Colossians 3:I2-I7 ; Matthew 6:5-15
Jamie Maciejewski
I don't know about you, but sometimes the hardest passages in the Bible for me are the ones
that are most familiar. Like this one.
It is so easy for me to find that I have read the passage and don't even recall it going through
my brain. I love when I read something in scripture and am surprised by it. lt's harder to be
surprised by a passage we recite every week here in church. "Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name..." lt's so easy for me just to say it and not pray it. Do you know what I
mean?
As l've worked through these passages the past month, l've had some wonderful "aha's" that
have surprised me and given me fresh eyes for this familiar text. l'd like to share a few of them
with you. This isn't the sermon I began with, but it seems to be the one that wants to be shared
with you.
One of the things I noticed is that Jesus talks to two different kinds of people to correct their
wrong thinking about prayer. I never noticed that before.
The first kind is religious people. They are the people everyone looked at in Jesus' day and
said to themselves, "Wowl There goes someone who is really holyl I could never be as devout
as they are." These religious superstars impressed regular folk with the way they took their
religion so seriously.
They didn't impress Jesus. Jesus called them play actors. He saw right through the charade
and said they were just pretending to be religious. The word he used was hypocrite. He could
see they weren't sincere. They were just playing to the crowds, loving it when people thought
of them as holy. He could see they were very impressed with themselves.
Jesus tells his followers that performing your religion to draw the attention of others means you
aren't serious about getting God's attention. lf you want to make God happy, says Jesus, go
find someplace to pray where nobody else can see you. Stop trying to be impressive.
The second kind of people that Jesus takes time to correct are the ones no good Jew thought
of as religious. These were the Gentiles, the non-Jewish people. Jesus says that where they
go wrong is they think of God as something like a slot machine. lf you can manipulate the
levers in just the right way, then you might win the goods. The way Jesus described them
probably reminded his disciples of the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18)
The pagan prophets do all kinds of things to get their little-g god's attention. They dance and
chant for hours; they even slash their arms to show their devotion.
1Jesus says, Don't do that. This is your heavenly Father you are talking to. He knows what you
need before you even ask. There's no need to manipulate him. Just talk to him, as honestly
and simply as you know how. That's all.
So that is the first thing that stands out to me in this passage. Two problematic approaches to
prayer. One that looks super religious and pious, the other that looks spiritual with a heavy
dose of superstition. Let me say that I believe we Christians get regularly tripped up by both
approaches.
Who doesn't love applause? Who doesn't love to be recognized for doing good? I know I do.
Jesus knows our weakness. When we take to performing for the accolades of others, Jesus
calls me, calls you, to live our lives before an audience of One. Don't be like the hypocrites.
And who doesn't hope and wish for the right words that will draw God's attention and care to a
particular need, providing an answer to our most fervent prayers? Perhaps a loved one is
suffering. Maybe we are. Jesus calls me, calls you, to trust that our heavenly Father loves us
and knows what we need before we even ask. Don't be like the pagans.
I find the Message to be helpful. Even though it isn't the translation we read this morning, I
asked Fred to include it in our bulletins. l'd like us to read those first verses, where Jesus talks
to the two different kinds of people.
'And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All
these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for fifteen minutes of
famel Do you think God sits in a box seat?
"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to
role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The
focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of
formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from
God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he
knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very
simply." (Matt 6:5-8 MSG)
Two kinds of religious traps to avoid in prayer; the first aha.
My second "aha" is this. Prayer is demanding. By "demanding," I don't mean hard, like
kneeling on popcorn kernels on concrete floors, or locking yourself in a closet for hours. I mean
hard as in it requires my participation and surrender. When I pray, "your kingdom come, your
will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," I commit to wanting and working for God's kingdom
2including here in me. This is very much like picking up your cross and following Jesus. There is a
cost to this.
Or how about this demanding bit? "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."
(Matt 6:L2) How often I have nursed injured feelings and righteous indignation at some injustice
toward me! lknowthe powerand, if l'm honest, eventhe pleasure, of angerand a grudge
against someone who "earned" it. Letting go, forgiving, costs me. But here it is, in the starkest
terms. lf we refuse to forgive others, our Father will not forgive us. And, oh, don't we want the
sweetness of being forgiven?
Prayer requires something from me. lt's costly. The Message puts it this way: "lf you refuse to
do your part, you cut yourself offfrom God's part." (Matt 6:15 MSG)There is no passivity in
prayer. lt demands all of me.
A third aha I will share is this. As we spend time with God in our private, quiet space, we grow
the quiet space inside of us. When we leave that physical room, we can take the interior room
with us throughout our ordinary days. Then every person and situation we encounter we can
quietly hold before God. Prayer isn't limited to words of praise and petition to God. Our text in
Colossians reminds us: "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col 3:L7)
I recently spent time with someone who is not a very happy person. As he gets closer to the end
of his life, he has become more demanding and unpleasant to the people who are closest to
him. There is cynicism, bitterness, perhaps apathy. As I sat with him and listened, I held the
thought that he is dear to God, even broken as he is. I became aware that God was present
through me, even though I didn't voice that reality. My being present with him is a kind of
prayer.
Many of us are dealing with loved ones with growing dementia. Caregiving, which is exhausting,
frequently thankless work, can be prayer. Listening deeply to someone can be prayer. Washing
dishes can be prayer. Speaking an encouraging word to another person can be prayer. Jesus
intends prayer to be our way of life. "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the
name of the Lord Jesus..." Go physically into the private, quiet space to pray, and then take that
quiet place with you as you go through your day.
I close with these last thoughts:
Prayer is less about the right words and more about the right posture. We don't need magic
words; God already knows what we need. We don't need to convince God that we or someone
else deserves his attention; we already have it. lt doesn't matter if others think we are the right
kind of Christian; it only matters what God thinks, and we are beloved by him. Thanks be to
God.