hungry person is fed, you rejoice that one less person will go to bed hungry tonight, and then move on to feed someone else - knowing that while you are feeding these persons, there are still people around the world - and maybe even next door - dying of hunger. The examples are endless, but we keep going on in faith, knowing that we are on the right track, believing we make a difference. That’s faith.[ii]

Faith is a journey, ever changing and ever growing. It is not simply a response, but it is the road itself. It is being a vehicle for God in all times and in all places. Of course, being human, like those listed in Hebrews, we are not always perfectly responsive, or obedient. That’s the story that occurs over and over again in the scripture. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that the form or style of our worship is not what is most important to God. God doesn’t care whether we have a beautiful organ, or guitars, violins, horns, and drums. God doesn’t care whether we have many candles or none at all; traditional hymns, or contemporary praise choruses. God doesn’t care whether our worship includes a sermon or drama. What God does care about is whether or not our worship is linked to living lives of justice, rescuing the oppressed, and defending the most vulnerable among us. God does care that our worship and living are linked together - that like those Old Testament people praised in Hebrews we are acting on our faith - living it daily - even though we do so imperfectly.

The latest fad in television programming is the so-called “reality tv” – shows that involve normal people, are basically unscripted but involve all kinds of contrived situations that we, the viewer, are invited to observe. In a way our faith is like that. Our lives are lived in faith but in the midst of real life, not contrived situations. Although our lives are not being observed by millions watching on television, our lives are nevertheless being observed. People are noticing in what we place our faith. Our currency proclaims, “In God we trust” but do we really?

Where are you on your faith journey? Jesus taught that one way of gauging that is to look at where your treasure is. What are the things that you value most? When you go home it might be interesting to make a list of the things that you value the most. Then, if you are willing to risk some revelation, take your calendar, your check book and your credit card bills and make a list of the things on which you spend the most time and money.

How do the two lists compare? Many of us would be quick to say that we value family - but do our calendars verify that? We might say that we value seeking justice - but do our checkbooks support that? If not, then we, too, are acting in the same way as the people to whom the prophet Isaiah spoke. They were following the rituals of their faith but their hearts were not in it. Their actions were not consistent with the moral and ethical teachings of their faith.

The gospel reading invites reflection on what really matters and whether or not the way we spend our time, money, and attention matches our “in-church” answer. “Some years ago, Robert McNamara retired as head of the World Bank. In his closing address, he spoke of the difficulty of caring for the world’s poor. He said Americans spend more on houseplants than they do on international development. Then he cried.”[iii]

If McNamara cannot solve the world’s problems, we probably will not either. But if God fills our “spiritual purses,” then we can help transform lives.

The gospel exhorts us to “be dressed for action” – be prepared and ready, even though we may not know exactly where our faithful response will lead us. Abraham did not know where he was going, but he knew who was directing the journey.

The impala, the slightly-built African antelope that ranges from Kenya to South Africa, can jump to a height of over ten feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a three-foot wall, because they will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will land. The faith that God calls us to is faith that trusts what we cannot see.[iv]

Faith is the foundation of our lives. The foundation is the most important part of a building and it is the most important part of our lives. When we baptize our children we are laying a foundation, which we pray will support the walls of life throughout the storms that come and through the ravages of time. It is important that we know what the foundation of our lives really is; that we know on what we really base the faith of our lives, our beliefs, our hope, and our actions.

The business executive looking for the Book Sons and Daughters of God might not be able to find 350 copies here in North Kingstown, but he could find many more than 350 actual Sons and Daughters of God. The question for each of us as individuals and as a congregation is how well are we living out that reality. May we take this opportunity to remember that our roots are in Christ and only by the diligent, intentional construction and maintenance of our foundations can we live life to the fullness God intended. May we seek to have our eyes, ears, and hearts open to the vision which God has for us, a vision which we can, in faith, live into and through. We walk together with the saints of old, seeking to be filled with faith and to act out of that faith.

Gracious gift-giving God, you call us to live out our faith in ways which honor you and bless our neighbors, and we recognize that worship is an essential part of our faith journey. We believe that what we do here in worship does shape our daily witness to Jesus whose disciples we profess to be. We know that our faith is most visible when we live by your kingdom values of love, justice and peace - yet it is increasingly hard to resist becoming absorbed with the values of the world, which are dominated by money, profit and production.

Our brother Jesus, you set your feet upon the way, and sometimes where you lead we do not like or understand. Bless us with courage where the way looks like it is filled with danger or dread. Bless us with graceful meetings where the way is lonely. Bless us with good companions where the way demands a common cause. Bless us with night vision where we travel in the dark, keen hearing where we have no sight, to hear the reassuring sounds of fellow travelers. Bless us with humor, we cannot travel lightly weighed down with gravity. Bless us with humility to learn from those around us. Bless us with decisiveness where we must move with speed. Bless us with lazy moments, to stretch and rest. Bless us with love, given and received, and bless us with your presence, even when we know it only through what seems to be your absence. .....

Go into this world, blessed with the assurance that you are treasured by God, valued by Jesus Christ, energized by the Holy Spirit.

[i] Moore, James W. The Top Ten List for Christians Dimensions for Living, Nashville , 1999, p.38

[ii] Some examples and thoughts from this paragraph come from AHA! 8/12/01 .

[iii] Mosser, David N. editor, Abingdon Preaching Annual 2004, Abingdon Press, Nashville , 2003, p.274.

[iv] AHA! – Aug. 8, 2004 , Tom Miller

I’ve been reading a lot about Tuvalu this week. I wonder how many of you know what Tuvalu is. I had never heard of it – or if I had, I hadn’t paid attention. Tuvalu is a small island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. The islands that make up Tuvalu are scattered over 500,000 square miles of equatorial ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia. Just ten square miles of land, Tuvalu, formerly called the Ellice islands, gained its independence from Britain in 1978 and is home to about 10,000 citizens. Many of the people of Tuvalu are concerned about terrorism.

In our country there are many who are also concerned about terrorism. We have a homeland security department. The 9/11 commission released its lengthy report this week filled with recommendations that they believe will make us safer from terrorism. Tuvalu is not concerned about terrorism from Al Qaida or other extremist groups. They are concerned about what some call a “slow and insidious form of terrorism” against them and they believe the primary perpetrators of this terrorism are Australia and the United States. You see, Tuvalu is considered ground zero in the debate about the consequences of burning fossil fuels. Fears are growing that Tuvalu will be uninhabitable or may vanish entirely within a few decades because of global warming and the resulting climate changes. In 2002 Tuvalu threatened to sue the United States and Australia for excessive carbon dioxide emissions and some Tuvaluans are getting ready to abandon their homeland.[i]

In today’s gospel we hear Jesus responding to a man who complained to him about the way the family inheritance had been divided. Jesus warned against all kinds of greed, declaring that one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. Then he told a parable about a rich man who decided to build more barns to store all of his crops. The man had far more than he needed and by Jewish standards he should have been sharing with those who had less. The man in the parable thought that all he had to do was take care of himself and he could then sit back and relax, eat, drink, and be merry. God called him a fool, reminding him that all of these possessions didn’t provide real security and were not real treasures. “This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”

I thought about that question a lot when I read in the Smithsonian magazine about Tuvalu. I thought about that question a lot when I listened to some of the speeches at the Democratic National Convention this week. I thought about that question a lot while we were involved in Vacation Bible School. I thought about that question a lot when I sat down to pay my bills this week and put the letter from the Finance and Stewardship Committee next to them – the letter that I signed. I thought about that question a lot this week – and I plan to think about it a lot more during the weeks to come.

The things we have prepared – a nation where the emphasis is often on material possessions – where we want the newest and the best – and yet, at what cost to ourselves, or more importantly at what cost to the rest of the world. The people of Tuvalu, a tiny nation that doesn’t even have a stoplight, are worried that their entire country will be destroyed by the wasteful use of the natural resources of the earth by nations like ours. Too many seniors in our country take less than the prescribed amount of their medications because they cannot afford to buy what they need, or they are forced to make choices between paying their rent, buying groceries, or buying their medications. Too many of our children are living in poverty and are being left behind. Is this what we have prepared? Unfortunately, we can begin to see whose it will be.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians we are exhorted to “set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” I think Paul is reminding us that we are called to a different kind of life – a life that puts into practice all of the things that Jesus taught us, not just the things that seem convenient to us.

There are some political hot potatoes this year that various sections of religious groups are weighing in on heavily – you know what they are and just this week a veto was overridden in the Rhode Island Legislature that will put the question of a casino in West Warwick on the November ballot. As we prepare to make tough political decisions in the months ahead, I pray that we will look at all the things that Jesus taught, things like protecting the environment, being instruments of peace, helping the poor and so on. Let us as responsible and informed Christians set our minds on all of the things that concerned Christ and that should concern us, not just on a few.

“And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” I thought about that this week during Vacation Bible School. I thought about it as the children sang the songs they learned this week. It would be hard to determine which one was their favorite, but a very definite one was “Firm believers, standing strong on faith, firm believers, exercise is what it takes to build up those muscles of spirituality. Firm believers, that’s what we wanna be. Every day in every way we’re working it out; training to be more like Christ. I help you and you help me to follow His example so others will see Jesus in our lives.”[ii] Do you hear the wonderful theology in that song? I thought about the adults and youth who were giving freely and joyfully of their time so that our children could be learning. I thought of the adult class studying and sharing together. I thought of the children and adults who are not a part of this congregation but who were part of Vacation Bible School and I remembered Jesus’ words to go out into the world and share the good news with all people. “And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”

I thought about that as I paid my bills and prayed about my faithful response to the church’s financial need. I know that we are not spending money frivolously. I know that we have been working very hard to be good stewards. I also know that being good stewards does not necessarily mean that we have an absolute bare bones budget – or perhaps, what I really know is that there are different understandings of what a bare bones budget is. A bare bones budget might mean that we pay electricity, heat, insurance and those things necessary to keep the doors open. It might mean that we eliminate one worship service in order to save a little bit of money, or it might mean that we don’t have a Vacation Bible School because there are expenses involved in that, or that we eliminate Monday Bible studies or Sunday School. Perhaps it means we don’t buy music for the choir, or that we stop allowing outside groups to use our building because it costs money to heat the building and burn the lights.

If it means those things then we can be pretty sure that the answer to the question, “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” will be nobody. Or perhaps it will be “everybody” because so many will be the recipients of us failing to be faithful disciples and sharing the good news. A bare bones budget in a church is not about spending as little money as we can possibly get away with, at the very least it is about being minimal stewards of God’s grace and just barely beginning to be disciples. Our budget is a theological document that tells us who and what is important to us. We have tried to be faithful stewards in making sure our budget is about providing meaningful ways to worship God, opportunities to study God’s word and learn about living God’s word, reaching out to God’s people in our community and beyond, taking the Good News outside of our doors and making our building a welcoming place for those who come seeking the good news, or seeking answers to life’s tough questions, or comfort in times of sorrow or strength in time of weakness and help in time of need. That’s why the ministries of this congregation include housing and working closely with the North Kingstown Food Pantry, providing safe places for those dealing with domestic violence, places for those who are trying to stay sober one day at a time, space for children and youth who are part of the scouting programs learning strong values, facilities for training parents in effective parenthood, Vacation Bible School and Sunday School to prepare our children, youth, and adults to continue to be faithful disciples and wise stewards of what we have received and pass on to them.

The children this week sang, “God’s in the body building business, and He’s building me a body that’s strong. God’s in the body building business, and He’s working in me all day long. He gives food to the hungry and power to the weak, rest to the weary and courage to the meek. When I read the Bible, He shows me what to do; and He’ll do the same for you!”[iii]

As we come to the Lord’s table this morning, let us come to the God who loves us with a strong maternal love “like those who lift infants to their cheeks” as we heard in Hosea. Let us come to the God who heard the people when their cried out and delivered them from their distress as we heard in the psalm. Let us come thanking the Lord for his steadfast love, wonderful works to humankind, for satisfying the thirsty and filling the hungry with good things, and for constantly urging us to grow in our understanding of God’s love and our responsibility in response to receiving that great love.

[i] Information about Tuvalu is taken from Smithsonian “Will Tuvalu Disappear Beneath the Sea?” August 2004, pp. 45-52

[ii] “Firm Believers” from Jesus Helps You Power Up, Vacation Bible School , Standard Publishing, Cincinatti , OH 2004.

[iii] “God’s In the Body Building Business” VBS

Praying is not easy for us sometimes. We may feel guilty because we don’t spend enough time praying. We may feel discouraged because our mind wanders and we are easily distracted. We may feel inadequate because we think we don’t know the right words to pray. We may be confused because we don’t really know how our prayers influence God – especially if God already knows what we need. If we can change the course of events by praying then why do some of our most urgent and persistent prayers seem not to be answered? Prayer is one of those things that all Christians know we should be doing, but which can be so confusing and any number of people are eager to help explain it all to us.

In one of the many books written about prayer, William A. Barry, describes a photograph called “School Prayer”. Clearly it is a dated photograph, but in it “one sees first graders in prayer. Their faces are very serious, most have their eyes closed, and most have strained, tense, even squinty looks. Their hands are tightly folded. It is a rather funny picture until you begin to think about what we might be teaching children about prayer and about God. Most of us adults have had the same kind of teaching. When you think of prayer, what comes to mind? Going to church...? Closing your eyes? Getting down on your knees? Thinking deep thoughts? Do you get a little nervous?”[i] Do you think about prayers you learned as a child?

Jesus’ disciples were curious about prayer too. As good Jewish men they knew many prayers which they recited at appropriate times and places. However, there was something about Jesus’ practice of going away by himself regularly to pray that captured their interest. On one occasion, when Jesus returned the disciples presented him with the request, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Jesus didn’t tell them to sit down and take out their notepads. He didn’t give a weekend course in Prayer 101. He didn’t give them a list of “do’s and don’ts”. He didn’t tell them whether to sit, stand, or kneel, whether to fold their hands or lift them up, whether to have their eyes open or closed, or even whether to say the words out loud or silently. He didn’t answer any of the questions I raised earlier. Instead he gave them an example, a model of how to pray, a model which we call “The Lord’s Prayer” and then he followed up with a couple of stories which would help them understand.

Many of us have memories of learning the Lord’s Prayer. One of mine involves my first grade classroom in public school. We started the morning by standing hand over heart, posture erect, facing the classroom flag and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. No sooner had the words “with liberty and justice for all” ceased its echo than we each bowed our head and recited the Lord’s Prayer in unison.

Or at least most of us did. I joined the class up to about “Give us this day our daily bread” then I dropped out of the unison recitation so that I can mumble the rest of the prayer more quickly than the others. As the only non-Catholic student in the class, I was the only one who included the words, “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever”. I could have continued the prayer out loud by myself, but I chose to pray quickly and silently rather than draw attention to my different way of praying.

That was the culture some of us grew up in - that was the way some of us encountered the Lord’s Prayer early on in our learning experience. It was something we memorized and recited on cue. We gave no thought as to its meaning, no reflection on its implication for our lives, we simply recited it. Its words were as familiar to all of us as those of the Pledge of Allegiance, but our understanding of both was quite limited. Sometimes I wonder whether or not it is really any different for us even as adults. Most of the time, we say this prayer set on full automatic. The words are so familiar that we can be on “cruise control” for the entire prayer.

Learning some of these things by heart can be the seed which will produce great fruit if it is nurtured. Memorizing allows them to come quickly to mind when we are unable to think of words of our own. I’ve worked with many nursing home residents who were unable to carry on a conversation, but who were often still able to join in the Lord’s Prayer. The look on their faces proclaimed the comfort and the importance of this prayer.

However, I think for many of us it is still true that we say the words without thinking of what they mean.

First, this is a prayer of community. All of the pronouns in this prayer are plural. “Our father.... Give us.... forgive us.... lead us .... deliver us...” It asks for God’s kingdom to come; a kingdom unlike any earthly kingdom with borders and boundaries. God’s kingdom knows no boundaries of nationality, ethnicity, language, skin color, political affiliation, economic status, gender, sexual orientation, theological position. If this prayer is to be believed, then we, Christians are bound by cords of grace to all of God’s children.

We pray for “our daily bread”. We who have so much, while so many die of starvation every day. Of what value is it to pray for bread for the breadless, if we are unwilling to contribute seriously to hunger relief or to advocate changes in politics, both locally and internationally, that keep people impoverished and hungry? In prayer we recognize God’s power and as we raise our petitions or concerns we are also suggesting our cooperation with God’s power.

On another level, we might realize that we are also praying about those other things that cause us anxiety. The daily bread we are praying for each day is really a proclamation of faith that God will meet our absolute needs as we need them, often one day at a time.

Our understanding of what it means for God’s kingdom to come on earth has an impact on the way we live and even on the way political decisions may be made. If we think of God’s kingdom as being a place of inclusion, equality, and justice we will be advocating or working for these to be a reality in the lives of all people. If we think of God’s kingdom in the literal coming again of Jesus and the ways that books like the Left Behind series approach it, then we may be aware of politicians and others who are trying to bring about specific results in Israel that they think will hasten the arrival of God’s kingdom.

If we mean what we say, when we pray this prayer, we are asking God to lead us down some risky and unfamiliar paths. Prayer is often risky because we are actively saying yes to the relationship which God delights in offering to us. As in any good relationship, some of our time is spent in talking and much of it should be spent in listening.

Jesus gave us a model of prayer which includes worship or adoration, and confession as well as petitions or asking God for what we need. Some of us have heard the acronym ACTS used to describe a method of prayer: Adoration of God first, followed by Confession of our sins. Then comes Thanksgiving to God for all that God has done. Then and only then come our prayers of Supplication or petition.

Others may be familiar with using the fingers of a hand to suggest ways to pray. Our thumb is the nearest to us and reminds us to pray for those closest to us. The second finger is used for pointing and stands for all those who have taught us or helped us. The third finger is the tallest and stands for the leaders in the world and in every sphere of life. The fourth finger is the weakest as any pianist knows and reminds us to pray for those who are in trouble or pain. The little finger is the smallest and reminds us to pray for ourselves.

Jesus told some stories to help his disciples understand the nature of prayer. In the first story someone goes to his neighbor in the middle of the night seeking bread for an unexpected visitor. We hear it as a story about persistence or perseverance, but I think we need to hear it not as trying to convince God to do something. I believe that the perseverance is an indication of a high priority. Prayer needs to be a high priority in our lives. We need to be persistent about intentionally being open to God. Persistence in prayer keeps us nourished and passionate to live and share the good news.

We are encouraged by Jesus to ask and we will receive, to search and we will find, to knock and the door will be opened for us. We do not need to beat around the bush with God. We can and should be honest and direct with God about what we need. No hinting around.

We are reminded that as much as we delight in giving good things to our children, God delights so much more in giving us the very best that we could ever imagine - the gift of the Holy Spirit - as a constant presence with us to guide us, to comfort us, to encourage us and even to pray for us when we just don’t know the words.

I read about a man who had experienced many problems in his life. At a particularly difficult point he wandered into a bookstore looking for a friend, hoping to find a book that would keep him company and speak to his hurting soul. He opened a book and read these words, "God, it's Saturday night and I feel like I'm bleeding to death on the inside. Ain't no way I'm gonna make it to church tomorrow. Do You make house calls?"[ii]

He remarked, "As soon as I read those words, I knew I was going to be all right, not because I felt better right then, but because I had been reminded that God does make house calls. I closed the book and walked straight to the cashier. I took the book home, got in bed with that book and a flashlight, and I covered my head with the blankets. I turned on that flashlight and read that entire book. As I read, God began to help me with my anger and resentment and disappointment. I became convinced that God would meet me in the midst of my failure and sorrow."[iii]

When we come to God in prayer, we do not need to come with fancy words. We come simply to be in the presence and have a conversation with the One who loves us more than we can ever imagine - the One we delights in our presence, forgives our sins, and knows what we need far better than we can even imagine. We come to the One who comforts us in our sorrows, encourages us when we are discouraged, and pushes us when we need to move beyond our comfort zone into the places and behavior to which God is calling us.

We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end war; for we know that You have made the world in a way that we must find our own path to peace within ourselves and with our neighbors. We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end starvation for you have given us the resources with which to feed the entire world if we would only use them wisely. We cannot pray to You, O God, to root out prejudice, for you have already given us eyes with which to see the good in all persons if we would only use them rightly. We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end despair, for you have already given us the power to clear away slums and to give hope if we would only use our power justly. We cannot merely pray to You, O Fod, to end disease, for you have already given us great minds with which to search out cure and healings, if we would only use them constructively. Therefore, we pray to You instead, O God, forstrength, determination, and willpower, to do, instead of just to pray, to become, instead of merely to wish. Amen.[iv]

[i] Barry S. J., William A. God and You, Paulist Press, Mahwah , NJ 1987, p.11

[ii] Jones, Ken, God Happened To Be In The Neighborhood Victor Books, Wheaton, Il, 1992 p.189.

[iii] Jones, p.190

[iv] Hewett, James S. editor. Illustrations Unlimited, Tyndale House, Wheaton , Il 1988, p.423, #31

So much of life revolves around planning, coordination, and preparedness. Walk down the street and see all the people using their cell phones. Notice the palm pilots that get pulled out when people want to set an appointment or make a note to remember something. Some telephones can connect to the web and even send e-mail. We have all the tools at our fingertips to help us organize, coordinate, plan and know exactly what we need to be doing. Martha didn’t have any trouble keeping track of what she needed to do either. With Jesus and his disciples coming for a visit, there was much to do. The house needed to be cleaned, an elegant meal prepared, everything needed to be just right. Martha loved Jesus and looked forward to his visits. She wanted things to be just right for him. This was her gift to him, her way of showing her love. But something happened. Somewhere between all of her good plans and the carrying out of them, she lost sight of why she was doing all of this. The meal became more important than the guest for whom she was preparing it. She became frazzled, distracted and overwhelmed. When that happened she became impatient and it all boiled over when she thought about her sister Mary who was sitting out there listening to Jesus instead of helping Martha produce the perfect example of a Jewish woman’s hospitality.

For Martha the outward form of what was happening had become more important than why it was happening. You’ve probably seen it happen even in church. A choir’s anthem becomes a performance rather than an offering to God. A dinner becomes a major production rather than an opportunity for fellowship. Church meetings become battle grounds rather than a forum for discerning and implementing the ministry to which the church is called. It happens all too easily among well meaning people who love the Lord, but who become distracted.

I remember with great regret one Sunday morning worship service quite a few years ago. It was at the church where I was just beginning as a student assistant pastor. My sons were 9 and 13 years old. The sanctuary was large and the boys were sitting by themselves way near the back. As boys of that age often do when unsupervised they were poking each other, whispering to each other and generally being a distraction to me. Probably no one else in the sanctuary noticed them - but I did. When it was time for the passing of the peace, amidst people greeting each other with hugs and handshakes I quickly made my way to the back of the church where I told them that if they didn’t settle down and behave themselves, they’d be in big trouble afterwards. I immediately returned to the front of the sanctuary and continued to lead the worship service. It didn’t take long for the irony to hit me, that during a time of sharing God’s peace, I had shared something very different with my children.

The people to whom the prophet Amos spoke were doing something similar. In the verses before what we read this morning, they were observing the religious rituals but not the reason for them. During the religious celebrations they closed their places of business as required by religious law. Rather than being focused on God during that time, however, they were thinking about how soon they would be able to open again. They were anxious to make exorbitant profits by using dishonest scales and mixing dust in with the grain they were selling. Instead of caring for the poor and needy as their religion taught, they were cheating the very people they were supposed to protect.

They desperately needed to hear a word of correction from the Lord - and the prophet Amos was sent to deliver it. However, the people wouldn’t listen and God’s word to them then was that eventually there would be a famine in the land. It wouldn’t be your traditional famine. There would still be food to eat and water to drink, but there would be a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord. I suspect that this would be not so much a silence on God’s part but rather an inability to hear on their part. I think that after spending so much time focusing only on themselves and getting what they wanted - anyway they wanted - that they would have reached a point where they could no longer hear what God was saying to them.

Maybe that’s what Jesus thought was beginning to happen to Martha. She was so focused on her need to be the perfect hostess that she was forgetting some of the things she had heard Jesus teach on other occasions. She wasn’t exactly experiencing a famine of the Word of the Lord, but in her desire and need to do what she thought was necessary, she was skipping a meal rich in God’s Life Giving Word.

The story of Martha and Mary is one that is difficult for many of us to hear. We feel that Martha is being chastised unfairly and that Mary should have been helping her sister. We look at sign up sheets for church projects that don’t have enough names and wonder how Jesus could affirm Mary’s actions over Martha’s. I think what we have here is Jesus’ word of love spoken to someone for whom he cared deeply.

Jesus recognized that it is easy to feel pulled in many directions, to be called to attend to many important needs. There are many accounts in the Gospels of Jesus being surrounded by crowds of people wanting to hear him preach or wanting him to heal someone. He could easily have done this 24/7 and still not be able to satisfy everyone’s expectations. Repeatedly, the Gospels tell us that in these situations, Jesus took time to go aside by himself, to spend time in prayer.

Jesus knew that if he were going to be able to respond with compassion to those in need, he needed to take care of himself and not become depleted. He knew that he was here to do God’s will, not the will of each person who called out to him. He knew that it was imperative for him to stay focused on God so that he could then focus on God’s children. This is what I think he is reminding Martha in this story.

Martha is a woman of faith. In John’s Gospel, we have the story of her brother Lazarus becoming ill and dying. When Jesus finally arrives several days after his death, Martha makes a profound declaration of faith. She proclaims, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” Jesus knew her heart and her faith - but on this occasion, he also knew that she needed to stop, take a break from what she was doing, and be renewed and refreshed by the Word of God.

If we find ourselves identifying with Martha in this story; if we find ourselves angry at Mary for not helping, and frustrated with Jesus for seeming not to recognize and honor Martha’s great amount of work, then perhaps we also need to hear the word that we need to sit at the feet of our Lord. If church activities feel like weighty obligations that we start to dread, we may need to stop and intentionally take 15 minute walks during which we focus only on praising God. As summer rains soak into dry soil, we need to be open to a down-pouring of God’s blessings and allow them to soak into the soil of our minds and hearts. As the prophet Amos proclaimed, fulfilling our obligations - religious or otherwise - is meaningless if we forget why we are doing them and for whom we are doing them.

Now, maybe, you don’t really identify with Martha. Maybe when you hear this story you feel a little smug and affirmed because like Mary you’ve gotten it right. If that’s the case, then you may need to do an inventory of your life and check to see whether you are “going and doing” as well as “sitting and listening.” “This episode from Jesus’ life cannot be turned into an apology for inactivity, a negation of indispensable Christian action. Jesus’ encounter with the two sisters does not provide a rationale for elevating contemplative spirituality to a position of religious superiority. The point is that life has a rhythm to it.”[i]

The story of Mary and Martha is the third in this chapter of Luke’s Gospel. In the first part of the chapter, Jesus sends out 72 people to prepare the way, to announce that the Kingdom of God has come near. In the middle of the chapter, is the story we heard last week of the lawyer who came to Jesus asking what he needed to do to have eternal life. Jesus told him the story of the Good Samaritan and told him to go and do likewise. Here Jesus is telling Martha to sit and listen.

Each of the parts of this chapter is about doing what is necessary and together they provide a balanced picture of our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Our Bible and our calendar belong together, rather than in opposition to each other. An article I read reminds us that “rest is not a diversion from labor but an ingredient in life as essential to meaningful life as labor. A healthy relationship with God involves rest and labor, contemplation and action. Neither work nor rest should be exalted above the other..... Great wisdom resides in knowing when to work and when to rest, when to speak and when to listen, when to be active and when to be still.”[ii]

In our church, in our daily lives we do not need to choose between being Martha or Mary. Our tendency is probably to be more like one than the other and that is as it should be. However, in the rhythm of life, doing what is necessary means nurturing both our Martha and Mary characteristics. Sitting and listening so that we can go and do, and coming back again to sit and listen in preparation for going and doing. It means as we sang earlier, “Come and find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead .... clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes that we can see all the things that really matter, be at peace and simple be.” It means as we also sang, “O Jesus, I have promised to serve thee to the end... I shall not fear the battle in thou art by my side, nor wander from the pathway if thou wilt be my guide.” It warns us as our last hymn proclaims, that when the church of Jesus shuts its outer door to drown out the roar of traffic then we are banishing the very world that we are called to care for as Christians. Life, as a Christian, is a fine balance between going and doing, and sitting and listening.

[i]Gaddy, C. Welton “Mary and Martha” found in “Doing the Necessary” from On Our Minds, Logos Productions. Vol. 7 #3, July 2001.

[ii] Gaddy, C. Welton

The story or the concept of the Good Samaritan has become part of our cultural history. We have hospitals, churches, institutions of mercy, and even legislation named in his honor. Even the war in Iraq has been justified to us as a “Good Samaritan” effort to free an oppressed people from an iron-handed dictator.

We have come to understand the “Good Samaritan” as someone showing kindness or compassion to another. We speak of the “Good Samaritan” who stops to help a stranded motorist or the “Good Samaritan” hero who runs into a burning house to save a child. However, there is much more to this story than a simple reminder about our ethical obligation to assist people in need.

When Jesus told a parable he expected people to identify with someone in the story. For the lawyer who had asked the question, “Who is my neighbor?” this is a difficult prospect. At first, he would have expected the priest to stop to help the injured man. But, the priest didn’t stop. So much for the priest as the hero. The lawyer is quite willing to see the priest as self-righteous, not willing to get involved, distracted by his own religious agenda, impressed with his sense of his own importance or just caught in a difficult situation.

So a second person needs to come along. This is the Levite – a temple assistant. Perhaps the Levite thought the man was a decoy, a robber acting injured so that an unsuspecting traveler would stop, allowing hidden accomplices to jump out and attack. For whatever reason, the Levite, like the priest passed by on the other side of the road.

In good story-telling tradition, it is time for the hero to show up. The lawyer and the disciples have a pretty good idea of who this will be. It will be an ordinary Jewish man. He will have compassion on the beaten victim and help him. The lawyer will quickly identify this man as the hero and feel good about the times that he has shown compassion to someone in need. Everyone will be happy.

There’s only one problem. Jesus doesn’t tell stories that way. His stories are not predictable. There’s always a twist that catches you off guard. There’s always a zinger that makes you stop and think; that makes you have to ask hard questions and confront your behavior.

Jesus introduced the hero of the story by saying, “A Samaritan traveling by ….” Listeners were shocked. A Samaritan can’t be the hero of the story! The rescuer should be a Jewish layperson, or possibly a Roman soldier, or even a repentant robber, but NEVER a Samaritan. What we may not realize is that the term “Good Samaritan” does not appear in the Bible and would be a totally foreign concept to biblical people. It would be like us referring to a “Kind Terrorist”. The people who heard Jesus’ story could not even begin to imagine that a Samaritan could be considered “Good”.

They knew that they were to choose the character in the story who best represented them – but how? Jesus’ choice of a hero had made that impossible! Now they had to choose between the half-dead man and the despised Samaritan.

The Samaritan tenderly cared for the injured man, pouring wine and oil on the victim’s wounds; wine to clean the wound, oil to keep the skin soft and promote healing. Wine and oil the holy elements of the sacrifice offered by the priest and the Levite in the temple. He bandaged the wounds – Jesus’ listeners knew God as the one who “binds up their wounds.”

Was Jesus intentionally comparing the compassionate and merciful Samaritan to a compassionate and merciful God? The Samaritan took him to an inn and paid for his care and promised to return to settle the bill.

Then Jesus turns the lawyer’s question back on him. “Which of these three, do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” The question has shifted slightly. Now the question really became not, “Who is my neighbor?” but rather, “How am I to live as a neighbor?”