Sermon
Prayer as Following
March 1 and 2, 2008
Okay, quick review.
If you weren’t here last week,
you’re excused from this test—
--unless you’re in my Confirmation Class.
We talked last week about prayer,
how it’s not just about asking God for things.
And I shared the acronym ACTS—
--to help remember parts of prayer.
A stands for…
Adoration.
C stands for…
Confession.
T stands for…
Thanksgiving.
S stands for…
Supplication.
And again this week
we’re taking it another step.
This week we’re talking about
prayer as following.
Prayer as following.
If prayer is communication with God,
then the act of following Christ
is part of that relationship.
We grow in our relationship with God
as we follow.
And as we think about that,
I’d like us to remember a prayer technique,
sometimes called breath prayer,
where you say a phrase as you breathe.
And the phrase I’d like to suggest today
as we think about following Christ is:
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Not my will, but Thine be done. As you breathe in, pray silently (or out loud): “Not my will”. As you breathe out, Pray: “But Thine be done”. I like this kind of prayer as I’m taking a walk. As I walk along, I don’t think about the walking, but think about the breathing, and the prayer as I breathe. Not my will, but Thine be done. Or it works well when I take some time alone, sitting in a chair— --lying in bed. As I slow down from the hectic pace, I also listen for God’s voice Not my will, but Thine be done. Or if I’m in a stressful situation. Tough decision. Or a lot of pain. Or disagreement. Or conflict. In the very midst of the situation, it can help me refocus on God’s will, if we my next breath, I pray: Not my will, but Thine be done.
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Or, maybe especially if I find myself in a place where I am relying on myself. Where I feel like everything is up to me. Where I forget that God is God. Where I think I need to be in control. Then, may God’s Holy Spirit remind me with my next breath: Not my will, but Thine be done. As Jesus was praying, nearing the cross, he asked God if there was some way that he might not have to go through the suffering and death. But then he ended: “Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.” Find times this week, as you spend time alone, as you face an important decision, when you are feeling stress, when things seem difficult, find times to breathe in and out the prayer: Not my will, but Thine be done. That can guide you into a life of following. That can guide you into a relationship with God, where your following draws you closer in prayer, in your relationship with God.
4
And the Bible passage we are focusing on today as we think about following is a very familiar one, a very personal one— --Psalm 23. We’ve read it once. If you know it, would you say it with me. Whatever version you know. We’ll just say them all together. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me along right pathways for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil. For Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies,. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. We’re the sheep. God is the shepherd, the Good Shepherd. God leads. We follow.
5
I read about a traveler in Syria. He was watching 3 shepherds. They were all watering their sheep at the same well. The sheep mixed together, intermingling, jostling for position, trying to get the best spot for water. And this traveler started wondering how the sheep would ever get separated— --back with their own shepherd. But after the sheep were watered, one of the shepherds stepped aside and called out “Mennah”, which is the Arabic word for “follow me”. And immediately about 30 of the sheep left the group and followed the shepherd up the hillside. Then a second shepherd gave the same cry: “Mennah”. And his flock followed him. The third flock just stood there as if no one had said anything. The traveler wanted to try something out. So he asked the shepherd of the third flock if he could trade cloaks and turbans with him. He put them on and called out “Mennah”. Guess what happened? Nothing. Not a sheep moved. Then the shepherd, wearing the traveler’s clothes, called the sheep, and right away, the whole flock came to him. Why? They knew the shepherd’s voice. How could these sheep each know the voice of their master? Remember, sheep aren’t particularly smart. They know the voice of the shepherd because they’ve heard it again and again, many since they were tiny lambs.
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We are the sheep. Not necessarily flattering— --but that’s the image— --that’s who we are. God is the shepherd. Jesus calls to you: “Mennah”— Follow me. He calls you every day to follow him, to stay with him, to listen to him, to obey him. The voice calls you close in Baptism, calls you over and over as you hear the good news. The voice of the shepherd never leaves you or forsakes you. God is always with you. Keeps calling you to follow. Listen. Know the love of the shepherd. Hear the voice of the shepherd. And follow, as you respond: “Not my will, but Thine be done.”
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Where is God calling you? What’s our mission statement? Following Christ, Growing in Faith, Sharing God’s Love That’s where God is calling you. To Follow Christ. To Grow in Faith. To Share God’s Love. But that doesn’t mean it’s simple. There is still a lot of room within that for us to go different directions, to discern God’s will differently. We won’t always go the same direction. God may be calling us to different paths of following, growing and serving. And that’s okay. It seems to me that if we face those questions and differences praying: “Not my will, but Thine be done”, then our eyes will be on God’s will, and not our preferences. And that prayer will guide us, even in the midst of different paths, and even disagreements, to keep the focus on the Good Shepherd, and not ourselves. And as the focus remains on God, we continue to grow together.
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But it is so important to know that we have a loving and good shepherd. The late Andrew Roy was a missionary to China who chose to stay after the Communist takeover in 1950. He was placed under house arrest and his interrogators tried to break down his faith. They attacked Jesus, using the story of the 100 sheep. Saying how foolish it was for Jesus to leave the 99 to go after the 1 who was lost. But Andrew Roy pointed out that when the good shepherd in the parable goes after the lost sheep, he gives a wonderful message to all the sheep— --not just the 1. Each and every sheep knows that if they get lost, the Good Shepherd will come after them. If you get lost, the Good Shepherd loves you enough to search for you and pursue you and never give up on you— --ever. On the other hand, Pastor Roy said, if the good shepherd cares only for the herd and doesn’t go after the one, each sheep is left with ultimate insecurity. They will think, if I fall one step behind, the shepherd will leave me to die. That’s not the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd cares for the sheep. Each sheep. Even you. Even me.
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What kind of shepherd do we have? We have a shepherd in Jesus who even though he didn’t look forward to suffering, said to the Heavenly Father, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” We have a shepherd in Jesus, who was willing to face suffering and even death— --for you. For me. We have a shepherd in Jesus, who loves you enough to die for you. And we have a shepherd in Jesus, who did not remain in the grave, but rose to life— --life we share forever. This is a shepherd to follow. This is a shepherd whose voice we listen for. And when we hear that voice today and tomorrow and forever— --we follow. “Not my will, but Thine be done.” May that be our prayer today, this week, and always. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen