Dr. J. Lawrence Cuthill

July 11, 2010

Winter Park Presbyterian Church

Part I

Centrality of prayer
(in worship)

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

         The focus of these services is WORSHIP. Today we zero in on an element of worship that is so central we probably wouldn’t call it “worship” … without – PRAYER.

         “Pray without ceasing,” … the Apostle Paul exhorted the Thessalonians. How are we supposed to do that? Who realistically does it? Those may be questions that occur to us when we hear those words penned by Paul. It contributes to the notion that prayer is primarily the practice of saintly people who operate at some different ethereal level, not ordinary folks like us who live in the “real world.” Prayer, if practiced, is typically reserved for specified times and places – before a meal, maybe; at church, where the professional intones solemn words to the Most High for us; when we’re in a pickle and we feel trapped, desperate, and only an “act of God” could rescue us. Eugene Peterson writes that we think of prayer as “… something learned by tourists out of a foreign language phrase book; we give thanks over meals, repent of our grosser sins, bless the Rotary Picnic, and ask for occasional guidance.” Sadly.

 Given time constraints and the topic, with its vast expanses in the Christian life, I am compelled to resort to numbered points:

1.      Last week we concluded by saying worship is not just a matter of mastering a specific style or technique – it is a lifestyle. So it is with prayer. Soil that nourishes … the air we breathe.

2.      Prayer is not the bailiwick of the pious professional who composes eloquent speeches with finely-honed phrases. It is elemental, a bedrock basic to our spiritual lives. It does not require elite language, but it is fundamental to human beings, and, may I suggest, may be a way we become more human … and divine.

3.      Prayer is conversation, communication with a personal being, albeit far, infinitely beyond, what we are. Further, it is a conversation initiated by the Infinite to the finite … so one may say prayer is “answering speech.” It is a function, a means of entering relationship, communion.

4.      Prayer can be learned. Jesus’ disciples, upon observing how important it was and how Jesus practiced it, asked Him, “Teach us to pray.” If one wanted then to pray more effectively, meaningfully, there are great resources in Scripture and Christian writing, not the least of which are the Psalms.

5.      Prayer is personal, but not private. Jesus did say, “Go into your closet to pray,” but it was to counter the tendency of folks who wanted to impress others and tout their own piousity. We pray apart, but we also need those times of praying together, maybe that’s a check on thinking prayer is just introspective and all about me.

Part II

prayers of confession

Luke 18:9-14

         Prayers of Confession have been a part of Reformed Worship for so long that it takes a jolt to jar us from being jaded! (Please forgive the blatant alliteration, a request consistent with the theme.) We can read a printed prayer in our bulletins (or on the screen) without having our mind or conscience engaged. The sins confessed are so general, and often monumental, that we doubt they apply to us. And, after all, on the average, we’re not so bad. I can vouch for you … I’d write you a letter of reference. So, if we’re just going through the motions, what’s the point? It would be a “moving violation” if someone stood in the congregation and said, “Wait a minute! I need to own up to something ‘cause it’s eating me up and I can’t hide it any longer. I’ve ignored my family in my race to business success. I’ve cheated them and glossed it over with the mantra that I was doing it for them.” Then someone else rises to her feet and says, “I’ve been hateful to my husband.” And another now jumps to his feet and says, “I padded my expense report!” It would be scandalous, right? Stunning! And that is exactly the effect Jesus’ parable had when first told:

 Once upon a time there was a Pharisee, a law-abiding, consistently good, observant Jew. He stood to pray in the synagogue and couldn’t help glancing around, and, as humans are wont to do, indulging in a bit of self-congratulation: “Among those present, I score at or near the top on a scale of respectability … and I’m not bad-looking, either.” Then, in walks a character that further boosts his very positive self-assessment – a despicable sell-out who has forfeited principle to fatten his wallet – a tax collector. “By comparison to him,” the Pharisee thought, “I am not one of the ‘good guys’ … I am one of the ‘best guys!” This wart on the soul of the community, however, is not focused on others present. He makes no excuses. He does not relativize or minimize his behavior. He does not seek to justify. He throws himself on the mercy of the only hope he has. Now that would shock those who first heard. The scoundrel leaves church that day forgiven, and the Pharisee leaves blind … to his own self-righteousness. What?! No words of absolution, promises, no returning inflated fees? No hair shirt and flagellation?! Jesus offers grace to people that the respectable person wouldn’t be caught alive with. That is scandalous, or extravagant beyond all proportion, humanly speaking. It is, thankfully, both. It is grace, forgiveness given to any who ask, not an accomplishment.

Part III

prayers of lament
and intercession

I Peter 5:6-7

         A professional carpet layer was hired to do a large job at a lady’s home. He was almost finished and about to take a cigarette break when he noticed his pack of “cancer sticks” was missing. Then he spied a small lump in the carpet he had just laid. Not wanting to take up the work he had done, he took a hard rubber mallet and beat the lump flat so no one would notice. He had just finished “correcting” his error when the lady of the house walked in and handed him his pack of cigarettes she had found on the front porch where he had cut some of the carpet. He cast a quizzical eye at the place where the lump was, and then heard her say, “Have you seen my parakeet?”

 Now that’s a backdoor way to talk about prayers of lament and intercession. In fact, we’d much prefer hiding our lament away, out of sight, and hopefully forgotten. If we hide it, however, we have joined the massive denial that life is often visited by sadness, tragedy, and deep disappointment. It’s not my intent to plunge us into the dark night of the soul, but unless you’ve lived (or attempted to live) a Pollyanna existence, you’re no stranger to suffering. Nor is the Bible and so many of its characters, not the least of which is Jesus. Lament is a major theme in the Psalms, but often overlooked. Certainly God is no stranger to pain and would not abandon us in our hour of greatest need. Lament in prayer is an acknowledgement of a universal human experience. To pray our hurt and anger is not simply to vent, although it is important to give honest expression to our feelings. It goes further. To lock our hurt away in the cellars of our minds denies us the redeeming power of grace and only empowers the pain. Repeatedly we read that God is on the side of those in anguish and those who suffer. If that is not so, the Cross means nothing. To pray in our pain is to know God is with us, that pain does not have the final word, and to know at a deep level the hope of resurrection.

Part IV

prayers of praise

Psalm 100

         There is an exuberance about this Psalm, and exuberance is very often contagious … a bit like laughter. We are exuberant/enthusiastic about that which delights us, and that delight begs to be expressed. So the Psalmist cuts loose and invites us to join in, “Make a joyful noise … worship with gladness … know we are God’s … enter with thanksgiving!”

 Too often we have interpreted worship as a tiresome task to be endured, not enjoyed. There is a hint of this in the 17th century Puritan and Theologian, Richard Baxter’s statement: “It is but just that our hearts should be on God, when the heart of God is so much on us.” It’s a gentle admonition, but suppose we put a positive spin on it and conclude worship is a heightened and enlightened perception that evokes gratitude. It behooves us to remember that the authors of the Westminster Confession began their catechism with the answer to the question, “What is the chief end of man?” by saying, “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” In prayer, as in worship, we are invited/given permission to praise God. And it need not be a solemn assembly or some pious exercise in groveling. To be sure, it may be that we have to correct our perceptions if we have viewed God as a vindictive, impossible-to-please personality, or, I might add, as a silly, doting grandfatherly figure. Perception corrected, we may have to prime the pump, so to speak. In prayer and worship, our praise must not be subject to how we’re feeling, our mood at the moment. Begin to praise God … “in all things,” as Paul wrote, and very often we can thereby experience an attitude adjustment.

Part V

prayers of dedication

Romans 12:1-2

         At some point in our relationship to God, we will begin to ask the question, “What does God want?” That could be a cynical question like, “What’s the catch?” or “Where are the strings?” Or, it could be a response to trusting the love God directs to us. To the source of such love, a response is, “How may I love the One who has given me life, and redeemed that life, when I had sold out to sin?” The beloved will want to love in return, for love begets love. I can never repay or be worthy, as if it could be earned. But it doesn’t stop me from wanting to please, to give, to respond to love given and received. “What do you want, God?” And the answer Paul articulates, as you just heard, “I urge you therefore, Brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship … be transformed by the renewing of your mind … discern the will of God and apply yourself to what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Life under new management: present, discern, and apply oneself to love as you have been loved.

AMEN