Living the Recitation

Scripture: Luke 11:1-13 (NIV with CEB)

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:

‘Father, uphold the holiness of your name.

Bring in your kingdom.

3 Give us the bread we need for today.

4 Forgive us our sins,

    for we also forgive everyone who has wronged us.

And don’t lead us into temptation.’”

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

There have been a handful of times that I have visited someone I knew was dying. Sometimes the family was with me, and sometimes I visited on my own. When this has happened and I’ve either been on my own or with family I didn’t know, I would turn to something well known. Once or twice I’ve read Psalm 23 or another scripture. And I’ve said the Lord’s Prayer, pausing at the debts or trespasses to allow the inevitable variations at that time. Family who haven't been to church in years can usually say this prayer with me. The loved one can be comforted by this prayer they’ve recited their whole life. “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name…” We know this prayer. We recite it every week in church, either after the Prayers of the People or during the communion prayer. The deacons say it at the end of their meeting each month. This is the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. This is the prayer we say almost every time we come together to worship.

But how often do we think about what it means? Luke’s version is a little different than Matthew’s, and the ending that we say was added later. But to really shake us out of that recitation, so I included the Common English Bible translation for the actual prayer. We’re to live this, which means we have to hear it instead of just reciting it.

Think about it: when was the last time you really thought about the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer? “Hallowed be thy name” for instance. If pushed, I think most would say that it means “God, your name is holy.” But what if this is more than a statement of praise: we are saying “God make your name holy.” As the podcast Pulpit Fiction states in notes on this passage, “‘Hallowed be thy name,’ is an invitation for God to act in the world. It is… a request for God to act in the world so that God’s name would be made holy.” In her Working Preacher commentary, Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Johnson explained that we are “ask[ing] God to hallow God’s own name, to act in such a way that God’s name is held in honor. The petitions that follow flesh out what this means.”

What if we didn’t just pray for God’s will to be done on earth, but actually acted like it would happen? Praying for God to bring in the kingdom, and then acting on those deep, passionate prayers because we believe that God gives good gifts. In his commentary on this passage, Rev. Dr. David Lose proposed, “how would we act if [we trusted] that God will respond so much more generously than any earthly parent…? Perhaps I wouldn’t just sit back and wait for God to answer but would start moving, get to work, actually start living into the reality of what I’ve prayed for. So rather than pray for someone who is lonely, maybe I’d go visit. Rather than pray for an end to violence, maybe I’d campaign against [certain] weapons, or protest …, or go visit the police station to tell officers that I’m grateful for their service and pray for their safety.” Is there a specific place that you see the need for God? And is there a way to live that out? People burdened by overwhelming debt, violence, despair. Even if it’s an area where you can’t quite see how to act on the prayer: where do you see that God is needed?

We pray for the bread we need for today. Well, what basic sustenance do you or your neighbors need: housing, clothes, a job, to know where the next meal is coming from? We pray for forgiveness as we forgive. As Lose mentions, “Right relationship is one governed not only by commitment to the well being of those around us, but also provision for receiving and granting forgiveness. We …hurt each other and [are] hurt by each other. [It’s unavoidable. F]orgiveness reaches beyond justice to compassion to renew a community that is bound to each other by a commitment to justice and love.” Where might you need forgiveness, and where might you forgive, even if no one has asked for forgiveness? What relationship needs some shoring up? And, finally, is there safety that’s needed? Or is temptation knocking at the door?

On his blog, Rev. Robb McCoy notes “The Lord’s Prayer can’t be just words that we recite.  It is a prayer that we live.  It is one thing to say the words of the Lord’s Prayer, but it is an entirely different thing to live the Lord’s Prayer… When you live the Lord’s Prayer, it becomes more than words that you say.  It is the choices you make, the grace you show, the forgiveness you give, and the bread you share.”

That’s how Luke ends the actual prayer, but I like the ending that was added all those centuries ago- the reminder that God is in control: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. We know that our good Father, our incredible Creator is ultimately in control, and loves us dearly. God wants every good thing for all of us. God feels our pain when everything goes wrong. God listens to each and every prayer. So this morning, let’s trust and live into that trust that God does desire good for us, for the neighbor, and for the world. And let us go out and live our lives as if God is that good Father, working in the world through us and through others.  Thanks be to God. Amen.

*Resources for this sermon include:

Rev. Dr. David Lose, “Pentecost 10 C: Shameless Prayer” https://www.davidlose.net/2016/07/pentecost-10-c-shameless-prayer/  

Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, “Commentary on Luke 11:1-13” Working Preacher. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-17-3/commentary-on-luke-111-13-3   

Rev. Eric Fistler and Rev. Robb McCoy, “Proper 12C (OT17)” Pulpit Fiction Podcast. https://www.pulpitfiction.com/notes/proper12c 

Rev. Robb McCoy “Sermon: The prayer we live” https://fatpastor.me/2013/01/22/the-prayer-we-live/